Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilopango and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilopango: $1,619 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,619

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ilopango and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Ilopango versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Ilopango $1,619
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,863 in Ilopango versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Ilopango $1,863
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,107 in Ilopango versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Ilopango $2,107
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Ilopango costs roughly 26% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilopango 19% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 $3.23

$17.04 €15.18

-81.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.80 $44.80

$62.3 €55.5

-28.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 $4.97

$11.02 €9.82

-54.90%

Cappuccino

$2.96 $2.96

$3.12 €2.78

-5.13%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$2.27 €2.02

-61.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.74 €1.55

-43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 $0.92

$3.42 €3.05

-73.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.74 €3.33

-53.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.17 €1.04

173.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.86 €1.66

-19.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.54 €1.38

98.70%

Eggs

$2.95 $2.95

$4.06 €3.62

-27.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$12.91 €11.51

-61.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$7.90 €7.05

-25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$17.64 €15.73

-42.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.26 €2.02

31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.75 €1.56

11.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.89 €1.69

3.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.56 €2.28

-20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.85 €1.65

9.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.97 €1.76

3.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.45 €1.29

-35.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.77 €0.69

33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 $3.91

$6.71 €5.98

-41.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 $11.84

$5.67 €5.05

108.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.37 €1.22

-28.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.11 €1.88

-2.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.32 €2.07

-62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.26 $35.26

$44.43 €39.60

-20.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.86 $6.86

$3.95 €3.52

73.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.05 €0.94

111.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 $4.66

$17.15 €15.29

-72.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 $0.68

$2.19 €1.96

-68.95%

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

$19.8K $19.8K

$33.8K €30.1K

-41.30%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$38.3K €34.1K

-33.79%

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

$35.69 $35.69

$164 €146

-78.21%

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

$9.91 $9.91

$18.48 €16.47

-46.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.70 $40.70

$32.96 €29.38

23.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.29 $40.29

$45.87 €40.88

-12.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.07 $10.07

$18.68 €16.65

-46.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 $5.14

$9.75 €8.69

-47.28%

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

$103 $103

$684 €610

-84.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,882 $1,882

$17.6K €15.7K

-89.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.18 $20.18

$104 €92.5

-80.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.10 $30.10

$46.20 €41.18

-34.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 $74.3

$99.7 €88.9

-25.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 $59.0

$125 €111

-52.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 $672

$1,589 €1,417

-57.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 $1,002

$1,169 €1,042

-14.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 $592

$2,851 €2,541

-79.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 $619

$1,993 €1,776

-68.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,689 $1,689

$7,793 €6,946

-78.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$953 $953

$4,418 €3,938

-78.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,010 $1,010

$1,600 €1,426

-36.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

55.84%

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

Last update for Ilopango: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilopango

$1K 61.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 16.7% $167

Groceries & Markets

Ilopango

$249 15.4%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Ilopango

$92 5.7%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 170% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilopango

$86 5.3%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 149% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Ilopango

$83 5.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 104% $86

Getting Around

Ilopango

$57 3.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 11% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ilopango

$51 3.1%

Lisbon

$65 3% 29.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Ilopango and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Ilopango vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $273 per month, with Ilopango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

6 h ahead of Ilopango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,890

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ilopango Lisbon 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ilopango
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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

Ilopango vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilopango is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Ilopango. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $672 in Ilopango versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $103 in Ilopango versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Ilopango gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ilopango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.