El Salvador vs Nicaragua - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

El Salvador Nicaragua
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1148
$755
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2523
$1812
🏠 One person rent
$630
$305
🏘️ Family rent
$987
$467
🍽️ Food expenses
$352
$324
🚐 Transport expenses
$71.2
$33.1
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$397
$193
💸 GDP per capita
$5580
$2848
😃 Human freedom index
6.88
4.85
❤️ Life expectancy
72.1
74.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
32
14
🌐 English speaking %
1%
1%
🎓 Higher education
38
29
😀 Quality of life
43
27
🏙️ Population
6.34M
6.92M

The average cost of living in El Salvador ($1148) is 52% more expensive than in Nicaragua ($755). El Salvador ranked 76th vs 142nd 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 0.3 months in El Salvador compared to 0.3 months in Nicaragua. Ranked 123rd and 165th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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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
$5.75
$5.01
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$34.5
$34.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$6.7
$7.03
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.04
$1.34
 Cappuccino
$3.2
$2.17
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.03
$0.8
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$650
$282
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$515
$208
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1158
$422
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$823
$388
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$67.7
$53.5
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$104
$82.5
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$40.8
$37.3
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
7.96%
10.25%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2557
$1244
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1523
$668
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.34
$0.2
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$21.8
$6.97
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$28.5
$6.68
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.04
$1.3
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.82
$1.15
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.22
$2.06
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.35
$1.57
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.74
$2.18
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7
$9.93
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.34
$5.91
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.48
$7.35
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.24
$3.84
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.89
$0.94
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.98
$1.83
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.74
$2.14
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.52
$3.54
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.46
$2.12
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.69
$0.68
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.98
$1.27
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.3
$13.8
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.12
$1.4
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.85
$2.66
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$6.74
$6.24
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$6.12
$5.22
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.31
$2.9
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.21
$1.59
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$30.6
$27.2
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.09
$7.69
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$34.6
$21
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.82
$4.79
👖 Brand Jeans
$64.1
$70.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$118
$122
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$163
$138
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$5245
$6064

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
$1274
331K
Santa Ana
$734
251K
San Miguel
$1120
233K
Soyapango
$1246
230K
Ahuachapan
$1470
127K
Mejicanos
$1237
137K
Apopa
$1221
129K
Santa Tecla
$1178
126K
Sonsonate
$897
72.2K
Usulutan
$1109
66.1K

In Nicaragua

City Cost of living Population
Managua
$796
937K
Leon
$754
174K
Chinandega
$787
122K
Matagalpa
$679
133K
Masaya
$812
140K
Esteli
$687
112K
Jinotega
$470
99.4K
Granada
$699
105K
Juigalpa
$782
51.8K
San Juan del Sur
$840
14.7K