San Salvador is the lively capital city of El Salvador and it’s such a fun city to explore. There’s music everywhere, more ice cream shops than we’ve ever seen anywhere, pupusas on every other corner, and the shouts of market vendors all over.
Contrasting the fun chaos of the city center, there are quiet and upscale neighborhoods with fancy shopping malls, world-class dining, and laid-back coffee shops. All with dominant views of nearby volcanos and vibrant green forests surrounding the city, and it’s all under an hour away from the ocean! It’s a fun place to be with a lot of contrast from one area to the next.

All of that diversity in neighborhoods leads to a large gap in what you’ll pay for things from one place to the next. A classy hotel in Santa Tecla will easily run you $100-$140 per night or more, for instance, while a simple room near the city center can be as low as $10-$15, maybe even less.

That big of a gap goes for pretty much everything across the board in this city. In the markets, you can find locally made products for some of the best prices we’ve seen (that’s what we focused on in this video!), while imported products at international stores like Wal-Mart are higher than what you’ll find in many parts of the US!

Keep in mind that the main currency in El Salvador is the US dollar, and the secondary currency is Bitcoin! San Salvador is also very international in many parts and has just about every big franchise you can think of. A gallon of milk at Wal-Mart in El Salvador is over $5.A Domino’s pizza is $10-$15.
Plates at sit-down, nice restaurants for more than $15-$30.
Some children’s playsets in Wal-Mart are $100 or more. Coffee at many of the upscale coffee shops are $4-$5.
McDonald’s combos are around $7-$8
Pair of jeans at the mall for $20-$40

Expect to pay as much or more as you might in the US, Canada, or Europe for imported products if you’re shopping at gas station chains, fancy malls, or stores.
Meanwhile, in the markets, we found things for the following prices: Bagged water for 15 cents.
Pirated DVDs for 30-50 cents.
Children’s toys for $1.
A box of 50 face masks for $1.
3 delicious pupusas for less than $1.
Energy drinks for 50 cents or less.
T-Shirts for $1-$3
Packs of socks for $1-$2.
Cups of coffee at local ‘mom & pop’ bakeries for 50 cents.
Plates at non-franchise Japanese and Chinese restaurants for $4-$5. (Actually quite good and in most decent-sized cities)
Plates at one of the many cafeteria-style buffets serving up local favorites for less than $5.

Things like Aspirin, Garlic pills, and other typical medicines are often sold on the buses in packets for $1. Helpful!
The contrast can be huge! Things can get pretty expensive for sure.

If you’re wondering about the cost of a few other things:
Ubers are cheap! Around $4 or less around the city. Too cheap in fact, some Uber drivers will cancel the trip around El Salvador because they aren’t getting enough to make it worth the gas and time. (Gas is pretty high in El Salvador, about standard with most of Latin America) It helps sometimes if you message the Uber Driver right away and let them know you’ll be adding in a generous tip.

Taxis are usually around the same, a little more with the tip.
‘Pirate taxis’ are the unofficial taxis and they’re cheaper. You’ll see them all over. Don’t recommend taking those though, to be on the safe side.

Public transportation on the school buses can be as low as 20 cents per ride in the city, and as low as 75 cents from one town to the next. With that price though, comes a lot of crowds and sometimes a bumpy ride. (Mini-buses make for a smoother ride, often with AC, and might run you a few dollars per ride)

Haircuts are cheap and well done. After getting our haircuts twice each in the country, we paid as little as $3.50 and as much as only $5 before the tip!

If you’d like to know about any other prices ask in the comments! :)


Stay tuned for the following El Salvador videos: A video on the coast of El Salvador (El Tunco, El Zonte, La Libertad)A video on Western El Salvador (Santa Ana, Ruta de Las Floras, Santa Ana Volcano, and more)An overview of the country with tips and info. More content on San Salvador. Stay tuned for more content coming from Nicaragua, Mexico, and more of Latin America!

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