Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Brazil

Name: Brazil
Address: BR

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.

71

Cost of Living Index in El Salvador
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El Salvador Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index

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🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,482

/mo nomad

🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

El Salvador $1,482
Brazil $865

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

El Salvador $2,112
Brazil $1,373

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

El Salvador $2,742
Brazil $1,880

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 El Salvador is about 71% higher than in Brazil on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.92 $6.92

$6.55 R$35.52

5.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.49 $45.49

$30.71 R$166

48.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 $6.84

$7.45 R$40.40

-8.19%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$1.91 R$10.35

86.91%

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

$1.14 $1.14

$1.15 R$6.26

-0.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$0.76 R$4.09

11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.85 R$10.02

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.86 R$15.48

25.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.03 R$5.59

78.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.57 R$8.48

45.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.24 R$6.69

27.42%

Eggs

$2.74 $2.74

$2.10 R$11.40

30.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 $7.30

$8.87 R$48.05

-17.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.99 R$21.64

50.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.16 $9.16

$7.76 R$42.03

18.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.15 R$11.68

78.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.27 R$6.89

33.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.16 R$6.26

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.53 R$8.29

86.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.16 R$6.29

150.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.02 R$5.52

130.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.74 R$4.02

31.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.72 R$3.89

38.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.25 R$12.22

76.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 $11.76

$7.65 R$41.46

53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.30 R$7.06

48.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.16 R$11.73

29.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.94 R$5.10

-61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.83 $31.83

$44.00 R$238

-27.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 $6.57

$1.23 R$6.66

434.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.96 R$5.18

205.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.66 $19.66

$7.42 R$40.21

164.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.21 R$6.58

0.83%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$22.1K R$120.0K

13.47%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$31.6K R$171.1K

-11.11%

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

$115 $115

$77.2 R$418

49.59%

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

$22.61 $22.61

$12.44 R$67.4

81.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.70 $40.70

$19.80 R$107

105.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.90 $29.90

$24.36 R$132

22.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 $17.02

$25.46 R$138

-33.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 $5.14

$6.98 R$37.85

-26.36%

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

$168 $168

$316 R$1,712

-46.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,369 $4,369

$8,298 R$45.0K

-47.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 $62.9

$49.37 R$268

27.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.82 $48.82

$45.73 R$248

6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$83.4 R$452

43.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$65.6 R$356

60.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$373 R$2,022

99.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 $652

$251 R$1,358

160.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$719 R$3,896

76.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 $882

$490 R$2,657

79.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 $2,727

$1,795 R$9,727

51.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$1,269 R$6,877

22.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 $433

$496 R$2,690

-12.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.48

11.17

-24.08%

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

Last update for El Salvador: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Salvador

$652 44%

Brazil

$251 29% 61.6% $401

Groceries & Markets

El Salvador

$261 17.6%

Brazil

$183 21.2% 29.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Salvador

$179 12.1%

Brazil

$109 12.6% 38.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

El Salvador

$151 10.2%

Brazil

$110 12.7% 27.5% $42

Eating Out

El Salvador

$144 9.7%

Brazil

$120 13.9% 16.5% $24

Getting Around

El Salvador

$55 3.7%

Brazil

$54 6.2% 1.3% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

El Salvador

$40 2.7%

Brazil

$38 4.4% 4.6% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $571 in El Salvador vs $468 in Brazil. 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

🇸🇻 El Salvador

🇧🇷 Brazil

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

3 h ahead of El Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,029,976

203,062,512

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 BRL = 0.185 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.42 BRL (1 BRL = 0.185 USD). 1 EUR = 6.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

El Salvador
Brazil

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

El Salvador vs Brazil: 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.