Cost of living comparison

compared to

Monrovia vs. San Salvador Cost of Living Summary

Monrovia is 21.9% more expensive than San Salvador.

Restaurants
pay 65.0% more in Monrovia
Groceries
pay 2.4 times more in Monrovia
Transportation
pay 13.1% less in Monrovia
Housing
pay 1.4% more in Monrovia
Childcare
pay 53.3% less in Monrovia
Entertainment and Sports
pay 62.2% more in Monrovia
Clothing
pay 47.8% less in Monrovia

The cost of groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and housing in Monrovia are more expensive than in San Salvador. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and transportation are lower in Monrovia. Notably, groceries is significantly more expensive in Monrovia.

Monrovia vs. San Salvador Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Monrovia instead of San Salvador, you would:

pay 65.0% more for restaurants

 
San Salvador
Monrovia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.00
SVC61.08
$7.50
LRD1,332.19
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.00
SVC61.08
$11.00
LRD1,953.88
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.14
SVC9.90
$2.00
LRD355.25

Improve prices ·

pay 2.4 times more for groceries

 
San Salvador
Monrovia
Bread
1 loaf
$1.95
SVC17.01
$1.79
LRD318.17
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.77
SVC32.86
$5.91
LRD1,048.95
Milk (1 gallon) $6.84
SVC59.68
$8.01
LRD1,423.03

Improve prices ·

pay 13.1% less for transportation

 
San Salvador
Monrovia
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.82
SVC33.34
$4.69
LRD833.65
Monthly public transit pass $15.00
SVC130.88
$20.00
LRD3,552.50
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,500.00
SVC222,494.28
$12,534.94
LRD2,226,518.22

Improve prices ·

pay 1.4% more for housing

 
San Salvador
Monrovia
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$43.33
SVC378.09
$93.25
LRD16,563.52
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $900.00
SVC7,852.74
$666.67
LRD118,416.67
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $758.33
SVC6,616.66
$95.00
LRD16,874.38

Improve prices ·

pay 53.3% less for childcare

 
San Salvador
Monrovia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $162.67
SVC1,419.31
$129.33
LRD22,972.82
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
$894.00
LRD158,796.49

Improve prices ·

pay 62.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
San Salvador
Monrovia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.00
SVC17.45
$3.00
LRD532.88
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.25
SVC28.35
$3.33
LRD592.08
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.00
SVC34.90
$5.00
LRD888.13

Improve prices ·

pay 47.8% less for clothing

 
San Salvador
Monrovia
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.60
SVC546.20
$18.41
LRD3,270.51
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$45.83
SVC399.91
$33.75
LRD5,994.84
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
$56.25
LRD9,991.41

Improve prices ·
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
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in El Salvador vs. Liberia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within El Salvador and Liberia.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Monrovia or San Salvador. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.