As a local, I can confirm that it's gotten so much more expensive the past 2 years. At this point it is cheaper to tourist other countries: Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil, etc. Hopefully things will get better so that also us, locals, can enjoy what we have.
@@teetsmcgeets14I live in El Salvador for 3 months of the year my wifes family live there it's the same price as Australia for food and accommodation, and the customer service has gone down hill in most places unfortunately, yes we can still buy 16 tortillas for $1, and a few other items cheap. We were just in Fiji the food was cheaper there. The locals will get priced out of everything it's happening already not just due to inflation but everywhere is starting to be priced for tourists. One beach restaurant was charging $5 to use the restroom and $7 for the shower 😂
@@rollwiththepunches5932 I got every year and I’m from canada so our prices are ridiculously expensive like Australia. I’d say it all depends. If you are staying at nice places and Americanized places yes it is similar pricing to Aus or Can but if you eat at more local restaurants shop at markers instead of grocery stores ( grocery stores are a luxury there) it’s definitely way more affordable. Also brand name things are more expensive due to it being imported but your everyday produce, meats, fruits, rice beans etc is cheap. And that’s ridiculous how they were charging that much at the beach !!! Some people are definitely going to take advantage of the booming tourism that’s happening/ about to happen but with more competition prices should fall. Also ES is more of a word of mouth place and accommodations on Airbnb, booking etc are mostly catered to foreigners that have the so called “dollars”. Most Salvadorans get hotels the old fashioned way so maybe that’s why accommodation advertised online is generally more expensive but as the country modernizes it’s tourist industry, getting hotels, airbnbs online will become the norm and prices will lower. Also read a few comments saying that the country still has a young tourist infrastructure so there probs isn’t enough accommodation so that might increase prices. I mean if ES has become one of the safest countries in the world, gentrification is bound to happen sadly 🤷🏻♂️
Gabriel thanks for your video i have a very straight forward answer for your question about prices as an owner of several apartments in El salvador the prices are high in El Salvador for us too not only tourist the electricity utilities and amenities in El salvador are higher than other countries in other words if you want a nice place and luxury you can have it but the price will be higher now if you dont mind sharing a room or doing the backpacker style sharing bathrooms etc then there is places much cheaper on a budget the same applies to restaurants you can have cheap food at not so good looking restaurants or you can have a fine dining experience but the price will be much higher we local salvadoreños understand this and we pay the price as well theres no such a thing like price in a restaurant geared for tourists here we also pay the higher price if we want an exclusive nice restaurant. Hope this helps
Uber ride was reasonable, the room is expensive but people don't factor in scarcity. The rooms are nicer, and cheaper, when in abundance. They are not equipped to house a lot of tourists yet.
What a strong review. My first time chiming in after 5 years but honestly you did El Salvador solid. I lived in Houston 30 years ago and remember flying into El Salvador to Panama and will never for get the armed guards in the airport. I travel a lot with my wife and your very clear overview of your recap should be in every damn travel book.
I was very glad today to see one last video in this series. I can’t wait to see where you end up next! I sure will miss the daily videos in the meantime.
Its WILD that you have not been to New Zealand yet! I would really recommend NZ over heading back to Australia, I'm certain you'll love it. Must sees are Bay of Islands (the most stunning beaches everywhere you go) - Wellington (some of the best beer in the world and a cool city with a lot of character) - Queenstown (gorgeous mountains) - Milford Sound (even more majestic mountains). And if you've got time a day hike at Tongariro crossing over a few volcanos 😉. Its a truly epic country, just remember to bring your wallet 😂
This El Salvador series was great! Reminded me of my time in El Salvador two years ago. I would highly suggest trying to book accommodations in person instead of online though. Prices are much better since American companies aren’t taking a cut.
It will be cheaper for US citizens to come to Australia soon food in El Salvador is the same price in most places as Australia, accommodation is similar in price plus you get more for your money due to the exchange rate, its only the air fare thats more expensive. I will continue living in El Salvador for 3 months of the year from Australia as its my favourite place in the world due to the friendly people and atmosphere but i worry about the locals/ my wifes family living there they are starting to get priced out of everything not just due to inflation but because everything is starting to be priced towards tourists. The food was cheaper in Fiji on our way home from our recent stay in El Salvador aswell
National currency in ES is USD $ for those who don’t know. Definitely a discrepancy given the local minimum wage is $365/mo. The country may be peaceful but capitalist economy isn’t working for majority of ppl in ES.
