Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and El Salvador 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in El Salvador is 25.7% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in El Salvador is 23.3% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in El Salvador are 14.6% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in El Salvador are 34.1% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in El Salvador are 24.8% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in El Salvador is 36.1% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.96 $) |
3,766.59 ₡ (7.50 $) |
-24.7 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (59.74 $) |
15,066.34 ₡ (30.00 $) |
-49.8 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.96 $) |
3,515.48 ₡ (7.00 $) |
-29.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (2.99 $) |
1,004.42 ₡ (2.00 $) |
-33.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,400.00 ₡ (4.78 $) |
1,632.19 ₡ (3.25 $) |
-32.0 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1,990.51 ₡ (3.96 $) |
1,688.02 ₡ (3.36 $) |
-15.2 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,095.47 ₡ (2.18 $) |
553.49 ₡ (1.10 $) |
-49.5 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
845.46 ₡ (1.68 $) |
424.65 ₡ (0.85 $) |
-49.8 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,796.91 ₡ (7.56 $) |
3,538.40 ₡ (7.05 $) |
-6.8 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,445.77 ₡ (2.88 $) |
895.28 ₡ (1.78 $) |
-38.1 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
541.22 ₡ (1.08 $) |
377.65 ₡ (0.75 $) |
-30.2 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,712.54 ₡ (3.41 $) |
1,321.36 ₡ (2.63 $) |
-22.8 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,103.53 ₡ (4.19 $) |
1,727.82 ₡ (3.44 $) |
-17.9 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,145.78 ₡ (4.27 $) |
1,272.13 ₡ (2.53 $) |
-40.7 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,005.95 ₡ (5.99 $) |
2,209.11 ₡ (4.40 $) |
-26.5 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
999.75 ₡ (1.99 $) |
763.57 ₡ (1.52 $) |
-23.6 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
369.52 ₡ (0.74 $) |
426.85 ₡ (0.85 $) |
+15.5 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
731.33 ₡ (1.46 $) |
581.45 ₡ (1.16 $) |
-20.5 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
691.01 ₡ (1.38 $) |
616.57 ₡ (1.23 $) |
-10.8 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
676.61 ₡ (1.35 $) |
543.05 ₡ (1.08 $) |
-19.7 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
644.64 ₡ (1.28 $) |
497.37 ₡ (0.99 $) |
-22.8 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
505.79 ₡ (1.01 $) |
499.07 ₡ (0.99 $) |
-1.3 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,243.91 ₡ (2.48 $) |
571.96 ₡ (1.14 $) |
-54.0 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (15.93 $) |
6,026.54 ₡ (12.00 $) |
-24.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,172.85 ₡ (2.34 $) |
763.01 ₡ (1.52 $) |
-34.9 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,377.11 ₡ (2.74 $) |
1,227.28 ₡ (2.44 $) |
-10.9 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (4.98 $) |
2,008.85 ₡ (4.00 $) |
-19.6 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (1.00 $) |
175.77 ₡ (0.35 $) |
-64.8 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (49.78 $) |
14,438.58 ₡ (28.75 $) |
-42.2 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
910.00 ₡ (1.81 $) |
3,264.37 ₡ (6.50 $) |
+258.7 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,609.34 ₡ (3.20 $) |
2,425.19 ₡ (4.83 $) |
+50.7 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (7.66 $) |
7,533.17 ₡ (15.00 $) |
+95.9 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,833.28 ₡ (5.64 $) |
1,944.13 ₡ (3.87 $) |
-31.4 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,339.28 $) |
12,555,284.32 ₡ (25,000.00 $) |
-31.2 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,803,262.39 ₡ (35,449.74 $) |
13,232,711.60 ₡ (26,348.89 $) |
-25.7 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
44,581.45 ₡ (88.77 $) |
46,424.08 ₡ (92.44 $) |
+4.1 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,901.06 ₡ (25.69 $) |
9,949.75 ₡ (19.81 $) |
-22.9 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,489.22 ₡ (54.74 $) |
20,674.37 ₡ (41.17 $) |
-24.8 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
28,741.72 ₡ (57.23 $) |
15,390.69 ₡ (30.65 $) |
-46.5 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
15,308.33 ₡ (30.48 $) |
9,652.50 ₡ (19.22 $) |
-36.9 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,000.00 ₡ (7.96 $) |
2,636.61 ₡ (5.25 $) |
-34.1 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
275,391.19 ₡ (548.36 $) |
71,258.21 ₡ (141.89 $) |
-74.1 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
4,857,636.78 ₡ (9,672.49 $) |
2,548,346.06 ₡ (5,074.25 $) |
-47.5 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,964.42 ₡ (73.60 $) |
28,402.56 ₡ (56.55 $) |
-23.2 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,534.98 ₡ (54.83 $) |
20,088.45 ₡ (40.00 $) |
-27.0 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
62,644.33 ₡ (124.74 $) |
57,754.31 ₡ (115.00 $) |
-7.8 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
53,963.63 ₡ (107.45 $) |
51,616.17 ₡ (102.78 $) |
-4.4 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
389,423.27 ₡ (775.42 $) |
358,352.93 ₡ (713.55 $) |
-8.0 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
265,857.56 ₡ (529.37 $) |
309,639.79 ₡ (616.55 $) |
+16.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
733,428.01 ₡ (1,460.40 $) |
540,295.74 ₡ (1,075.83 $) |
-26.3 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
502,665.25 ₡ (1,000.90 $) |
407,123.13 ₡ (810.66 $) |
-19.0 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
125,213.76 ₡ (249.32 $) |
109,939.78 ₡ (218.91 $) |
-12.2 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
69,752.77 ₡ (138.89 $) |
60,708.72 ₡ (120.88 $) |
-13.0 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
El Salvador Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
512,580.47 ₡ (1,020.65 $) |
251,314.94 ₡ (500.42 $) |
-51.0 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.29 | 9.50 | -7.7 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | March 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 113 | 38 |
Other comparisons Costa Rica vs El Salvador: