Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

🙂 Solo nomad: El Salvador is 24.7% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 9.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: El Salvador is 29.2% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 23.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 $7.45

$9.67 ₡4,573

-22.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.50 $30.50

$58.6 ₡27.7K

-47.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 $6.87

$10.23 ₡4,841

-32.84%

Cappuccino

$3.31 $3.31

$3.97 ₡1,880

-16.62%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.17 ₡1,026

-47.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.73 ₡818

-48.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.89 ₡1,368

-32.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$4.40 ₡2,084

-30.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.05 ₡971

-10.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.09 ₡1,461

-36.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.51 ₡1,187

-35.46%

Eggs

$2.67 $2.67

$3.30 ₡1,560

-19.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.46 $7.46

$9.16 ₡4,335

-18.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$9.29 ₡4,396

-36.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$13.16 ₡6,228

-27.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$4.48 ₡2,119

-25.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.62 ₡766

13.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.22 ₡1,522

-22.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.98 ₡1,411

-10.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.01 ₡1,424

-22.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.85 ₡1,346

-23.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.01 ₡479

-4.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.51 ₡1,188

-54.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.94 ₡2,337

-20.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 $10.83

$15.72 ₡7,440

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.38 ₡1,124

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.71 ₡1,283

-11.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.94 ₡446

-61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.21 $29.21

$48.94 ₡23.2K

-40.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 $6.37

$1.79 ₡848

255.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.01 ₡951

45.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.15 $20.15

$7.82 ₡3,702

157.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.51 ₡715

-31.79%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.8K $24.8K

$36.8K ₡17.4M

-32.64%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.7K ₡16.4M

-23.57%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$90.6 $90.6

$86.8 ₡41.1K

4.33%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$19.85 $19.85

$25.69 ₡12.2K

-22.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.97 $41.97

$53.8 ₡25.4K

-21.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 $30.08

$55.9 ₡26.5K

-46.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.42 $19.42

$28.78 ₡13.6K

-32.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 $5.10

$9.04 ₡4,279

-43.58%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$144 $144

$560 ₡265.1K

-74.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,311 $4,311

$10.0K ₡4.7M

-56.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 $57.0

$72.4 ₡34.3K

-21.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.43 $40.43

$54.4 ₡25.7K

-25.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$117 ₡55.3K

-4.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.4 $95.4

$103 ₡48.7K

-7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$697 $697

$811 ₡383.9K

-14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$634 $634

$551 ₡260.6K

15.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 $1,097

$1,482 ₡701.3K

-25.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 $867

$1,036 ₡490.2K

-16.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,708 $2,708

$2,301 ₡1.1M

17.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,555 $1,555

$1,575 ₡745.4K

-1.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 $433

$1,030 ₡487.4K

-58.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.05

10.53

-14.06%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for El Salvador: March 2, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Costa Rica

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

El Salvador

Costa Rica

El Salvador

Costa Rica

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