Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Salvador vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
San Salvador is 21.4% cheaper than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 37.3% less in San Salvador
- Groceries
-
pay 18.9% less in San Salvador
- Transportation
-
pay 9.8% less in San Salvador
- Housing
-
pay 7.3% more in San Salvador
- Childcare
-
pay 61.0% less in San Salvador
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 31.0% less in San Salvador
- Clothing
-
pay 0.6% more in San Salvador
The cost of housing and clothing in San Salvador are more expensive than in San Jose. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation are lower in San Salvador.
San Salvador vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Salvador instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 37.3% less for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.95
CRC4,947.81
|
$7.00
SVC61.08
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
|
$7.00
SVC61.08
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
CRC1,022.01
|
$1.14
SVC9.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
CRC831.76
|
$0.91
SVC7.95
|
|
San Jose vs. San Salvador - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.9% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.64
CRC1,311.09
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.95
CRC2,462.15
|
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.78
CRC3,868.62
|
$6.84
SVC59.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.88
CRC1,429.67
|
$3.01
SVC26.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC1,971.17
|
$2.99
SVC26.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.94
CRC963.65
|
$1.77
SVC15.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
CRC324.89
|
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
CRC967.90
|
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
CRC786.24
|
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
CRC768.91
|
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.43
CRC711.41
|
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
|
San Jose vs. San Salvador - Cost of groceries
pay 9.8% less for transportation
|
San Jose
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.39
CRC2,678.58
|
$3.82
SVC33.34
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.21
CRC20,485.06
|
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,640.45
CRC18,712,315.88
|
$25,500.00
SVC222,494.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.12
CRC8,011.83
|
$29.93
SVC261.12
|
|
San Jose vs. San Salvador - Cost of transportation
pay 7.3% more for housing
|
San Jose
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.88
CRC29,268.77
|
$43.33
SVC378.09
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$891.63
CRC443,258.89
|
$900.00
SVC7,852.74
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$560.77
CRC278,778.03
|
$758.33
SVC6,616.66
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.88
CRC34,242.87
|
$82.16
SVC716.84
|
|
San Jose vs. San Salvador - Cost of housing
pay 61.0% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$600.27
CRC298,412.20
|
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,608.22
CRC6,267,964.49
|
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
|
San Jose vs. San Salvador - Cost of childcare
pay 31.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.67
CRC1,329.56
|
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.85
CRC1,915.58
|
$3.25
SVC28.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.15
CRC2,560.63
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.98
CRC27,831.01
|
$30.80
SVC268.74
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
|
$5.25
SVC45.81
|
|
San Jose vs. San Salvador - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.6% more for clothing
|
San Jose
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.74
CRC30,694.76
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
CRC25,512.74
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.28
CRC59,794.99
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.98
CRC53,182.37
|
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
|
San Jose vs. San 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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cost of living in Costa Rica vs. El Salvador.
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