El Salvador vs Nicaragua - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

El Salvador Nicaragua
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1033
$699
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2349
$1658
🏠 One person rent
$533
$304
🏘️ Family rent
$879
$462
🍽️ Food expenses
$337
$283
🚐 Transport expenses
$73.9
$38.9
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$408
$307
💸 GDP per capita
$5127
$2255
😃 Human freedom index
6.85
5.48
❤️ Life expectancy
70.7
73.8
👮 Corruption perceptions index
31
17
🌐 English speaking %
1%
1%
🎓 Higher education
40
29
😀 Quality of life
26
29
🏙️ Population
5.74M
5.14M

The average cost of living in El Salvador ($1033) is 48% more expensive than in Nicaragua ($699). El Salvador ranked 77th vs 134th for Nicaragua in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.4 months in El Salvador compared to 0.4 months in Nicaragua. Ranked 159th and 150th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in El Salvador vs Nicaragua infographic

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Prices in El Salvador vs Nicaragua

We calculate prices for El Salvador and Nicaragua as a population-weighted mean of 10 and 10 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

El Salvador Nicaragua
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$8.88
$6.02
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$27.4
$20.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$6.72
$5.83
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.06
$1.39
 Cappuccino
$3.11
$2.24
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.06
$0.83
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$581
$286
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$399
$195
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$917
$483
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$707
$319
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$58.2
$36.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$89.7
$56.6
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$40.3
$54.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
9.76%
12.74%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1575
$871
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1030
$742
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.35
$0.45
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$25
$16.4
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$28.8
$6.33
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.11
$1.29
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.94
$0.99
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.78
$1.2
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.49
$1.2
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.56
$1.83
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.57
$4.45
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.91
$4.6
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.7
$8.47
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.86
$4.73
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.58
$1.67
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.08
$3.1
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.21
$1.51
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.07
$2.37
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.77
$1.66
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.67
$0.68
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.09
$1.2
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12.3
$9.79
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.64
$1.27
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.84
$2.85
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$7.34
$5.54
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.03
$3.97
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.95
$2.57
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.45
$1.72
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$29.7
$30.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.11
$4.93
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$32.1
$25.1
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.26
$4.3
👖 Brand Jeans
$67.4
$49.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$98.8
$85.6
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$147
$196
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$4554
$6239

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in El Salvador vs Nicaragua

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In El Salvador

City Cost of living Population
San Salvador
$1147
316K
Soyapango
$1117
241K
San Miguel
$1107
218K
Santa Ana
$702
245K
Mejicanos
$1112
141K
Apopa
$1093
131K
Santa Tecla
$1153
122K
Ahuachapan
$915
111K
Usulutan
$1031
73.1K
Sonsonate
$866
71.5K

In Nicaragua

City Cost of living Population
Managua
$787
937K
Leon
$614
174K
Masaya
$699
140K
Matagalpa
$548
133K
Chinandega
$627
122K
Esteli
$593
112K
Granada
$680
105K
Jinotega
$458
99.4K
Juigalpa
$647
51.8K
San Juan del Sur
$805
14.7K