Nicaragua Fast Facts

Nicaragua Nicaragua

Population: 5,966,798

Capital City: Managua

Climate: Tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Time Zone: GMT-6

Language: Spanish (official)

Country Code: 505

Coastline: 910km

Nicaragua: Beautiful and Affordable

Along Central America’s Pacific coast you’ll find rocky outcrops, world-class surf, and some of the most jaw-dropping views in the world. If it’s natural beauty you are after, Nicaragua is the jewel of this stretch of coast.

Today’s Nicaragua is like a newborn child, eyes bright with hope with a smile promising a great future. The country stuns with its physical beauty, something that surprises every newcomer. Majestic volcanoes pepper the horizon along the Pacific Ring of Fire, some with billows of white smoke, proclaiming the life within, while others sleep, protecting their sparkling crater lakes for you to enjoy.

Lake Colcibolca, the 19th largest lake in the world, houses Ometepe Island, a magical place that soothes the soul with its own lakes, volcanoes and verdant green forests. White sand beaches and turquoise water with low-hanging palms greet you on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua. Bosawas National Reserve offers a dense rainforest, second only to the Amazon in the Western Hemisphere. Hiking, rock climbing, floating down crystal clear rivers, surfing a volcano and more are only some of the adventures in Nicaragua.

Pacific Coast, Nicaragua
Pacific Coast, Nicaragua

Because Nicaragua is just emerging as a tourist and retirement destination, many take advantage of the economical real estate and rental prices to retire early. Ocean-view condos for under $100,000 still exist, as do fully-furnished apartments to rent for $400 to $500 a month with all amenities and a block’s walk to the beach. Don’t despair if you want “more” of a house, as upscale mansions with a 240-degree view of the ocean exist for those with deeper pockets. The truth is, you can easily build your dream house and your dream life in Nicaragua, for about an 8th of the price of what it would cost you back home.

Still lacking a strong infrastructure, Nicaragua, like Costa Rica maybe 40 years ago, offers people from the U.S. and Canada and elsewhere the role of true pioneers. These expats are helping to shape Nicaragua into the tourist mecca it will become. New government laws with unparalleled tax benefits help expats form corporations and open businesses with ease.

Nicaragua is not for everyone. It’s more primitive and wild than its Central American neighbors. It’s for the young-at-heart, who don’t worry if the electricity goes off, who don’t stress over guests arriving late, and who don’t want to sit around just watching TV when they retire. It’s for those with vision, who want adventure, want to feel young again, and who want to create their ideal retirement. Don’t wait any longer. Let Nicaragua surprise you.

Find Out More From Our Nicaragua Correspondent

From the Archives of Nicaragua

To Have or to Lease: A Global Guide to Property Ownership Rules and Restrictions

To Have or to Lease: A Global Guide to Property Ownership Rules and Restrictions

Real Estate
By |
February 5, 2010

Thinking about acquiring a second home abroad? Worried about the stories you’ve heard? The ones where, having written the last check to the real estate agent, local officials knock on your new door to inform you that you don’t actually own your bijou residence on the beach…you were misinformed and you need to move out Read more...: To Have or to Lease: A Global Guide to Property Ownership Rules and Restrictions

Rolodex: Contacts in Nicaragua

Rolodex: Contacts in Nicaragua

Countries
By |
February 3, 2010

Business and Investment Contacts in Nicaragua U.S. Embassy Managua, Commercial Section; Unit 2703 Box 2, APO AA 34021; tel.(505)266-6010, ext. 4641, fax 266-9056; e-mail: [email protected] Nicaraguan American Chamber of Co0mmerce in Miami; 444 Brickell Avenue, Suite 51-168, Miami, FL 33131; tel.(305)448-2495, fax 375-0362. Nicaragua Embassies and Consulates Embassy of Nicaragua, Consular Services; 1627 New Hampshire Read more...: Rolodex: Contacts in Nicaragua

Why Nicaragua?

Why Nicaragua?

Countries
By |
February 3, 2010

Nicaragua is virtually unknown--and usually misunderstood--by most people, which is why forward-thinking investors can find some of the best real estate deals on Earth in this country. For the record, this country is not in the midst of a civil war…and it's not a Communist state. It has, however, suffered from a serious case of bad press. Find out the full story here.