What's Up El Salvador

From what we have observed: Warning:  Not a study. All numbers are based on asking people what they make, what their families make, and reading newspapers/reports in a language I barely understand. Kindness appreciated. Tweet    I cannot say what all employment in El Salvador is like, but from what I’ve seen, money is out there, [...]

As I meet more people In San Salvador, one of the things I see is that jobs are not a good way to make ends meet. The minimum wage is around $250 per month. Educated professionals frequently earn only double or triple that. One outgrowth of this distorted economy is that I have met several [...]

Many people have been asking me about the cost of living in Central America. The Short answer, is “What do you want to pay?” Tweet Many move to Central America (for us El Salvador) to live a happy, safe and comfortable life for a fraction of the cost of an equally comfortable life in the [...]

You cannot make certain purchases while living in El Salvador without a NIT, (Salvadoran Tax ID Number). We were able to set up phone and internet service without one, though I had to go through extra steps, like staring blankly while holding a credit card for extended periods of time. Today my husband and I [...]

Today we took a look at one alternative to Walmart. At the far opposite end of the spectrum, are the market stalls. Today, we headed for the Santa Tecla market and after loading ourselves with Mangoes, Mamones, Maranones (cashew fruit), Maracuya, Zapotes, Nispero, Moras, some giant green beans I’ve never seen and more. We spent [...]

Where to go? The short answer appears to be “forward”. On several trips to El Salvador my husband and I have made a point to look around and see where the beer is at here. As a fan of home brewing, and a person who delights in the small treasures you can find on a [...]

Walmart arrived here years ago. Dispensa Don Juan, Dispensa Familiar, and Hyper Paiz are all owned by Walmart. El Salvador is a great place to provide low prices but it is not a good place to undercut local businesses and knock them out of business.