Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $1,482 in El Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in El Salvador outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in El Salvador
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El Salvador Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index

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🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,482

/mo nomad

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Mexico actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,482 per month in El Salvador vs $1,274 in Mexico, rent included.

El Salvador $1,482
Mexico $1,274

A couple spends around $2,112 per month in El Salvador vs $2,010 in Mexico, rent included.

El Salvador $2,112
Mexico $2,010

A family of three spends $2,742 per month in El Salvador vs $2,746 in Mexico, rent included.

El Salvador $2,742
Mexico $2,746

Cost ranges are similar: El Salvador spans $207–$1,812, Mexico $730–$2,625. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in El Salvador is about 16% higher than in Mexico on average.

El Salvador sits 9% above the global median, while Mexico is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.92 $6.92

$10.63 MX$198

-34.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.49 $45.49

$43.29 MX$807

5.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 $6.84

$8.94 MX$167

-23.49%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$3.61 MX$67.2

-1.11%

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

$1.14 $1.14

$1.48 MX$27.51

-22.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.00 MX$18.63

-15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.67 MX$49.68

-23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 $3.60

$4.37 MX$81.4

-17.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.59 MX$29.55

15.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.67 MX$49.86

-14.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.68 MX$31.35

-5.95%

Eggs

$2.74 $2.74

$2.52 MX$47.04

8.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 $7.30

$8.79 MX$164

-16.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$7.97 MX$149

-24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.16 $9.16

$11.50 MX$214

-20.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.76 MX$51.4

38.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.52 MX$28.41

11.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.95 MX$36.44

48.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.97 MX$36.66

45.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.96 MX$36.58

48.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.03 MX$37.81

15.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.43 MX$26.71

-32.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.14 MX$21.24

-12.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.52 MX$84.3

-12.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 $11.76

$10.87 MX$203

8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.77 MX$32.91

9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.19 MX$59.4

-12.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.62 MX$11.56

-41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.83 $31.83

$29.85 MX$556

6.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 $6.57

$2.66 MX$49.62

146.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.72 MX$50.6

7.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.66 $19.66

$10.63 MX$198

84.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.40 MX$26.06

-12.86%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$24.0K MX$446.8K

4.84%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$23.9K MX$445.8K

17.32%

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

$115 $115

$69.2 MX$1,290

66.88%

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

$22.61 $22.61

$23.51 MX$438

-3.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.70 $40.70

$29.00 MX$541

40.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.90 $29.90

$34.74 MX$648

-13.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 $17.02

$17.46 MX$325

-2.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 $5.14

$5.24 MX$97.8

-1.91%

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

$168 $168

$261 MX$4,857

-35.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,369 $4,369

$5,999 MX$111.8K

-27.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 $62.9

$55.8 MX$1,041

12.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.82 $48.82

$41.58 MX$775

17.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$96.3 MX$1,796

23.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$90.1 MX$1,679

17.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$713 MX$13.3K

4.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 $652

$477 MX$8,891

36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$1,358 MX$25.3K

-6.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 $882

$906 MX$16.9K

-2.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 $2,727

$2,597 MX$48.4K

5.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$1,565 MX$29.2K

-0.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 $433

$773 MX$14.4K

-43.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.48

11.43

-25.81%

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

Last update for El Salvador: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Salvador

$652 44%

Mexico

$477 37.4% 26.8% $175

Groceries & Markets

El Salvador

$261 17.6%

Mexico

$267 21% 2.3% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Salvador

$179 12.1%

Mexico

$122 9.6% 31.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

El Salvador

$151 10.2%

Mexico

$128 10% 15.7% $24

Eating Out

El Salvador

$144 9.7%

Mexico

$187 14.7% 29.9% $43

Getting Around

El Salvador

$55 3.7%

Mexico

$49 3.8% 10.9% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

El Salvador

$40 2.7%

Mexico

$45 3.6% 12.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $619 in El Salvador vs $624 in Mexico. For reference, capital cities sit at $893 in San Salvador and $1,113 in Mexico City.

Average salary: $571 in El Salvador vs $722 in Mexico. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Public transport is 19% more expensive in Mexico.

Salaries are 26% higher in Mexico, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Mexico.

Good to know

🇸🇻 El Salvador

🇲🇽 Mexico

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

Same time as El Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,029,976

124,777,324

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

El Salvador Mexico 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

El Salvador
Mexico

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 Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 14% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, El Salvador costs about 16% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in El Salvador. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

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