Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and El Salvador

Name: El Salvador
Address: SV

For one person, living is cheaper in El Salvador: $1,482 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in El Salvador
Learn more

El Salvador Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,843 per month in Italy vs $1,482 in El Salvador, rent included.

Italy $1,843
El Salvador $1,482

A couple spends around $2,816 per month in Italy vs $2,112 in El Salvador, rent included.

Italy $2,816
El Salvador $2,112

A family of three spends $3,788 per month in Italy vs $2,742 in El Salvador, rent included.

Italy $3,788
El Salvador $2,742

Cost ranges are similar: Italy spans $1,038–$2,555, El Salvador $207–$1,812. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Italy is about 24% higher than in El Salvador on average.

Both Italy and El Salvador are pricier than the global median – Italy by 35%, El Salvador by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.38

$6.92 $6.92

195.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.4

$45.49 $45.49

74.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €10.02

$6.84 $6.84

63.01%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$3.57 $3.57

-42.86%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$1.14 $1.14

171.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.85 $0.85

64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.95

$2.04 $2.04

170.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.16

$3.60 $3.60

59.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.84 $1.84

-14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.14

$2.28 $2.28

4.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.58 $1.58

83.54%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.66

$2.74 $2.74

48.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.67

$7.30 $7.30

138.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.28

$5.99 $5.99

109.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.12

$9.16 $9.16

120.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$3.83 $3.83

-32.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.97

$1.70 $1.70

28.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$2.90 $2.90

-7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$2.86 $2.86

14.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.71

$2.91 $2.91

-34.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.35 $2.35

-22.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$0.97 $0.97

61.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.00 $1.00

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €6.01

$3.96 $3.96

68.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.17

$11.76 $11.76

-32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.93 $1.93

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.80 $2.80

-16.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.36 $0.36

430.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €39.02

$31.83 $31.83

36.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.05

$6.57 $6.57

-14.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$2.93 $2.93

-41.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.22

$19.66 $19.66

71.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.22 $1.22

66.39%

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

$35.3K €31.7K

$25.1K $25.1K

40.51%

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

$36.7K €33.0K

$28.1K $28.1K

30.97%

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

$227 €204

$115 $115

96.23%

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

$11.59 €10.41

$22.61 $22.61

-48.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.29

$40.70 $40.70

-25.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.51

$29.90 $29.90

73.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.29

$17.02 $17.02

39.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.52

$5.14 $5.14

106.23%

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

$568 €510

$168 $168

237.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.4K

$4,369 $4,369

163.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.3

$62.9 $62.9

43.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.63

$48.82 $48.82

-21.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$119 $119

-14.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €118

$105 $105

24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €742

$745 $745

10.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €580

$652 $652

-0.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,258

$1,269 $1,269

10.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €947

$882 $882

19.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,290

$2,727 $2,727

34.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,067

$1,550 $1,550

48.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,694

$433 $433

335.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

8.48

-58.02%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for El Salvador: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

El Salvador

$652 44% 0.9% $5.5

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

El Salvador

$261 17.6% 25% $87

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

El Salvador

$144 9.7% 48.3% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

El Salvador

$179 12.1% 33.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

El Salvador

$151 10.2% 7.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

El Salvador

$40 2.7% 44.9% $33

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

El Salvador

$55 3.7% 16.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $729 in Italy vs $619 in El Salvador. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,297 in Rome and $893 in San Salvador.

Average salary: $1,890 in Italy vs $571 in El Salvador. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 74% more in Italy.

Public transport is 65% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇸🇻 El Salvador

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

13:04 1:04 PM

7 h behind Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

6,029,976

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Italy El Salvador 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
El Salvador

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

Italy vs El Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Salvador is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 20% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Italy: a central one-bedroom averages $729 versus $619 in El Salvador.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in El Salvador, adding to the overall 24% price gap.

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.