The problem is that the local currency is US dollars so local prices are in US. So tourists don't have the advantage of a stronger money when exchange currency like in other countries. Other reason is the tourists areas are always more expensive around the world. Lastly, there is not much offer (hotels, resorts, etc) for the demand as tourism industry is starting to developin El Salvador, maybe when there is more offer the prices will come down.
Need to clarify that the currency in Guatemala is different (Quetzal) which gets a generous seven quetzales per dollar, as oppose to El Salvador where the currency is, unfortunately, the American dollar
Most definitely, El Salvador needs to lower their prices for tourists; especially in hotels. I've gone several times because I love lake Coatepeque. Eating out is not as expensive as here in the US, but I do always come back broke.😅
Prices sound very high. Your hotel room near the old volcano was $48 a night. Your current hotel room is $75 a night. I would have expected the prices to be half that at the least.
I think that one of the reason why El Salvador is a bit expensive is cause the demand a lot of tourist and a lot Salvadorian who lives out of the country are returning to visit so therefore is a lot of demand. Thanks for your videos. I love them.
It is the Costa Rica effect. Gringos go and retire there and they jack up the prices for everyone and create a 2 tier system where the locals can’t afford anything.
Hi Gabriel, there's seems to a bit of price gouging with the hotels and resorts sort of what you went through in Costa Rica when you traveled there. Hotel rooms can be extraordinary with prices if they expand their hotel and Airbnb accommodations it should drive prices down with more competition. Using the U.S. dollar may also have something to do with creating a currency fluctuation in the pricing of hotel stays. From the looks of it, San Salvador doesn't have a lot of tourists at this point but like many countries, tourism is a driving force in building a strong economy because tourism brings other types of businesses.
That's why it's worth Gabriel to travel to El Salvador 🇸🇻 in these days knowing that the price of your security is more important and when you feel safe to go anywhere at anytime that you want, and we know that El Salvador has gone through a big process and chances are coming as well... We won't ever go back to that awful past and God's hands prepare the best for those who trust him!!
Thank you Gabriel. Yes, $75 is expensive, but I don't know difficult it is to get a room there? Or what they can gain if nobody goes there for those prices? Hope that can change. Wow, your an expert in what you do, have a nice trip.
Hello Gabriel. I also visited El Salvador recently. I agree with you. Hotel prices are very high compared with Canada. A 2 or 3 star hotels are within $200 to $300 a night. A similar hotel here, we will pay $100 Canadian a night with a continental breakfast included.
Thanks for the video in reference to local pricing vs tourist prices and naming the places you visited on a 12 day trip and as you said, it’s quite a price gap as the country is leaning more towards income from tourism - locally and from visitors given that the country is much safer and has much to offer. However, it would been extremely helpful to see or catch a glimpse of the actual places visited and all the things you experienced or felt different from other places you’ve visited - i.e the beaches for its surfing hotpot, volcanos, nature and/or cool places in the newly renovated city or type of foods you can recommend that it’s worth visiting/eating.
they are taken advantage. The worst thing is that they charge this high prices but tey still pay the minmun to the workers. Once they build more hotels they prices will go down cause they are taken advantage of the situation now
Totally similar experience as my visit and it was about the same length as yours. Guatemala prices was a lot lower for accommodation, I spent most of my trip there. El Salvador was really so nice to visit, a dream destination for me. So happy I went and what a great timing with the crime situation.
The hotels and restaurants may be charging tourists much more than locals, but there is no doubt that they are paying their employees local wages, so the owners are pocketing the difference. You made a good effort on this trip, and your evaluation of the country was very diplomatic.It may be that many of the criminals just left El Salvador and have been bused or flown from our southern border to the many cities of our country. Our crime rate is rising.
Gabriel, I feel sorry for El Salvador. To begin why they are using US Dollar? Very Expensive while their income is low! Maybe Government & Rich Famous live like Kings!
Ypou shouldn't pay more than that in Bangkok anywhere unless you choose a Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton, etc. and even some of those can be had for $75 a night
When I went to El salvador, the prices of turis places were higher than local places. Local places I got 3 pupusas for $1 the tourist places from $1:50 to $3 dollars each 😅.
