Cost of living comparison
compared to
Dili vs. San Salvador Cost of Living Summary
Dili is 26.4% more expensive than San Salvador.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.1% more in Dili
- Groceries
-
pay 2.5% less in Dili
- Transportation
-
pay 9.1% more in Dili
- Housing
-
pay 26.3% more in Dili
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in Dili
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.5% more in Dili
- Clothing
-
pay 30.8% less in Dili
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Dili are more expensive than in San Salvador. Expenses including clothing and groceries are lower in Dili. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Dili.
Dili vs. San Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Dili instead of San Salvador, you would:
pay 20.1% more for restaurants
|
San Salvador
|
Dili
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.00
SVC61.08
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.00
SVC61.08
|
$8.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.14
SVC9.90
|
$1.58
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
SVC7.95
|
$1.42
|
|
San Salvador vs. Dili - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.5% less for groceries
|
San Salvador
|
Dili
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
$3.00
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
$1.00
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.84
SVC59.68
|
$9.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.01
SVC26.26
|
$2.70
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.99
SVC26.05
|
$4.31
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.77
SVC15.46
|
$1.59
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
$0.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
$1.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
$0.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
$0.57
|
|
San Salvador vs. Dili - Cost of groceries
pay 9.1% more for transportation
|
San Salvador
|
Dili
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.82
SVC33.34
|
$5.34
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,500.00
SVC222,494.28
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$29.93
SVC261.12
|
$23.50
|
|
San Salvador vs. Dili - Cost of transportation
pay 26.3% more for housing
|
San Salvador
|
Dili
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$43.33
SVC378.09
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$900.00
SVC7,852.74
|
$1,125.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$758.33
SVC6,616.66
|
$866.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$82.16
SVC716.84
|
$114.71
|
|
San Salvador vs. Dili - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
San Salvador
|
Dili
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
$16,000.00
|
|
San Salvador vs. Dili - Cost of childcare
pay 13.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Salvador
|
Dili
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
$2.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.25
SVC28.35
|
$3.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
$2.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.80
SVC268.74
|
$50.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.25
SVC45.81
|
$5.50
|
|
San Salvador vs. Dili - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.8% less for clothing
|
San Salvador
|
Dili
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
$80.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
$60.00
|
|
San Salvador vs. Dili - 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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See the
cost of living in El Salvador vs. Timor-Leste.
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