Getting around on the Emerald Coast

Now that we have been in Tola a few weeks we are learning some things that one has to be here to know about. One of the things we learned has to do with getting around. Because the beaches of Tola are a popular tourist destination, and also being close to San Juan del Sur, there are quite a few options for transportation. Of course having your own vehicle makes things easier and this is what many here have, but if you don't have a car or you are just here for a short visit you still have a lot of options.

Sadly, many tourists get stuck with an opportunistic taxi driver that charges them astronomical prices, essentially a penalty for their ignorance. Taking the bus is very easy just like anywhere in Nicaragua. From Rivas which is the main city in the department, there are buses directly to Tola, Playa gigante, popoyo, San Juan del Sur, and many other locations. most of these cost less than a dollar, including the one to San Juan Del Sur. These buses run every day, so be careful not to be fooled by a sly taxi driver. Many times we have been approached by one and told "there are no more buses today, you will have to wait until tomorrow... but I can take you" Or something along those lines. They have no shame in lying about the bus schedules and the prices.

SJDS

Now if you have some bags and you're not comfortable riding the chicken bus you can take a taxi. But be careful of any taxi drivers that approach YOU. It is better if YOU are the one to select the taxi. The car doesn't have to be pretty, but in Nicaragua the law is that all taxis have a special liscence plate, this means they are a legitimate registered taxi. It is white with black letters/numbers and TWO RED BARS. One at the top, and one at the bottom. If there are no red bars, it is not a taxi. Anyone can buy the yellow taxi sign, it has to have the red bars on the licence plate. Another tip is if they tell you the price in dollars, just walk away. Also avoid people that speak English. They learn English in order to take advantage of white tourists. Its helpful to look online, some expats in San Juan del Sur have a facebook page that includes average prices for taxis to common locations.

Colletivo terminal in Rivas

The other option with taxis, and this is personally one of my favorite, is to take what is called a "collectivo" or "collective taxi". These are licensed taxis that are contracted to run one particular route. They sit in the market right next to the bus terminal, and wait until they have enough passengers going to a specific place to fill the car, and then they leave. A collectivo to San Juan del Sur from Rivas costs 50 cordobas. That is less than two dollars. To Tola from rivas is 25 cords, just less than one dollar. You may have to wait 5-10 minutes but you will get there twice as fast as the bus. A private taxi will rightfully charge more than this, but if someone comes up to you asking $20, just walk away, don't bother negotiating the price with them because you already know they are a thief.

Riding in the Collectivo

Blue dot is the location of the collectivo
taxis for both SJDS and Tola

I'm not against paying more money for a service that may be better, and its totally fair that some people don't want the hassle of finding the Collectivo, or asking prices in Spanish. But the real danger is that if someone is opportunistic and dishonest enough to target a foreigner to try and take advantage of his ignorance, what else is he capable of doing? I heard one story here in Nicaragua where a wealthy individual offered a taxi driver $150 to drive them around all day. That was a generous offer as they probably would have normally made $10-$20 in the whole day. Was the driver grateful? No... upon learning that her fare had that kind of money she decided to meet with some friends and rob the person of everything else they had, which was a few thousand dollars in cash. The driver was arrested of course and got away with nothing, but it just shows the danger of flashing large amounts of cash around.

The Cost of Living

The number one question that people want to know when considering a move to another country is always "What does it cost to live there?" Well recently I was discussing this with my family and we were looking at some online tools that show cost of living. At least with Nicaragua, there seems to be no agreement between online sources on what it costs to live here, also when you ask people who are here that question the answers vary greatly. Some say you need more than $1,000 US a month, whereas others say that with $100 you will have money left over at the end of the month.

Of course, people's expectations of comfort and their lifestyle have a lot to do with this. Obviously Nicaraguans who make $150 a month with a full time job are not starving, but they also rarely pay rent. Anyways, in order to make these calculations easier, I have made this list of real prices of every day things here in Nicaragua. With this information you can make your own budget and figure out for yourself what you would actually spend in Nicaragua.

The food prices are taken from our own grocery receipts from Pali, which is the most common grocery store in Nicaragua, its a branch of walmart and all the locals go there for nearly everything. Prices are in Cordobas and USD

Ramen Noodles -------------- 7.75   - $ 0.26

Head of lettuce --------------- 15.00  - $ 0.50

1lb rice ------------------------ 11.00  - $ 0.37

1lb beans ---------------------- 14.00 - $ 0.47

1L of Milk -------------------- 27.50 - $ 0.92

1lb Carrots -------------------- 9.00  - $ 0.30

1lb Potatoes ------------------- 13.00 - $ 0.44

1lb Onions -------------------- 11.00 - $ 0.37

1lb Tomatoes ----------------- 7.00  - $ 0.25

Avocados indv. --------------- 30.00 - $ 1.01

Bottle of wine ---------------- 130.00 - $ 4.37

Loaf of Bread ---------------- 37.50  - $ 1.26

Big package of cookies ----- 44.00 - $1.48

bag of chamomile tea ------- 3.00 -  $ 0.10

Pineapple jelly --------------- 21.00 - $ 0.71

Tang package ---------------- 5.00 -   $ 0.17

1 lb garlic -------------------- 55.00 -  $ 1.85

1 lb flour --------------------- 12.50 -  $ 0.42

1 lb cane sugar -------------- 10.00 - $ 0.34

200g sea salt ----------------- 3.00 -  $ 0.10

6 pack of local beer --------- 126.00 - $4.26

bag of coffee ----------------- 99.00  -  $3.33

bag of pasta ------------------ 7.50    -  $0.25

All of these prices include the sales tax in Nicaragua which is 15% on everything. Most stores include it in the price so you won't even notice it. Here are some prices of other things that we have paid in the past.

Rent:

2 bedroom house in the city

furnished

internet/utilities included

$300/month (reduced after long term)

1 bedroom apartment in the city

furnished

internet/utilities included

$250/month

2 bedroom house in a small town

unfurnished

water/electricity included

$140/month

Internet:

Claro (the worst internet provider on the face of the earth)

$30-$70 per month depending on speed. (0.2 mbs download to 10 mbs download, upload speed is capped at 1 mbs for all packages)
The only reason to ever use claro is because there is no other provider in many parts of the country

CooTel (patiently waiting for them to set up in Carazo and Rivas)
$20 per month OTE (over the air, 1.5 mbs)
$25-110 per month fiber optic (2-20 mbs)

Taxis

In most parts of Nicaragua, Taxis charge a flat rate stipulated by the government. Some towns they are allowed to negotiate, like San juan del sur and Managua, in these cases the price may be according to your skin color and how lost you look. Prices are per person.

Most parts of Carazo, Rivas, Granada, Masaya - 10 cordobas ($ 0.34 US)
San Juan del sur - around 30 cordobas ($1 US)
Managua - 50 cordobas average, 80 if going across the city ($2-4 US)

Hopefully these numbers can be useful for you to make your own calculations of what it costs to live in Nicaragua. Of course rent can vary from one town to another by quite a bit, but Pali for example is the same everywhere.