El Salvador, home of the 'everything for one dollar!' modus operandi, was bang on budget for us, with reasonably priced accommodation and cheap grocery items. Of course, eating out frequently can rack-up the travel costs, but the tasty and cheap pupusas on every street corner were an excellent option when you didn't want to cook!
The costs below are the average we encountered on our time in the country, and the individual items have been chosen for their ubiquity across the world and their popularity amongst backpackers. This will allow us, and you, to make a comparison of living and travel costs across Latin America.
Currencies are £GBP / $USD. Conversion rate as at time of publication.
Average daily spend for two backpackers (i.e. us!)
£26.9 / $42.3
double room/night
£11.4 / $17.9
basic breakfast out for one
£2.24 / $3.5
litre of water
£0.64 / $1
one banana
£0.06 / $0.10
cup of coffee
£0.64 / $1
half-dozen eggs
£0.64 / $1
litre of local beer
£1.28 / $2
400g dried spaghetti and 500mls marinara sauce
£2.56 / $4
can of coke
£0.45 / $0.7
large tube of pringles
£1.4 / $2.25
pack of 20 local cigarettes
