Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Salvador vs. El Salvador Cost of Living Summary
San Salvador is 11.8% more expensive than El Salvador overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.4% more in San Salvador
- Groceries
-
pay 5.4% more in San Salvador
- Transportation
-
pay 2.0% more in San Salvador
- Housing
-
pay 28.9% more in San Salvador
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.1% more in San Salvador
The cost of housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation in San Salvador are more expensive than in El Salvador.
San Salvador vs. El Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Salvador instead of El Salvador, you would:
pay 16.4% more for restaurants
|
El Salvador
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.50
SVC47.99
|
$7.00
SVC61.08
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.33
SVC55.23
|
$7.00
SVC61.08
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.99
SVC8.64
|
$1.14
SVC9.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.81
SVC7.05
|
$0.91
SVC7.95
|
|
El Salvador vs. San Salvador - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.4% more for groceries
|
El Salvador
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.72
SVC58.61
|
$6.84
SVC59.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.78
SVC24.25
|
$3.01
SVC26.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.82
SVC24.64
|
$2.99
SVC26.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.67
SVC14.60
|
$1.77
SVC15.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
|
El Salvador vs. San Salvador - Cost of groceries
pay 2.0% more for transportation
|
El Salvador
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.75
SVC32.69
|
$3.82
SVC33.34
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,666.67
SVC215,223.23
|
$25,500.00
SVC222,494.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$29.78
SVC259.88
|
$29.93
SVC261.12
|
|
El Salvador vs. San Salvador - Cost of transportation
pay 28.9% more for housing
|
El Salvador
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.89
SVC365.49
|
$43.33
SVC378.09
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$666.67
SVC5,816.84
|
$900.00
SVC7,852.74
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$502.78
SVC4,386.87
|
$758.33
SVC6,616.66
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$64.97
SVC566.86
|
$82.16
SVC716.84
|
|
El Salvador vs. San Salvador - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
El Salvador
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
El Salvador vs. San Salvador - Cost of childcare
pay 6.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
El Salvador
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.83
SVC24.69
|
$3.25
SVC28.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.27
SVC264.08
|
$30.80
SVC268.74
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.17
SVC45.08
|
$5.25
SVC45.81
|
|
El Salvador vs. San Salvador - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
El Salvador
|
San Salvador
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
El Salvador vs. San Salvador - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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