Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Miguel and Ilopango

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.

63

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel
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San Miguel Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index

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San Miguel

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,317

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

San Miguel $1,317
Ilopango $1,651

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

San Miguel $1,946
Ilopango $1,885

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

San Miguel $2,575
Ilopango $2,119

Living in San Miguel costs roughly 20% less than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 $3.98

$3.11 $3.11

27.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.56 $24.56

$45.31 $45.31

-45.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.75 $6.75

$5.05 $5.05

33.66%

Cappuccino

$3.08 $3.08

$2.82 $2.82

9.22%

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

$0.76 $0.76

$0.87 $0.87

-12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 $0.59

$0.93 $0.93

-36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.94 $0.94

108.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.67 $1.67

114.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 $1.86

$3.17 $3.17

-41.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.43 $1.43

96.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.98 $2.98

-53.69%

Eggs

$3.06 $3.06

$2.93 $2.93

4.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$5.14 $5.14

53.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$6.12 $6.12

15.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$10.08 $10.08

0.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.07 $3.07

63.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.94 $1.94

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.94 $1.94

31.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.02 $2.02

75.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.05 $2.05

45.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.99 $1.99

63.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.99 $0.99

-4.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.02 $1.02

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.11 $4.11

-4.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$11.83 $11.83

3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.03 $1.03

122.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.96 $1.96

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.92 $0.92

-64.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.10 $27.10

$35.14 $35.14

-22.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 $6.18

$7.16 $7.16

-13.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.15 $2.15

35.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 $10.02

$4.70 $4.70

113.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$0.64 $0.64

103.13%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$20.5K $20.5K

22.26%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.3K $25.3K

7.24%

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

$128 $128

$35.26 $35.26

264.04%

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

$19.90 $19.90

$9.87 $9.87

101.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.90 $24.90

$39.61 $39.61

-37.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.30 $28.30

$40.56 $40.56

-30.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.76 $21.76

$9.92 $9.92

119.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 $5.04

$5.07 $5.07

-0.59%

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

$165 $165

$107 $107

54.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,340 $4,340

$1,902 $1,902

128.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 $65.5

$19.99 $19.99

227.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.48 $46.48

$30.34 $30.34

53.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$75.6 $75.6

58.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$59.7 $59.7

92.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$701 $701

$672 $672

4.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 $501

$1,036 $1,036

-51.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 $980

$592 $592

65.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$633 $633

31.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,377 $1,377

$1,748 $1,748

-21.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$944 $944

$964 $964

-2.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$382 $382

$991 $991

-61.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

41.67%

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

Last update for San Miguel: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ilopango: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Miguel

$501 38%

Ilopango

$1K 62.8% 107% $536

Groceries & Markets

San Miguel

$288 21.9%

Ilopango

$250 15.1% 13.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Miguel

$173 13.2%

Ilopango

$85 5.1% 51.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

San Miguel

$156 11.9%

Ilopango

$84 5.1% 46.5% $73

Eating Out

San Miguel

$111 8.5%

Ilopango

$89 5.4% 20.1% $22

Getting Around

San Miguel

$49 3.7%

Ilopango

$57 3.4% 15.3% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

San Miguel

$38 2.9%

Ilopango

$51 3.1% 32.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $701 in San Miguel and $672 in Ilopango. 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: $25 in San Miguel vs $45 in Ilopango. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $250, with Ilopango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Miguel

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

Same time as San Miguel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

247,126

38,890

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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San Miguel Ilopango 96 km

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San Miguel
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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

San Miguel vs Ilopango: 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.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in San Miguel. 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: $701 in San Miguel versus $672 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $165 in San Miguel versus $107 in Ilopango. 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.