Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and El Salvador 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in El Salvador is 24.7% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in El Salvador is 21.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in El Salvador are 10.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in El Salvador are 33.2% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in El Salvador are 23.9% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in El Salvador is 36.9% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.83 $) |
3,816.22 ₡ (7.50 $) |
-23.7 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (58.96 $) |
15,264.89 ₡ (30.00 $) |
-49.1 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.83 $) |
3,561.81 ₡ (7.00 $) |
-28.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (2.95 $) |
1,017.66 ₡ (2.00 $) |
-32.2 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,289.73 ₡ (4.50 $) |
1,590.09 ₡ (3.12 $) |
-30.6 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
2,006.41 ₡ (3.94 $) |
1,717.70 ₡ (3.38 $) |
-14.4 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,090.08 ₡ (2.14 $) |
570.91 ₡ (1.12 $) |
-47.6 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
848.73 ₡ (1.67 $) |
438.10 ₡ (0.86 $) |
-48.4 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,863.46 ₡ (7.59 $) |
3,614.24 ₡ (7.10 $) |
-6.5 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,449.85 ₡ (2.85 $) |
921.13 ₡ (1.81 $) |
-36.5 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
566.54 ₡ (1.11 $) |
368.66 ₡ (0.72 $) |
-34.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,713.06 ₡ (3.37 $) |
1,325.84 ₡ (2.61 $) |
-22.6 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,059.25 ₡ (4.05 $) |
1,696.35 ₡ (3.33 $) |
-17.6 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,121.18 ₡ (4.17 $) |
1,324.68 ₡ (2.60 $) |
-37.5 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,043.27 ₡ (5.98 $) |
2,235.27 ₡ (4.39 $) |
-26.6 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1,030.14 ₡ (2.02 $) |
773.63 ₡ (1.52 $) |
-24.9 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
368.20 ₡ (0.72 $) |
432.48 ₡ (0.85 $) |
+17.5 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
706.62 ₡ (1.39 $) |
589.11 ₡ (1.16 $) |
-16.6 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
681.78 ₡ (1.34 $) |
624.70 ₡ (1.23 $) |
-8.4 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
671.27 ₡ (1.32 $) |
550.20 ₡ (1.08 $) |
-18.0 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
627.74 ₡ (1.23 $) |
503.93 ₡ (0.99 $) |
-19.7 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
509.37 ₡ (1.00 $) |
505.65 ₡ (0.99 $) |
-0.7 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,260.31 ₡ (2.48 $) |
571.92 ₡ (1.12 $) |
-54.6 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (15.72 $) |
6,105.96 ₡ (12.00 $) |
-23.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,163.40 ₡ (2.29 $) |
840.73 ₡ (1.65 $) |
-27.7 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,389.37 ₡ (2.73 $) |
1,243.45 ₡ (2.44 $) |
-10.5 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (4.91 $) |
2,035.32 ₡ (4.00 $) |
-18.6 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (0.98 $) |
178.09 ₡ (0.35 $) |
-64.4 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (49.13 $) |
14,628.85 ₡ (28.75 $) |
-41.5 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
920.00 ₡ (1.81 $) |
3,307.39 ₡ (6.50 $) |
+259.5 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,569.11 ₡ (3.08 $) |
2,456.65 ₡ (4.83 $) |
+56.6 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (7.56 $) |
10,176.59 ₡ (20.00 $) |
+164.7 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,825.94 ₡ (5.55 $) |
1,954.19 ₡ (3.84 $) |
-30.8 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,450,000.00 ₡ (36,259.68 $) |
12,720,740.55 ₡ (25,000.00 $) |
-31.1 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,660,636.28 ₡ (34,708.35 $) |
13,500,443.36 ₡ (26,532.35 $) |
-23.6 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
43,745.81 ₡ (85.97 $) |
46,460.45 ₡ (91.31 $) |
+6.2 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,964.61 ₡ (25.48 $) |
10,091.50 ₡ (19.83 $) |
-22.2 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,333.59 ₡ (53.72 $) |
20,946.82 ₡ (41.17 $) |
-23.4 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
29,281.51 ₡ (57.55 $) |
15,593.51 ₡ (30.65 $) |
-46.7 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
14,522.18 ₡ (28.54 $) |
9,779.71 ₡ (19.22 $) |
-32.7 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,500.00 ₡ (8.84 $) |
2,544.15 ₡ (5.00 $) |
-43.5 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
277,090.27 ₡ (544.56 $) |
72,197.27 ₡ (141.89 $) |
-73.9 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
5,052,035.91 ₡ (9,928.74 $) |
2,155,783.90 ₡ (4,236.75 $) |
-57.3 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,709.29 ₡ (72.14 $) |
28,971.63 ₡ (56.94 $) |
-21.1 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,762.93 ₡ (54.56 $) |
20,353.18 ₡ (40.00 $) |
-26.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
60,950.37 ₡ (119.79 $) |
56,536.62 ₡ (111.11 $) |
-7.2 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
53,464.54 ₡ (105.07 $) |
49,292.87 ₡ (96.88 $) |
-7.8 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
394,155.88 ₡ (774.63 $) |
369,851.90 ₡ (726.87 $) |
-6.2 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
265,748.91 ₡ (522.27 $) |
331,994.89 ₡ (652.47 $) |
+24.9 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
737,385.51 ₡ (1,449.18 $) |
560,136.61 ₡ (1,100.83 $) |
-24.0 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
507,821.23 ₡ (998.02 $) |
442,966.32 ₡ (870.56 $) |
-12.8 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
120,687.25 ₡ (237.19 $) |
111,388.59 ₡ (218.91 $) |
-7.7 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
65,882.45 ₡ (129.48 $) |
68,592.48 ₡ (134.80 $) |
+4.1 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
506,764.76 ₡ (995.94 $) |
250,696.44 ₡ (492.69 $) |
-50.5 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.53 | 9.14 | -13.2 % |
| Last update: | 22 May 2025 | 20 May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 122 | 44 |
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