Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and El Salvador 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Consumer Prices in El Salvador are 25.8% lower than in Costa Rica (without rent) | |
| Consumer Prices Including Rent in El Salvador are 22.0% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in El Salvador are 8.7% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in El Salvador are 32.9% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in El Salvador are 24.7% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in El Salvador is 37.9% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.76 $) |
4,097.97 ₡ (8.00 $) |
-18.0 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (58.57 $) |
15,367.39 ₡ (30.00 $) |
-48.8 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.76 $) |
3,585.72 ₡ (7.00 $) |
-28.3 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (2.93 $) |
1,024.49 ₡ (2.00 $) |
-31.7 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,500.00 ₡ (4.88 $) |
1,536.74 ₡ (3.00 $) |
-38.5 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1,816.34 ₡ (3.55 $) |
1,632.70 ₡ (3.19 $) |
-10.1 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,067.56 ₡ (2.08 $) |
510.33 ₡ (1.00 $) |
-52.2 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
836.03 ₡ (1.63 $) |
410.48 ₡ (0.80 $) |
-50.9 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,659.81 ₡ (7.14 $) |
3,671.90 ₡ (7.17 $) |
+0.3 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,287.26 ₡ (2.51 $) |
867.67 ₡ (1.69 $) |
-32.6 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
515.45 ₡ (1.01 $) |
350.52 ₡ (0.68 $) |
-32.0 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,780.92 ₡ (3.48 $) |
1,297.80 ₡ (2.53 $) |
-27.1 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
1,938.79 ₡ (3.78 $) |
1,636.11 ₡ (3.19 $) |
-15.6 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,185.02 ₡ (4.27 $) |
1,165.72 ₡ (2.28 $) |
-46.6 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,011.16 ₡ (5.88 $) |
2,295.10 ₡ (4.48 $) |
-23.8 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1,050.32 ₡ (2.05 $) |
686.82 ₡ (1.34 $) |
-34.6 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
382.87 ₡ (0.75 $) |
412.45 ₡ (0.81 $) |
+7.7 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
655.87 ₡ (1.28 $) |
555.07 ₡ (1.08 $) |
-15.4 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
613.58 ₡ (1.20 $) |
553.87 ₡ (1.08 $) |
-9.7 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
597.73 ₡ (1.17 $) |
543.19 ₡ (1.06 $) |
-9.1 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
601.33 ₡ (1.17 $) |
452.05 ₡ (0.88 $) |
-24.8 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
519.71 ₡ (1.01 $) |
505.42 ₡ (0.99 $) |
-2.7 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,224.13 ₡ (2.39 $) |
533.16 ₡ (1.04 $) |
-56.4 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
7,000.00 ₡ (13.67 $) |
6,090.61 ₡ (11.89 $) |
-13.0 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,147.79 ₡ (2.24 $) |
812.09 ₡ (1.59 $) |
-29.2 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,455.99 ₡ (2.84 $) |
1,221.12 ₡ (2.38 $) |
-16.1 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (4.88 $) |
2,048.99 ₡ (4.00 $) |
-18.0 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (0.98 $) |
179.29 ₡ (0.35 $) |
-64.1 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
21,739.13 ₡ (42.44 $) |
13,446.47 ₡ (26.25 $) |
-38.1 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
897.50 ₡ (1.75 $) |
2,561.23 ₡ (5.00 $) |
+185.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,464.50 ₡ (2.86 $) |
2,473.14 ₡ (4.83 $) |
+68.9 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,647.50 ₡ (7.12 $) |
5,122.46 ₡ (10.00 $) |
+40.4 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,912.09 ₡ (5.68 $) |
2,074.37 ₡ (4.05 $) |
-28.8 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
16,200,000.00 ₡ (31,625.41 $) |
9,732,681.35 ₡ (19,000.00 $) |
-39.9 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,432,458.08 ₡ (34,031.39 $) |
11,702,616.47 ₡ (22,845.68 $) |
-32.9 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
43,505.15 ₡ (84.93 $) |
43,282.23 ₡ (84.49 $) |
-0.5 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,442.14 ₡ (24.29 $) |
9,476.13 ₡ (18.50 $) |
-23.8 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
25,677.44 ₡ (50.13 $) |
21,300.91 ₡ (41.58 $) |
-17.0 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
27,960.50 ₡ (54.58 $) |
14,204.17 ₡ (27.73 $) |
-49.2 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
16,340.62 ₡ (31.90 $) |
11,005.61 ₡ (21.48 $) |
-32.6 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,000.00 ₡ (7.81 $) |
2,561.23 ₡ (5.00 $) |
-36.0 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
246,620.36 ₡ (481.45 $) |
81,105.68 ₡ (158.33 $) |
-67.1 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
4,662,058.10 ₡ (9,101.20 $) |
2,141,830.21 ₡ (4,181.25 $) |
-54.1 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
38,434.50 ₡ (75.03 $) |
32,979.56 ₡ (64.38 $) |
-14.2 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
26,127.12 ₡ (51.00 $) |
26,693.73 ₡ (52.11 $) |
+2.2 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
59,114.45 ₡ (115.40 $) |
52,647.55 ₡ (102.78 $) |
-10.9 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
51,027.56 ₡ (99.62 $) |
50,427.81 ₡ (98.44 $) |
-1.2 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
345,875.34 ₡ (675.21 $) |
367,799.31 ₡ (718.01 $) |
+6.3 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
247,849.80 ₡ (483.85 $) |
282,802.56 ₡ (552.08 $) |
+14.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
654,192.08 ₡ (1,277.10 $) |
500,507.41 ₡ (977.08 $) |
-23.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
468,458.54 ₡ (914.52 $) |
416,585.16 ₡ (813.25 $) |
-11.1 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
96,900.27 ₡ (189.17 $) |
81,426.89 ₡ (158.96 $) |
-16.0 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
63,059.85 ₡ (123.10 $) |
54,779.59 ₡ (106.94 $) |
-13.1 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
461,764.91 ₡ (901.45 $) |
223,812.27 ₡ (436.92 $) |
-51.5 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 9.86 | 10.34 | +4.9 % |
| Last update: | May 2024 | May 2024 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 131 | 39 |
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