We moved to Nicaragua nearly two years ago. Along the way have discovered a plethora of ways to save a buck.

We now live in a nicer home and own and maintain a vehicle.  Overall of our quality of life is better. 

The interesting thing? Our budget hasn’t really changed.

Here’s how we do it!

#1

BUY BEVERAGES FROM THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR
No matter where you buy it in Nicaragua beer and rum is cheap, but purchasing it at our local distributor allows us to save more than 50%.

To put things into perspective…

A can of Tona purchased at the corner store costs $1 USD, while a bottle purchased at the distributor rings it at just 0.53₵. If you want even more bang for your buck you can purchase beer by the liter – at the distributor – for just $1.14 USD per unit. 

Another plus purchasing from the distributor? They’ll deliver the goods right to your door … for FREE!

#2

EAT OUT LESS
When we arrived in Nicaragua the food was new and impressive, but within a couple of months it became very unexciting. 

With access to fresh ingredients and more time to cook we prefer to eat most of our meals in. Eating more meals in allows us to save a decent amount of money, which in turn means we can afford to splurge on a special dinner out now and again.

#3

BUY CELL PHONE MINUTES ON PROMOTIONAL DAYS
For the first few months after moving we shared a cell phone. During that time we were spending an average of $20 USD per month and we were constantly running out of minutes.  

With a bit of research and some trial and error we now average $12 per month for two phones and we rarely run out of minutes.

We purchase minutes on promotional days where the carrier sometimes gives us up to six times our minutes. And instead of paying for individual text messages, we purchase packages. 

#4

PURCHASE FRUIT & VEGETABLES FROM THE FRUIT TRUCK
In Canada we bought most of our fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. Occasionally we would go to a Farmer’s Market for better quality produce. Ironically the prices were even higher.

Here in Nicaragua fresh produce is available at our local Pali (grocery store), but the freshness and quality of our local vendors is far superior, not to mention much cheaper. We actually prefer to support our local entrepreneurs – and 9 times out of 10 – that is exactly what we do.

Depending on what we buy and where we buy it, it’s possible to save as much as 50% on produce.

Here’s an example:
At the grocery store one medium avocado is 40 cordobas or $1.66 USD.  At the local market the same sized avocado can be purchased for 25 or 30 cordobas. If we purchase from the fruit truck that visits our neighborhood daily we can get an avocado for 20 cordobas.  And if we’re lucky enough to be around when a vendor comes to our door an avocado may cost as little as 15 cordobas.

#5

LIVE THE LOCAL LIFESTYLE
I sometimes crave familiar brands from home, but have learned to limit myself to one or two treats (pretzels, peanut butter, chocolate chips and extra sharp cheddar cheese) now and then. 

I’ve given up my Redken shampoo for a brand I can buy here. We snack on Ranchitos, instead of Doritos and when we want a little spice in our life we use Chilero instead of Sriracha.

By learning to live without some of our favorite and familiar brands we’re able  to stay on budget. 

BEWARE:  If you insist on buying imported products from your home country you will significantly increase your living expenses.

These are just a few of the ways we’ve learned to save while enhancing our lifestyle.  We’d love to hear from other savvy expats who’ve found additional ways to save.  Leave a reply in comments section below.