In Perspective, Fun: Inflation hits El Salvadoran Pupusas

[Robert Watcher]

Oh No - the price has gone up at our favourite pupusa joint at the end of the street (best pupusas in El Salvador).

Headed down to Maricela’s Pupusaria for supper tonight, and realized we are now paying $3.30 for our meal (consists of 2 pupusas and a coke for me and 1 pupusa and a Vaille Limón for Anne) —- a 17% increase from $.60 to $.70 per pupusa from when we went back to Canada in February.

It’s gonna put a strain on our budget. ??

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Robert,

Oh No - the price has gone up at our favourite pupusa joint at the end of the street (best pupusas in El Salvador).

Headed down to Maricela’s Pupusaria for supper tonight, and realized we are now paying $3.30 for our meal (consists of 2 pupusas and a coke for me and 1 pupusa and a Vaille Limón for Anne) —- a 17% increase from $.60 to $.70 per pupusa from when we went back to Canada in February.

It’s gonna put a strain on our budget. ??

View attachment 377​

Cute shot and nice story.

There are no pupuserias in Alamogordo, but there are several in Albuquerque (about 200 miles away).

Interesting that the factura was in USD (or maybe CAD). Is that common there for expats?

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Robert Watcher]

El Salvadoran currency is the USD (as is Panama & Ecuador). In fact they use a U.S. minted dollar coin, that is not legal currency in the United States. The countries currency used to be the El Salvadoran Colón up until 2001 when the leaders decided to adopt the US dollar.

There are no (as in 0) foreigners/expats in San Miguel where we are living - except for Anne and I. There are thousands of Salvadorans living in this large city, who lived in the U.S. for 20-30 years of their life or who grew up in the U.S. and were kicked out when they became adults. They speak English to varying degrees.


Unfortunately for us being Canadian, the $3.30 price tag for our meal tonight, was really $4.45 ?

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[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Robert,

El Salvadoran currency is the USD (as is Panama & Ecuador). In fact they use a U.S. minted dollar coin, that is not legal currency in the United States.

Oh, I had no idea.

The countries currency used to be the El Salvadoran Colón up until 2001 when the leaders decided to adopt the US dollar.

There are no (as in 0) foreigners/expats in San Miguel where we are living - except for Anne and I. There are thousands of Salvadorans living in this large city, who lived in the U.S. for 20-30 years of their life or who grew up in the U.S. and were kicked out when they became adults. They speak English to varying degrees.


Unfortunately for us being Canadian, the $3.30 price tag for our meal tonight, was really $4.45

Ah, yes.

Now, in 1959, when I took my girlfriend to Toronto . . .

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Asher Kelman]

The price of the pupusa must be normalized to the mean worker’s salary. Let’s call him/her a factory worker in a tire, car assembly or cement factory.

What percentage of the daily wage would this be compared to the same job in the USA or Canada, not the feelings of a “middle aged” retired Canadian photographer!

Assuming in the USA the meal was the equivalent as a set of tacos or whatever you wish.

I have a suspicion that the pupusas are about 4 times as expensive!

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

The price of the pupusa must be normalized to the mean worker’s salary. Let’s call him/her a factory worker in a tire, car assembly or cement factory.

What percentage of the daily wage would this be compared to the same job in the USA or Canada, not the feelings of a “middle aged” retired Canadian photographer!

Assuming in the USA the meal was the equivalent as a set of tacos or whatever you wish.

I have a suspicion that the pupusas are about 4 times as expensive!

Asher

In El Salvador, I have paid as little as 2-3 pupusas for $1.00 on the streets, up to $1.50-$2.00 each. They are all good, but a couple of places like Maricelas that we go to - are the best in the country. It opens at 4:30pm until 9:00pm (you don’t eat pupsas for lunch) on all days but Tuesday and is packed with people in both their sit down area and take out area. Pupusas are a staple El Salvadoran food - eaten with fingers only BTW.

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