Cost of living comparison
San Salvador vs. Nairobi Cost of Living Summary
San Salvador is 58.2% more expensive than Nairobi.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.0% more in San Salvador
- Groceries
-
pay 87.0% more in San Salvador
- Transportation
-
pay 1.0% less in San Salvador
- Housing
-
pay 2.5 times more in San Salvador
- Childcare
-
pay 49.9% less in San Salvador
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.7% less in San Salvador
- Clothing
-
pay 90.1% more in San Salvador
The cost of housing, clothing, groceries, and restaurants in San Salvador are more expensive than in Nairobi. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in San Salvador. Notably, housing, clothing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in San Salvador.
San Salvador vs. Nairobi Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Salvador instead of Nairobi, you would:
pay 17.0% more for restaurants
|
Nairobi
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.16
KES799.26
|
$6.75
SVC59.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.54
KES849.21
|
$7.00
SVC61.25
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.64
KES83.49
|
$1.14
SVC10.01
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.59
KES76.60
|
$0.83
SVC7.29
|
|
pay 87.0% more for groceries
|
Nairobi
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.55
KES71.20
|
$2.85
SVC24.94
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.32
KES690.75
|
$3.85
SVC33.72
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.32
KES430.19
|
$6.95
SVC60.81
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.73
KES224.03
|
$3.02
SVC26.39
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.90
KES375.95
|
$3.16
SVC27.66
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.52
KES197.47
|
$2.29
SVC20.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.49
KES63.08
|
$0.63
SVC5.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.91
KES118.11
|
$1.18
SVC10.35
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.51
KES65.97
|
$1.56
SVC13.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.49
KES63.93
|
$1.33
SVC11.65
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.49
KES63.19
|
$1.49
SVC13.05
|
|
pay 1.0% less for transportation
|
Nairobi
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.96
KES773.87
|
$4.75
SVC41.60
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.20
KES5,994.46
|
$37.50
SVC328.13
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,558.36
KES3M
|
$25,000.00
SVC219K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.86
KES1,798.34
|
$30.00
SVC262.50
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for housing
|
Nairobi
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.94
KES4,534.27
|
$42.50
SVC371.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$445.43
KES57,799.49
|
$898.99
SVC7,866.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$216.55
KES28,099.01
|
$770.00
SVC6,737.58
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$42.75
KES5,547.48
|
$99.35
SVC869.35
|
|
pay 49.9% less for childcare
|
Nairobi
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$248.58
KES32,255.88
|
$162.67
SVC1,423.35
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,318.78
KES2M
|
$4,720.00
SVC41,300.50
|
|
pay 16.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Nairobi
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.31
KES299.72
|
$2.00
SVC17.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.64
KES343.02
|
$3.55
SVC31.02
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.54
KES459.57
|
$4.00
SVC35.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.37
KES6,535.62
|
$31.60
SVC276.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.70
KES999.08
|
$5.00
SVC43.75
|
|
pay 90.1% more for clothing
|
Nairobi
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$28.10
KES3,646.63
|
$67.15
SVC587.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.04
KES3,768.70
|
$47.00
SVC411.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$69.92
KES9,073.43
|
$118.33
SVC1,035.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$58.58
KES7,601.62
|
$117.00
SVC1,023.76
|
|
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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