Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. San Salvador Cost of Living Summary
United States is 2.3 times more expensive than San Salvador.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2 times more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 46.4% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 78.5% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 78.4% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 6.1 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.2 times more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 14.6% less in United States
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, transportation, housing, and groceries in United States are more expensive than in San Salvador. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in United States.
United States vs. San Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of San Salvador, you would:
pay 2.2 times more for restaurants
|
San Salvador
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.00
SVC61.25
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.00
SVC61.25
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.14
SVC9.93
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
SVC7.98
|
$2.00
|
|
San Salvador vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 46.4% more for groceries
|
San Salvador
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.95
SVC17.06
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.77
SVC32.95
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.84
SVC59.85
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.01
SVC26.34
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.99
SVC26.13
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.77
SVC15.50
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
SVC6.62
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.17
SVC10.20
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
SVC10.64
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
SVC8.47
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
SVC8.53
|
$1.38
|
|
San Salvador vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 78.5% more for transportation
|
San Salvador
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.82
SVC33.44
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.00
SVC131.25
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,500.00
SVC223,131.81
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$29.93
SVC261.87
|
$17.61
|
|
San Salvador vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 78.4% more for housing
|
San Salvador
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$43.33
SVC379.18
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$900.00
SVC7,875.24
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$758.33
SVC6,635.62
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$82.16
SVC718.89
|
$150.19
|
|
San Salvador vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 6.1 times more for childcare
|
San Salvador
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,423.38
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,420.00
SVC56,176.71
|
$23,196.46
|
|
San Salvador vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
San Salvador
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.50
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.25
SVC28.43
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC35.00
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.80
SVC269.51
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.25
SVC45.94
|
$13.64
|
|
San Salvador vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.6% less for clothing
|
San Salvador
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.60
SVC547.77
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.83
SVC401.05
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$131.80
SVC1,153.29
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.17
SVC955.24
|
$112.04
|
|
San Salvador vs. United States - 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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