Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilopango and Santa Ana, El Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $1,026 a month against $1,651 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index

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Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,651

/mo nomad

Santa Ana

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ilopango and in Santa Ana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,651 in Ilopango versus $1,026 in Santa Ana.

Ilopango $1,651
Santa Ana $1,026

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Ilopango versus $1,626 in Santa Ana.

Ilopango $1,885
Santa Ana $1,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,119 in Ilopango versus $2,227 in Santa Ana.

Ilopango $2,119
Santa Ana $2,227

Living in Ilopango is roughly 61% more expensive than in Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ilopango is 21% above, Santa Ana is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 $3.11

$6.58 $6.58

-52.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.31 $45.31

$44.88 $44.88

0.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 $5.05

$6.88 $6.88

-26.60%

Cappuccino

$2.82 $2.82

$3.52 $3.52

-19.89%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$1.17 $1.17

-25.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.84 $0.84

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.04 $2.04

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.61 $3.61

-53.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.80 $1.80

76.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.78 $2.78

-48.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.38 $1.38

115.94%

Eggs

$2.93 $2.93

$3.11 $3.11

-5.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$7.58 $7.58

-32.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$7.08 $7.08

-13.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$10.41 $10.41

-3.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$5.18 $5.18

-40.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.44 $1.44

34.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.54 $2.54

-23.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.55 $3.55

-43.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.01 $3.01

-31.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.20 $3.20

-37.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.00 $1.00

-1.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.93 $0.93

9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 $4.11

$4.04 $4.04

1.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 $11.83

$11.78 $11.78

0.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.16 $2.16

-52.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.83 $2.83

-30.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 $0.92

$0.29 $0.29

217.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.14 $35.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.16 $7.16

$6.05 $6.05

18.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.06 $3.06

-29.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 $4.70

$20.18 $20.18

-76.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.01 $1.01

-36.63%

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

$20.5K $20.5K

$23.1K $23.1K

-11.47%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$27.0K $27.0K

-6.17%

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

$35.26 $35.26

$39.79 $39.79

-11.38%

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

$9.87 $9.87

$21.39 $21.39

-53.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.61 $39.61

$38.95 $38.95

1.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.56 $40.56

$34.94 $34.94

16.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 $5.07

$4.99 $4.99

1.60%

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

$107 $107

$161 $161

-33.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,902 $1,902

$4,790 $4,790

-60.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.99 $19.99

$66.7 $66.7

-70.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.34 $30.34

$47.28 $47.28

-35.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 $75.6

$120 $120

-37.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 $59.7

$117 $117

-48.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 $672

$653 $653

2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 $1,036

$274 $274

278.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 $592

$994 $994

-40.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 $633

$451 $451

40.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 $1,748

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$964 $964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$991 $991

$450 $450

120.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.00%

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

Last update for Ilopango: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Ana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilopango

$1K 62.8%

Santa Ana

$274 26.7% 73.6% $763

Groceries & Markets

Ilopango

$250 15.1%

Santa Ana

$286 27.9% 14.6% $36

Eating Out

Ilopango

$89 5.4%

Santa Ana

$141 13.7% 58.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilopango

$85 5.1%

Santa Ana

$100 9.8% 18.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Ilopango

$84 5.1%

Santa Ana

$158 15.4% 89% $74

Getting Around

Ilopango

$57 3.4%

Santa Ana

$22 * 2.2% 60.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ilopango

$51 3.1%

Santa Ana

$45 4.4% 11.4% $5.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Ilopango and $653 in Santa Ana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Ilopango vs $45 in Santa Ana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $286 per month, with Ilopango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🇸🇻 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

Same time as Ilopango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,890

167,200

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ilopango Santa Ana 66 km

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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 Santa Ana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Ana is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Ilopango is about 2.2 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 $653 in Santa Ana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $107 in Ilopango versus $161 in Santa Ana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Santa Ana 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.

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