El Salvador vs Nicaragua - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

El Salvador Nicaragua
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1098
$699
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2417
$1646
🏠 One person rent
$580
$295
🏘️ Family rent
$890
$454
🍽️ Food expenses
$347
$287
🚐 Transport expenses
$74.6
$46.8
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$486
$348
💸 GDP per capita
$5344
$2530
😃 Human freedom index
6.85
5.48
❤️ Life expectancy
71.5
74.6
👮 Corruption perceptions index
31
17
🌐 English speaking %
1%
1%
🎓 Higher education
40
29
😀 Quality of life
36
26
🏙️ Population
5.74M
5.14M

The average cost of living in El Salvador ($1098) is 57% more expensive than in Nicaragua ($699). El Salvador ranked 71st vs 139th 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 0.5 months in Nicaragua. Ranked 129th and 154th best countries to live in the world.

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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
$8.09
$5.59
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$31.5
$20.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.1
$6.35
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.03
$1.29
 Cappuccino
$3.22
$2.41
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.98
$0.79
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$594
$264
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$451
$205
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$976
$428
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$703
$336
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$58.7
$36.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$90.1
$56.7
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$42.1
$42.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
10.6%
10.51%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2126
$1131
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1284
$923
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.35
$0.44
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$26.1
$24.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$29
$6.88
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.09
$1.29
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.93
$1.01
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.82
$1.24
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$1.22
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.7
$1.82
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.54
$4.35
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.29
$4.55
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.5
$8.27
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.14
$5.02
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.69
$1.53
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.57
$3.24
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.58
$1.48
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.43
$2.43
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.15
$1.8
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.69
$0.77
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.09
$1.21
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.6
$10.2
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.51
$1.23
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.86
$2.79
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$7.27
$5.52
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.17
$3.98
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.99
$2.57
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.7
$1.71
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$31.8
$25.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.41
$5.08
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$35.5
$24.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$7.99
$4.29
👖 Brand Jeans
$70.9
$52.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$107
$72
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$159
$110
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$4626
$6201

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
$1192
316K
Santa Ana
$709
245K
Soyapango
$1173
241K
San Miguel
$1081
218K
Mejicanos
$1161
141K
Apopa
$1145
131K
Ahuachapan
$1455
111K
Santa Tecla
$1202
122K
Sonsonate
$882
71.5K
Usulutan
$1088
73.1K

In Nicaragua

City Cost of living Population
Managua
$774
937K
Leon
$639
174K
Masaya
$712
140K
Chinandega
$638
122K
Esteli
$593
112K
Matagalpa
$550
133K
Jinotega
$457
99.4K
Granada
$697
105K
Juigalpa
$664
51.8K
San Juan del Sur
$890
14.7K