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 25.3% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: El Salvador is 27.6% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 25.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 $7.29

$10.19 ₡5,052

-28.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.56 $29.56

$60.5 ₡30.0K

-51.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 $7.16

$10.17 ₡5,041

-29.60%

Cappuccino

$3.28 $3.28

$3.90 ₡1,933

-15.90%

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

$1.11 $1.11

$2.19 ₡1,086

-49.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.65 ₡819

-49.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.95 ₡1,460

-32.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$4.32 ₡2,142

-26.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.03 ₡1,005

-9.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.18 ₡1,576

-36.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.49 ₡1,234

-34.54%

Eggs

$2.63 $2.63

$3.41 ₡1,688

-22.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$9.25 ₡4,584

-20.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$9.42 ₡4,670

-37.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.64 $9.64

$13.28 ₡6,583

-27.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$4.51 ₡2,235

-26.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.54 ₡763

19.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.37 ₡1,673

-25.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.94 ₡1,458

-5.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.97 ₡1,475

-21.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.83 ₡1,403

-21.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.01 ₡502

-5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.54 ₡1,257

-57.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 $4.06

$5.03 ₡2,494

-19.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.13 $9.13

$15.31 ₡7,589

-40.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.31 ₡1,145

-27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.72 ₡1,347

-12.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.96 ₡475

-64.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.99 $28.99

$48.97 ₡24.3K

-40.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 $6.32

$1.80 ₡893

251.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.01 ₡995

52.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.08 $20.08

$7.51 ₡3,723

167.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.52 ₡752

-34.21%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$36.6K ₡18.2M

-31.43%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$36.0K ₡17.9M

-24.95%

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

$90.4 $90.4

$85.9 ₡42.6K

5.32%

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

$19.81 $19.81

$25.46 ₡12.6K

-22.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.37 $41.37

$53.9 ₡26.7K

-23.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 $31.26

$57.3 ₡28.4K

-45.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.55 $19.55

$29.36 ₡14.6K

-33.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 $4.87

$9.01 ₡4,466

-45.95%

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

$141 $141

$540 ₡267.8K

-73.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,220 $4,220

$10.1K ₡5.0M

-58.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 $58.0

$71.5 ₡35.5K

-18.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.48 $39.48

$54.9 ₡27.2K

-28.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$117 ₡58.2K

-7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 $95.0

$103 ₡50.8K

-7.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 $681

$810 ₡401.7K

-15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 $656

$551 ₡272.9K

19.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 $1,105

$1,488 ₡737.8K

-25.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 $844

$1,043 ₡516.9K

-19.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,658 $2,658

$2,335 ₡1.2M

13.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,558 $1,558

$1,607 ₡796.5K

-3.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$488 $488

$981 ₡486.2K

-50.20%

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: January 11, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: January 12, 2026

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

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