Yup, I had the same experience with prices. I had $0.75 pupusas outside the entrance to Cerro Verde, $1 panes de pollo in Juyua and that was pretty typical when you're outside of Surf City. Then once I was in El Tunco with beachfront restaurants the prices were $10 and up for each dish. Accommodation was the same deal, $20-30 per night from Santa Ana, Suchitoto and elsewhere, then in El Tunco $35-40 per night minimum. Surf City is double the price which is just because it's the focus of the tourism development in El Salvador. Overall it's a great country and I loved all of it. I can't wait to go back!
So homicide rate last year was 2 per 100,000 per a year, that’s not bad all, that’s probably lower then many USA cities, So in 2019 it was 38 per 100,000, that’s a huge improvement
I would be hard pressed to spend half of that for those hotels, but thanks for the explanation. Crossing this country off of my bucket list, at least it fell out of my top 100 to go to list.
They kill the economy themselves. Im visiting after 30 years. I'm going on a mid budget, but i see ill spend more than expected. Do you guys think fam and friends would appreciate a little gift, or they'll reject it with their eyes? I dont wanna go empty-handed, nor do I want to give miserables 5 bucks but small gifts... shirts, shorts, pocket multitool, bracelets, sweaters... mostly shirts. Worth it or not?
From what I see and known, there's nothing really unique sbout the country to warrant an expensive viait to see it. I would just travel to either or both of the neighboring countries, guatemala and honduras, and get a lot more for less. That's ehat the country seems to be; a little piece of the mix between honduras and guatemala.
You'd think the influx of salvadorens had stopped as it's the safest country in Latin America, and I only flew through L.A and got grilled by the security, needed a current passport, had to follow lots of rules but people just walk over it doesn't make sense
Hi Gabriel, I would like to clarify that if two people stay in the same room, the price is not 77 dollars but 154 for the same room. That price they gave you is because it was only you., but if you add one or two people the price Will be proportional to the number of people staying in the room
No, that isn't how it works with hotel rooms anywhere in the world. The price for one or two people is usually the same. If you add additional people above two then it's generally a very small price increase, maybe another $10 per person, but it varies a lot from place to place. The exception is when meals are included, then it might be a greater increase for more people.
Sorry, but no...hotels/motels don't work that way. Our family has always traveled a lot. If a room is $60 for a room with 2 beds, it's $60. Doesn't matter if it's just me and my husband--or if our 2 kids are with us as well. It's still $60.00. The price is not "per person". It is based on the room itself, it's size and number of beds--and extra amenities it may have, such as a kitchenette, etc.
It's simple. If you want to feel safe then you need to stay at TOURIST TRAP HOTELS of which will be expensive along with food and drinks. If you want to save lots of money you can travel outside the confines to the local areas and save lots of money on lodging and food. You can't have it both ways in dangerous areas thus we said in the beginning as to why you have not been to south American or central American countries. In the safe places (ex. Greece Italy India) you can travel outside the tourist traps to rural areas and you feel safe and things are much cheaper. People don't won't to admit this. It's the truth about traveling. Poor countries like AFRICA are dangerous but cheap.
You travel too quickly to bargain much. I can get a room similar to yours there for $15/night. Of course, that's with a month's stay but if you take the time to bargain with a few different hotels (my average is 5), it can easily be done. You can also barter for fresh food if you go to the markets.
This is a great alternative to drug countries of Guatemala and Honduras. Those are two places that send USA lots of migrants. Sounds great there and more quiet on that western coast.
One thing i liked about el salvador, i could enjoy the beach at el zonte and el tunco, compared to the Dominican Republic, there i get tired of all the hustlers and beggers at the beach..
@@GabrielTravelerVideos simple. Morning walk in Burton Mesa reserve. Driving through Guadeloupe (looks like Central America) to Pismo Beach to pick up my grandchildren from school and to play basketball with them. Driving to Santa Barbara airport or LA airport. And so on. Not counting fuel and cars depreciation.
@@GabrielTravelerVideos sure. Because of that I subscribed to your Chanel when you traveled in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It was interesting to see Californian perception of Eurasia. Every year my wife and I spend one month in Russia, and spend some days in Europe.
