Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in El Salvador: $1,482 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,482

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in El Salvador and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,482 per month in El Salvador vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

El Salvador $1,482
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $2,112 per month in El Salvador vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

El Salvador $2,112
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $2,742 per month in El Salvador vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

El Salvador $2,742
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in El Salvador ($207–$1,812), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in El Salvador is roughly 40% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both El Salvador and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – El Salvador by 9%, the United Kingdom by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.92 $6.92

$21.48 £16.15

-67.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.49 $45.49

$85.7 £64.4

-46.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 $6.84

$10.61 £7.98

-35.53%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$4.91 £3.69

-27.29%

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

$1.14 $1.14

$2.66 £2.00

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.87 £1.40

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$6.63 £4.98

-69.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 $3.60

$6.84 £5.14

-47.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.68 £1.26

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.72 £1.29

32.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.17 £1.63

-27.19%

Eggs

$2.74 $2.74

$4.00 £3.01

-31.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 $7.30

$9.42 £7.08

-22.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$9.19 £6.90

-34.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.16 $9.16

$14.77 £11.10

-37.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.97 £2.23

28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.62 £1.22

4.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.85 £2.15

1.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.52 £2.65

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.83 £1.38

59.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.61 £1.21

45.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.25 £0.94

-22.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.66 £1.25

-39.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 $3.96

$23.65 £17.77

-83.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 $11.76

$10.50 £7.89

12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.98 £2.24

-35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.51 £2.64

-20.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$3.98 £2.99

-90.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.83 $31.83

$107 £80.7

-70.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 $6.57

$5.18 £3.89

26.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.35 £1.76

24.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.66 $19.66

$26.84 £20.17

-26.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.99 £1.49

-38.69%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$39.4K £29.6K

-36.30%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$40.5K £30.4K

-30.69%

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

$115 $115

$327 £246

-64.71%

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

$22.61 $22.61

$18.21 £13.69

24.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.70 $40.70

$43.60 £32.77

-6.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.90 $29.90

$42.36 £31.83

-29.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 $17.02

$18.22 £13.69

-6.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 $5.14

$13.85 £10.41

-62.89%

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

$168 $168

$1,868 £1,404

-91.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,369 $4,369

$22.6K £17.0K

-80.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 $62.9

$92.9 £69.8

-32.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.82 $48.82

$45.92 £34.51

6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$102 £76.4

17.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$102 £76.8

3.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$1,342 £1,009

-44.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 $652

$1,073 £807

-39.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$2,231 £1,677

-43.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 $882

$1,742 £1,309

-49.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 $2,727

$5,601 £4,210

-51.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$4,265 £3,205

-63.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 $433

$3,349 £2,517

-87.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.48

5.32

59.40%

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

Last update for El Salvador: October 25, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Salvador

$652 44%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 64.7% $422

Groceries & Markets

El Salvador

$261 17.6%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 17.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Salvador

$179 12.1%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 118% $210

Clothing & Footwear

El Salvador

$151 10.2%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 1.8% $2.8

Eating Out

El Salvador

$144 9.7%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 127% $184

Getting Around

El Salvador

$55 3.7%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 157% $86

Sport & Entertainment

El Salvador

$40 2.7%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 74.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $619 in El Salvador vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $893 in San Salvador and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $571 in El Salvador vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 108% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 98% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 288% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 5.7 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇸🇻 El Salvador

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

6 h ahead of El Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,029,976

67,326,569

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

El Salvador United Kingdom 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

El Salvador
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Salvador is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 40% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $619 in El Salvador.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in El Salvador, adding to the overall 66% price gap.

$3,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in El Salvador, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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