Cost of living comparison
El Salvador is 28.4% cheaper than Iowa.
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 48.6% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.50
|
$7.50
SVC65.36
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.86
|
$6.33
SVC55.17
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$0.96
SVC8.35
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.61
|
$0.81
SVC7.04
|
|
pay 15.5% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.75
|
$2.12
SVC18.48
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.26
|
$3.24
SVC28.21
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.55
|
$6.95
SVC60.60
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.97
|
$2.80
SVC24.38
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.90
|
$2.68
SVC23.39
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$1.44
SVC12.57
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$0.77
SVC6.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$1.17
SVC10.16
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.22
SVC10.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$0.99
SVC8.66
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$0.98
SVC8.50
|
|
pay 14.2% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.26
|
$3.80
SVC33.10
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.60
|
$20.00
SVC174.30
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,209.92
|
$24,333.33
SVC212,069.77
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.53
|
$31.95
SVC278.46
|
|
pay 43.8% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.83
|
$42.14
SVC367.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,149.79
|
$652.78
SVC5,689.09
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$848.38
|
$463.89
SVC4,042.88
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.52
|
$69.00
SVC601.38
|
|
pay 77.2% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,043.98
|
$160.29
SVC1,396.92
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,039.50
|
$5,740.67
SVC50,031.04
|
|
pay 53.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.95
|
$2.00
SVC17.43
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$2.82
SVC24.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.68
|
$4.00
SVC34.86
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.12
|
$30.22
SVC263.39
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.83
|
$5.33
SVC46.48
|
|
pay 25.5% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
El Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.44
|
$72.14
SVC628.74
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.50
|
$47.86
SVC417.08
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.35
|
$112.14
SVC977.35
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.02
|
$108.33
SVC944.15
|
|
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