Cost of living comparison
compared to
China vs. El Salvador Cost of Living Summary
China is 42.9% cheaper than El Salvador overall.
China vs. El Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in China instead of El Salvador, you would:
pay 48.0% less for restaurants
|
El Salvador
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.75
SVC59.06
|
$3.02
CN¥20.18
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.00
SVC61.25
|
$5.16
CN¥34.52
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.14
SVC10.01
|
$0.51
CN¥3.39
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.83
SVC7.29
|
$0.29
CN¥1.97
|
|
El Salvador vs. China - Cost of restaurants
pay 43.2% less for groceries
|
El Salvador
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.53
SVC22.11
|
$1.66
CN¥11.09
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.85
SVC33.72
|
$6.71
CN¥44.88
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.71
SVC58.72
|
$6.65
CN¥44.53
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.67
SVC23.35
|
$1.57
CN¥10.47
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.83
SVC24.77
|
$1.52
CN¥10.14
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.88
SVC16.49
|
$0.83
CN¥5.55
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
SVC5.54
|
$0.59
CN¥3.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.18
SVC10.35
|
$0.67
CN¥4.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.56
SVC13.68
|
$0.58
CN¥3.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
SVC11.65
|
$0.33
CN¥2.18
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.49
SVC13.05
|
$0.40
CN¥2.67
|
|
El Salvador vs. China - Cost of groceries
pay 34.7% less for transportation
|
El Salvador
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.75
SVC41.60
|
$4.77
CN¥31.92
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.50
SVC328.13
|
$20.77
CN¥138.99
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,000.00
SVC219K
|
$18,838.53
CN¥126K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$30.00
SVC262.50
|
$4.24
CN¥28.39
|
|
El Salvador vs. China - Cost of transportation
pay 63.4% less for housing
|
El Salvador
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$42.50
SVC371.88
|
$11.27
CN¥75.42
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$824.50
SVC7,214.43
|
$336.09
CN¥2,248.74
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$660.00
SVC5,775.07
|
$212.64
CN¥1,422.74
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$99.35
SVC869.35
|
$42.92
CN¥287.14
|
|
El Salvador vs. China - Cost of housing
pay 3.5 times more for childcare
|
El Salvador
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,423.35
|
$500.54
CN¥3,348.99
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,720.00
SVC41,300.50
|
$18,908.16
CN¥127K
|
|
El Salvador vs. China - Cost of childcare
pay 1.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
El Salvador
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.50
|
$1.12
CN¥7.52
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.55
SVC31.02
|
$2.84
CN¥19.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC35.00
|
$3.71
CN¥24.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$28.30
SVC247.63
|
$41.75
CN¥279.37
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.00
SVC43.75
|
$6.28
CN¥41.99
|
|
El Salvador vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 32.3% less for clothing
|
El Salvador
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.15
SVC587.57
|
$46.40
CN¥310.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.00
SVC411.25
|
$33.97
CN¥227.29
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$118.33
SVC1,035.43
|
$73.79
CN¥493.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.00
SVC1,023.76
|
$78.93
CN¥528.10
|
|
El Salvador vs. China - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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