What's the dress code in Nicaragua? What clothes do they wear in Nicaragua?

On a weekend, an average Nicaraguan’s dress code would be a simple shirt, shorts or jeans.
 
When you are at work, it’s pretty much business casual. Men wear a good pair of slacks, button-down shirt and a tie. Women will wear either a skirt or a dress, and definitely, no jeans.
 
Around 2006, the government issued a very relaxed business dress code, which included people not really being required to wear a suit and tie, primarily because of the hot...

On a weekend, an average Nicaraguan’s dress code would be a simple shirt, shorts or jeans.
 
When you are at work, it’s pretty much business casual. Men wear a good pair of slacks, button-down shirt and a tie. Women will wear either a skirt or a dress, and definitely, no jeans.
 
Around 2006, the government issued a very relaxed business dress code, which included people not really being required to wear a suit and tie, primarily because of the hot weather.  The only people who are required to wear a suit and tie are either lawyers or people who are working in a bank or insurance company. I worked at an Internet company here in Nicaragua for 11 years and the only time I ever wore a suit was when we were having a meeting at a bank.
 
Some Nicaraguans like to dress up. For example, there are places in which jeans would be appropriate but some girls are in full dress with makeup. Sometimes you would think it’s a little bit too much. Maybe I’m just more used to a laid back kind of style

 

In general, the locals here in Nicaragua are concerned about their appearance. If people get invited to certain formal occasions, they’ll try their best to look good so they won’t feel out of place and also to show respect to the host.
 
Many of the expats here in Nicaragua are retired and live at Monte Cristo or in other beach communities. At the beach communities, it’s a different kind of dress code, which includes items more along the lines of flip-flops, shorts and tank tops.
 
The expats who are in Granada or San Juan del Sur tend to have their own businesses and their clothing choices are very laid back, so you’ll see a bunch of them wearing shorts. In Managua, I don’t see a lot of expats. The ones I do see, for the most part, are working, so they usually wear business casual.

 

If you are in Granada, especially during the night at La Calzada (where there are many restaurants), dressing up is okay.  

How people dress here in Nicaragua is different from how people dress in the United States. Grown men here in Nicaragua do not wear shorts unless they are at the beach. Even if it is 110 degrees, which it often is in Granada, they wear long pants or jeans paired with button down shirts, collared shirts, or any kind of polo shirt. There were a few times in the past when I have worn shorts and tee shirts in town, and people said to me, ‘Oh you just came back from the...

How people dress here in Nicaragua is different from how people dress in the United States. Grown men here in Nicaragua do not wear shorts unless they are at the beach. Even if it is 110 degrees, which it often is in Granada, they wear long pants or jeans paired with button down shirts, collared shirts, or any kind of polo shirt. There were a few times in the past when I have worn shorts and tee shirts in town, and people said to me, ‘Oh you just came back from the beach!’ or ‘Are you going to the beach today?’

Nicaraguans are a little more formal in their attire. When you are in the city, you dress for the city. In the first five or six years that I lived in Granada, I always wore long pants. I have started to break from that and now I wear cargo shorts. I always dress nicely and I never wear tee shirts. I always wear collared shirts, which are usually linen. Therefore, I am dressed up from waist up and casual from waist down. It is a cultural taboo to be dressed the way I am in a city. Gringos do that all the time and it is OK if you are on vacation but as a businessperson, I am not dressed appropriately and I have not been dressed appropriately for quite some time. I look as if I am on vacation. It is generally OK to wear shorts in the city if you are a vacationer but not a businessperson - you have to wear long pants. I always wear long pants when I go to Managua to see my attorney or to go to the mall.

We have a tropical climate in Nicaragua so people mostly love to go out in jeans and t-shirts or any cotton clothing because you need to stay cool. Polo shirts and formal cotton t-shirts are very common, too. You will only see people in formal clothes if they go to offices. That is where you will see men wearing neckties but obviously, there is air-conditioning in their offices. A person like me, whose work is to go around and show people some properties or meet with clients in...

We have a tropical climate in Nicaragua so people mostly love to go out in jeans and t-shirts or any cotton clothing because you need to stay cool. Polo shirts and formal cotton t-shirts are very common, too. You will only see people in formal clothes if they go to offices. That is where you will see men wearing neckties but obviously, there is air-conditioning in their offices. A person like me, whose work is to go around and show people some properties or meet with clients in different places, would wear jeans and sneakers on any normal day.

We have a tropical climate in Nicaragua so people mostly love to go out in jeans and t-shirts or any cotton clothing because you need to stay cool. Polo shirts and formal cotton t-shirts are very common, too.

You will only see people in formal clothes if they go to offices. That is where you will see men wearing neckties but obviously, there is air-conditioning in their offices. A person like me, whose work is to go around and show people some properties or meet with...

We have a tropical climate in Nicaragua so people mostly love to go out in jeans and t-shirts or any cotton clothing because you need to stay cool. Polo shirts and formal cotton t-shirts are very common, too.

You will only see people in formal clothes if they go to offices. That is where you will see men wearing neckties but obviously, there is air-conditioning in their offices. A person like me, whose work is to go around and show people some properties or meet with clients in different places, would wear jeans and sneakers on any normal day.

The dress code in Granada, Nicaragua is pretty open. Nicaragua is a tropical country so you expect people to be wearing a lot of shorts and t-shirts or short-sleeved shirts. The basic dress code is either jeans with a t-shirt or a short-sleeved shirt with a pair of shorts. 

 

The dress code of women in Granada is the same as what you see women wearing in the States during summer. Women wear short dresses or shorts. The younger ones adore wearing shorter shorts....

The dress code in Granada, Nicaragua is pretty open. Nicaragua is a tropical country so you expect people to be wearing a lot of shorts and t-shirts or short-sleeved shirts. The basic dress code is either jeans with a t-shirt or a short-sleeved shirt with a pair of shorts. 

 

The dress code of women in Granada is the same as what you see women wearing in the States during summer. Women wear short dresses or shorts. The younger ones adore wearing shorter shorts. Nicaragua is an all-year summer country. 

 

Expats would be wearing more colorful shirts, which is one of the differences I've noticed between how the expats and local Nicas (“Nica” is the local word for “Nicaraguan) dress. Expats wear more short-sleeved shirts, whereas the Nicas would be wearing more t-shirts.  

 

(Tourists in Nicaragua, pictured.)