Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilopango and San Miguel

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel: $1,317 a month against $1,651 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
Learn more

Ilopango Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel
Learn more

San Miguel Living Index

Jump to prices

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,651

/mo nomad

San Miguel

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ilopango and in San Miguel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,651 in Ilopango versus $1,317 in San Miguel.

Ilopango $1,651
San Miguel $1,317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Ilopango versus $1,946 in San Miguel.

Ilopango $1,885
San Miguel $1,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,119 in Ilopango versus $2,575 in San Miguel.

Ilopango $2,119
San Miguel $2,575

Living in Ilopango is roughly 25% more expensive than in San Miguel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ilopango is 21% above, San Miguel is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 $3.11

$3.98 $3.98

-21.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.31 $45.31

$24.56 $24.56

84.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 $5.05

$6.75 $6.75

-25.19%

Cappuccino

$2.82 $2.82

$3.08 $3.08

-8.44%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$0.76 $0.76

14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.59 $0.59

57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.96 $1.96

-52.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.59 $3.59

-53.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.86 $1.86

70.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.81 $2.81

-49.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.38 $1.38

115.94%

Eggs

$2.93 $2.93

$3.06 $3.06

-4.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$7.91 $7.91

-35.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$7.05 $7.05

-13.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$10.15 $10.15

-0.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$5.02 $5.02

-38.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.38 $1.38

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.56 $2.56

-24.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.54 $3.54

-42.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.99 $2.99

-31.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.25 $3.25

-38.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.95 $0.95

4.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.98 $0.98

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.93 $3.93

4.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 $11.83

$12.21 $12.21

-3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.29 $2.29

-55.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.94 $2.94

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 $0.92

$0.33 $0.33

178.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.14 $35.14

$27.10 $27.10

29.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.16 $7.16

$6.18 $6.18

15.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.92 $2.92

-26.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 $4.70

$10.02 $10.02

-53.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.30 $1.30

-50.77%

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

$20.5K $20.5K

$25.0K $25.0K

-18.21%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$27.2K $27.2K

-6.75%

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

$35.26 $35.26

$128 $128

-72.53%

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

$9.87 $9.87

$19.90 $19.90

-50.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.61 $39.61

$24.90 $24.90

59.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.56 $40.56

$28.30 $28.30

43.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

$21.76 $21.76

-54.41%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 $5.07

$5.04 $5.04

0.60%

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

$107 $107

$165 $165

-35.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,902 $1,902

$4,340 $4,340

-56.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.99 $19.99

$65.5 $65.5

-69.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.34 $30.34

$46.48 $46.48

-34.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 $75.6

$120 $120

-36.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 $59.7

$115 $115

-48.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 $672

$701 $701

-4.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 $1,036

$501 $501

106.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 $592

$980 $980

-39.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 $633

$832 $832

-23.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 $1,748

$1,377 $1,377

26.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$964 $964

$944 $944

2.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$991 $991

$382 $382

159.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

-29.41%

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

Last update for Ilopango: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Miguel: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilopango

$1K 62.8%

San Miguel

$501 38% 51.7% $536

Groceries & Markets

Ilopango

$250 15.1%

San Miguel

$288 21.9% 15.2% $38

Eating Out

Ilopango

$89 5.4%

San Miguel

$111 8.5% 25.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilopango

$85 5.1%

San Miguel

$173 13.2% 104% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Ilopango

$84 5.1%

San Miguel

$156 11.9% 86.8% $73

Getting Around

Ilopango

$57 3.4%

San Miguel

$49 3.7% 13.3% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ilopango

$51 3.1%

San Miguel

$38 2.9% 24.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Ilopango and $701 in San Miguel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Ilopango vs $25 in San Miguel. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $288, with Ilopango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🇸🇻 San Miguel

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

Same time as Ilopango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,890

247,126

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ilopango San Miguel 96 km

From you

Ilopango
San Miguel

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 San Miguel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Miguel is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Ilopango is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $672 in Ilopango versus $701 in San Miguel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $107 in Ilopango versus $165 in San Miguel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ilopango pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though San Miguel gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – San Miguel wins on affordability, Ilopango on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.