Pros and Cons of living near Leon?

You can get from MGA to Leon for about $75 to $100.  That's for a private driver or shuttle. Your hotel will have a service or at the very least a connection that can send a car for you. There are several other services  that can do this as well. Your hostel or hotel can provide this info.
As for pros and cons,
the weather in Leon is hot! Get ready for this especially in the month of April.

Thanks for the help lazytrader.  Now you don't know where the expats live in leon or outside leon.  I would like to live a little north of Leon.  You seem like a man with connections.  I am on a small budget and would like to live near leon but not in leon.  I hear Leon is a university town.  So maybe a house with lots of rooms I can rent to students.  Tell me what you know or think.  Don't worry you can not break my resolve.

Hello Schoonertiki and welcome to Expat.com

A new thread has been created as from your post on the Nicaragua Forum so as to help you get better response.

Regards
Kenjee
Expat.com team

All the students live in Leon. There is a small community called Fatima located just outside the city. It's a really nice area and has a park u can exercise in.  It's busy in the park from 5am till about 6:30.  Fatima is pretty expensive by nica standards but the houses are designed like back in the states.
Students don't really live in this area and houses there are from $700-1100 for rent there. You can rent in a less afluent area such as Guadelupe and have a pretty big spread.
Why not choose matagalpa? Nice area and the weather is awesome.

You can get to leon for cheaper than that. Take the express bus from managua but that depends on how many bags you have.  Leon is kinda slow as it is i wouldnt suggest you live putside of the city the action is there. The students would want to get to know you before they trust you to move in. Hes right Fatima is were most expats live. I personally found a doctor that invest  in reno homes that are up to our standards and my rent was $400 a month.

She's right, you can get to Leon for cheaper than that using the bus. However as you said that you will be moving here I'm assuming you will have more than one bag and possibly several.  Unless you speak fluent Spanish, then by all means go for it!
This will be your first time and first experience here in Nicaragua so try to make it a smooth one. Your driver that works for a local hotel or hostel will be able to speak some English and be able to assist you with your bags.  Spend the extra money for peace of mind and security in that you will be taken from point a to b.  There are plenty of other areas to cut your budget once you arrive.  You don't want to risk sitting next to a person transporting a chicken!

Well, April is coming up and it is Semana Santa, the busiest time of year.  I and my wife, from Calif/Colorado, have a great little ocean front hotel in Las Penitas-Leon, just 20 minutes west of Leon on the Pacific Ocean.  playaroca.com
That is the #1 thing about Leon, the largest city next to Managua and be so close to the beach.
The high tourist crowds of down south are not quite here yet, but Nicaragua is getting so popular that being a hidden jewel is getting tougher.  Leon has modern markets as well as outdoor markets.  It has movie theaters with latest movies and in English or sub titles cheap and can get most every thing you would normally need.  Being only 70 or so miles north of Managua, it's not too far to get that extra thing only Managua has.

You can get an air conditioned minibus from in front of the University of Nicaragua or behind Israel Lewintes Market to Leon for $1.90. I know of a taxi that will bring you to Leon from the Managua airport for $50. I live  in Leon. A 3 bedroom/2 bath runs $400 a month. Don't use the taxistas approaching you at the airport or you will be paying for their waiting time. Catch a taxi on the move with only the driver in it. I know of rooms with Wifi, shared kitchen and tv room renting for as little as $60 a month. Located near the Pali store in Guadalupe bario.

Some advice. Do not buy property until you have been here at least a year. Get residency before you buy. Don't rent to anyone again for at least a year until you are familiar with the people here. Do not drive until you get accustomed to driving here. Get into an accident as a tourist, they will take your passport until things are settled. And with an injury sufficient to send someone to the hospital the driver will spend 2 days in jail regardless of fault. Don't rush into anything. If you rent rooms to locals you are in business and required to have the proper visa and approvals. You cannot do that on a tourist , Pension or  Rentista Visa. On buying real estate there are no guarantees. Purely Caveat Emptor.

You cam private message me for taxi phone numbers reasonably priced hotels and restaurants. I am not in business in any way so have no agenda when giving advice.

Oh, might want to get a Yellow Fever vaccination before you leave North America, typhoid, paratyphoid and cholera would be good preventatives as well.

Pros and cons of Leon?
* It has - for me - the perfect size, between 100 and 200,000 inhabitants,
* a lot of old colonial buildings and reminders of the Revolution - which I like. It does not look like Granada which is perfectly refurbished and looks like a puppet museum. I like the "old" aspect of the buildings - some neglected, unrenovated, you can still see the bullet holes on some houses... The city tells a story.
* There are very many cultural events - almost every weekend something interesting happens - projection of films on the Cathedral during the Ruben Dario anniversary, folkloric dancing, Jazz or other concerts.
* You find many offers for learning Spanish, play guitar or piano, painting, Salsa or Bachata dancing.
* The city is walkable, but you can also use a bicycle (which I do).
* Without a car it is a bit complicated to go to the beach - it takes me about 1 1/2 hours (10min taxi, wait until the bus is full, then 30min bus). The beaches are not for swimming - but for surfing. The waves are quite violent, and the sand is a bit rough (I was used to fine white sands in Madagascar and a beach, where you could lie in the water and relax - this is not possible in the Pacific!
* You will easily find a room or furnished apartment, because almost everybody who comes here, invests in a hostal or subrents rooms. Don't take the first one - look around and negotiate for a long-term renting. Recently a woman asked for a room to rent in an expat group in FACEBOOK - about 10 people threw their offers on her...
* There are a lot of restaurants - which I appreciate, because the fritanga food (with tons of grilled meat) is not my favorite. The typical Nica food includes a lots of carbs - rice, fried potatoes and platanos, tortilla, and mostly only a cabbage salad (not my favorite). So better cook yourself.

Inconvenients:
* Leon is hot - very hot! Especially in March and April (up to 40 degrees
   C). If you live in the Eastern part of town, you will be exposed to the horrible black dust from the peanut and sugar cane files in the dry season - including pesticides. In the house where I lived at first, I could not even leave a document on my desk - it was black within 10 min!
* Leon is very loud - there are Gigantona competitions, and the schools train their presentations - with lots of small and big drums - during about 3 months at any time.
* There are lots of "bombas" (firework) - every religious celebration is accompanied by intense bombing. My 3 dogs get mad and don't stop barking.


But excuse me: I will never understand how someone moves to a country where he has never been before! There are so many things that might not meet your expectations - the climate, the type of city, the mentality, the permanent "bombas" and "Gigantona drumming"...

The best is to invest the money and come once for 2-3 months to take a look at different places.