Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. El Salvador Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 2.3% cheaper than El Salvador overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.5% more in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 32.0% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 56.0% more in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 9.4% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 15.8% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.0% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 25.2% less in South Africa
The cost of transportation and restaurants in South Africa are more expensive than in El Salvador. Expenses including groceries, clothing, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. El Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of El Salvador, you would:
pay 13.5% more for restaurants
|
El Salvador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.50
SVC47.99
|
$9.33
ZAR159.73
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.33
SVC55.23
|
$5.11
ZAR87.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.99
SVC8.64
|
$1.03
ZAR17.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.81
SVC7.05
|
$0.80
ZAR13.74
|
|
El Salvador vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.0% less for groceries
|
El Salvador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
$1.00
ZAR17.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
$3.88
ZAR66.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.72
SVC58.61
|
$4.37
ZAR74.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.78
SVC24.25
|
$2.33
ZAR39.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.82
SVC24.64
|
$2.13
ZAR36.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.67
SVC14.60
|
$0.73
ZAR12.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
$0.65
ZAR11.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
$0.68
ZAR11.70
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
$0.71
ZAR12.14
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
$0.59
ZAR10.02
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
$0.60
ZAR10.27
|
|
El Salvador vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 56.0% more for transportation
|
El Salvador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.75
SVC32.69
|
$4.92
ZAR84.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
$56.18
ZAR961.29
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,666.67
SVC215,223.23
|
$21,394.82
ZAR366,106.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$29.78
SVC259.88
|
$9.34
ZAR159.79
|
|
El Salvador vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 9.4% less for housing
|
El Salvador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.89
SVC365.49
|
$39.36
ZAR673.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$666.67
SVC5,816.84
|
$404.16
ZAR6,915.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$502.78
SVC4,386.87
|
$361.59
ZAR6,187.51
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$64.97
SVC566.86
|
$88.13
ZAR1,508.04
|
|
El Salvador vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 15.8% less for childcare
|
El Salvador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
$173.48
ZAR2,968.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,799.29
|
|
El Salvador vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 3.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
El Salvador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
$2.18
ZAR37.27
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.83
SVC24.69
|
$2.05
ZAR35.06
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
$2.96
ZAR50.72
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.27
SVC264.08
|
$30.26
ZAR517.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.17
SVC45.08
|
$6.85
ZAR117.19
|
|
El Salvador vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.2% less for clothing
|
El Salvador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
$50.74
ZAR868.31
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
$32.75
ZAR560.46
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
$94.19
ZAR1,611.79
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
$81.80
ZAR1,399.67
|
|
El Salvador vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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