Cost of living comparison
compared to
El Salvador vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
El Salvador is 29.3% cheaper than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 55.2% less in El Salvador
- Groceries
-
pay 11.0% less in El Salvador
- Transportation
-
pay 11.0% more in El Salvador
- Housing
-
pay 41.5% less in El Salvador
- Childcare
-
pay 76.0% less in El Salvador
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 54.1% less in El Salvador
- Clothing
-
pay 21.7% more in El Salvador
The cost of clothing and transportation in El Salvador are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, and groceries are lower in El Salvador.
El Salvador vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 55.2% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$5.50
SVC47.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$6.33
SVC55.23
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$0.99
SVC8.64
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$0.81
SVC7.05
|
|
Iowa vs. El Salvador - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.0% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$6.72
SVC58.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$2.78
SVC24.25
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$2.82
SVC24.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$1.67
SVC14.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
|
Iowa vs. El Salvador - Cost of groceries
pay 11.0% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$3.75
SVC32.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$24,666.67
SVC215,223.23
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$29.78
SVC259.88
|
|
Iowa vs. El Salvador - Cost of transportation
pay 41.5% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$41.89
SVC365.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$666.67
SVC5,816.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$502.78
SVC4,386.87
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$64.97
SVC566.86
|
|
Iowa vs. El Salvador - Cost of housing
pay 76.0% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
|
Iowa vs. El Salvador - Cost of childcare
pay 54.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$2.83
SVC24.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$30.27
SVC264.08
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$5.17
SVC45.08
|
|
Iowa vs. El Salvador - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.7% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
|
Iowa vs. El Salvador - 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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