Cost of living comparison
compared to
El Salvador vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
El Salvador is 35.4% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 54.9% less in El Salvador
- Groceries
-
pay 27.3% less in El Salvador
- Transportation
-
pay 6.8% less in El Salvador
- Housing
-
pay 52.2% less in El Salvador
- Childcare
-
pay 80.5% less in El Salvador
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 49.7% less in El Salvador
- Clothing
-
pay 23.9% more in El Salvador
Expenses including childcare, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation are lower in El Salvador.
El Salvador vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in El Salvador instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 54.9% less for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$5.50
SVC47.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$6.33
SVC55.23
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$0.99
SVC8.64
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$0.81
SVC7.05
|
|
North Carolina vs. El Salvador - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 27.3% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$6.72
SVC58.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$2.78
SVC24.25
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$2.82
SVC24.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$1.67
SVC14.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
|
North Carolina vs. El Salvador - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 6.8% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$3.75
SVC32.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$24,666.67
SVC215,223.23
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$29.78
SVC259.88
|
|
North Carolina vs. El Salvador - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 52.2% less for housing
|
North Carolina
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$41.89
SVC365.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$666.67
SVC5,816.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$502.78
SVC4,386.87
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$64.97
SVC566.86
|
|
North Carolina vs. El Salvador - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 80.5% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
|
North Carolina vs. El Salvador - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 49.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$2.83
SVC24.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$30.27
SVC264.08
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$5.17
SVC45.08
|
|
North Carolina vs. El Salvador - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 23.9% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
|
North Carolina vs. El Salvador - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. El Salvador.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and El Salvador.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about El Salvador or North Carolina. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.