Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and El Salvador

Name: El Salvador
Address: SV

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $865 a month against $1,482 in El Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in El Salvador
Learn more

El Salvador Living Index

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🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil and in El Salvador

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brazil and in El Salvador actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $865 per month in Brazil vs $1,482 in El Salvador, rent included.

Brazil $865
El Salvador $1,482

A couple spends around $1,373 per month in Brazil vs $2,112 in El Salvador, rent included.

Brazil $1,373
El Salvador $2,112

A family of three spends $1,880 per month in Brazil vs $2,742 in El Salvador, rent included.

Brazil $1,880
El Salvador $2,742

The regional cost range is wider in El Salvador ($207–$1,812) than in Brazil ($569–$1,349), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 42% lower than in El Salvador on average.

Brazil sits 36% below the global median, while El Salvador is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 R$35.08

$6.92 $6.92

-5.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.71 R$164

$45.49 $45.49

-32.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 R$39.89

$6.84 $6.84

8.92%

Cappuccino

$1.91 R$10.22

$3.57 $3.57

-46.50%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 R$6.18

$1.14 $1.14

0.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.85 $0.85

-10.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$9.90

$2.04 $2.04

-9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 R$15.28

$3.60 $3.60

-20.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.52

$1.84 $1.84

-44.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$8.38

$2.28 $2.28

-31.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.61

$1.58 $1.58

-21.52%

Eggs

$2.10 R$11.26

$2.74 $2.74

-23.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R$47.45

$7.30 $7.30

21.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 R$21.37

$5.99 $5.99

-33.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 R$41.51

$9.16 $9.16

-15.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 R$11.53

$3.83 $3.83

-43.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.80

$1.70 $1.70

-25.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.18

$2.90 $2.90

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$2.86 $2.86

-46.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.21

$2.91 $2.91

-60.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.46

$2.35 $2.35

-56.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 R$3.97

$0.97 $0.97

-23.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.84

$1.00 $1.00

-28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 R$12.06

$3.96 $3.96

-43.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 R$40.94

$11.76 $11.76

-34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R$6.97

$1.93 $1.93

-32.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R$11.58

$2.80 $2.80

-22.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.03

$0.36 $0.36

161.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.00 R$235

$31.83 $31.83

38.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.58

$6.57 $6.57

-81.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R$5.11

$2.93 $2.93

-67.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.42 R$39.70

$19.66 $19.66

-62.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.49

$1.22 $1.22

-0.82%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.1K R$118.5K

$25.1K $25.1K

-11.87%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.6K R$168.9K

$28.1K $28.1K

12.49%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$77.2 R$413

$115 $115

-33.15%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.44 R$66.6

$22.61 $22.61

-44.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.80 R$106

$40.70 $40.70

-51.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.36 R$130

$29.90 $29.90

-18.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.46 R$136

$17.02 $17.02

49.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.98 R$37.37

$5.14 $5.14

35.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$316 R$1,690

$168 $168

88.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,298 R$44.4K

$4,369 $4,369

89.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 R$264

$62.9 $62.9

-21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 R$245

$48.82 $48.82

-6.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 R$446

$119 $119

-30.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 R$351

$105 $105

-37.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 R$1,996

$745 $745

-49.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,341

$652 $652

-61.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 R$3,847

$1,269 $1,269

-43.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 R$2,624

$882 $882

-44.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,795 R$9,605

$2,727 $2,727

-34.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,269 R$6,791

$1,550 $1,550

-18.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 R$2,657

$433 $433

14.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.17

8.48

31.72%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Last update for El Salvador: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$251 29%

El Salvador

$652 44% 160% $401

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$183 21.2%

El Salvador

$261 17.6% 42.6% $78

Eating Out

Brazil

$120 13.9%

El Salvador

$144 9.7% 19.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$110 12.7%

El Salvador

$151 10.2% 37.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$109 12.6%

El Salvador

$179 12.1% 63.4% $69

Getting Around

Brazil

$54 6.2%

El Salvador

$55 3.7% 1.4% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$38 4.4%

El Salvador

$40 2.7% 4.9% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $335 in Brazil vs $619 in El Salvador. For reference, capital cities sit at $517 in Brasilia and $893 in San Salvador.

Average salary: $468 in Brazil vs $571 in El Salvador. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 85% higher in El Salvador.

Dining out costs 45% more in El Salvador.

Public transport is 65% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 22% higher in El Salvador, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brazil.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇸🇻 El Salvador

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

00:00 12:00 AM

3 h behind Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

6,029,976

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brazil El Salvador 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
El Salvador

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Brazil vs El Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 42% lower on average.

Housing costs more in El Salvador: a central one-bedroom averages $619 versus $335 in Brazil.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.