Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Miguel and San Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel: $1,317 a month against $1,629 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel
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San Miguel Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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San Miguel

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,317

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in San Miguel vs $1,629 in San Salvador, rent included.

San Miguel $1,317
San Salvador $1,629

A couple spends around $1,946 per month in San Miguel vs $2,449 in San Salvador, rent included.

San Miguel $1,946
San Salvador $2,449

A family of three spends $2,575 per month in San Miguel vs $3,269 in San Salvador, rent included.

San Miguel $2,575
San Salvador $3,269

San Miguel is about 19% cheaper than San Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Miguel sits 3% below the global median, while San Salvador is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 $3.98

$6.58 $6.58

-39.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.56 $24.56

$44.57 $44.57

-44.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.75 $6.75

$7.06 $7.06

-4.39%

Cappuccino

$3.08 $3.08

$3.62 $3.62

-14.92%

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

$0.76 $0.76

$1.13 $1.13

-32.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 $0.59

$0.79 $0.79

-25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.97 $1.97

-0.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.50 $3.50

2.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.79 $1.79

3.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.91 $2.91

-3.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.37 $1.37

0.73%

Eggs

$3.06 $3.06

$2.99 $2.99

2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$7.81 $7.81

1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$6.92 $6.92

1.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$10.07 $10.07

0.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$4.93 $4.93

1.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.42 $1.42

-2.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.54 $2.54

0.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.98 $2.98

0.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.26 $3.26

-0.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.93 $0.93

5.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.05 $4.05

-2.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$11.77 $11.77

3.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.28 $2.28

0.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.92 $2.92

0.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.31 $0.31

6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.10 $27.10

$14.77 $14.77

83.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 $6.18

$5.97 $5.97

3.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.04 $3.04

-3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 $10.02

$19.88 $19.88

-49.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.25 $1.25

4.00%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$25.5K $25.5K

-1.71%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.7K $26.7K

1.69%

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

$128 $128

$129 $129

-0.37%

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

$19.90 $19.90

$20.87 $20.87

-4.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.90 $24.90

$42.10 $42.10

-40.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.30 $28.30

$29.34 $29.34

-3.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.76 $21.76

$21.36 $21.36

1.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 $5.04

$5.13 $5.13

-1.75%

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

$165 $165

$161 $161

2.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,340 $4,340

$4,729 $4,729

-8.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 $65.5

$66.4 $66.4

-1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.48 $46.48

$47.50 $47.50

-2.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

-0.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$117 $117

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$701 $701

$893 $893

-21.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 $501

$776 $776

-35.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 $980

$1,792 $1,792

-45.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$1,366 $1,366

-39.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,377 $1,377

$2,817 $2,817

-51.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$944 $944

$1,839 $1,839

-48.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$382 $382

$376 $376

1.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

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

Last update for San Miguel: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Salvador: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Miguel

$501 38%

San Salvador

$776 47.7% 55% $275

Groceries & Markets

San Miguel

$288 21.9%

San Salvador

$285 17.5% 1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Miguel

$173 13.2%

San Salvador

$192 11.8% 10.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

San Miguel

$156 11.9%

San Salvador

$158 9.7% 1.2% $1.8

Eating Out

San Miguel

$111 8.5%

San Salvador

$142 8.7% 27.2% $30

Getting Around

San Miguel

$49 3.7%

San Salvador

$37 2.3% 24.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

San Miguel

$38 2.9%

San Salvador

$40 2.4% 3.2% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $701 in San Miguel versus $893 in San Salvador. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in San Miguel versus $45 in San Salvador. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in San Miguel vs $285 in San Salvador – so San Salvador wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Miguel

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

Same time as San Miguel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

247,126

316,090 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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San Miguel San Salvador 110 km

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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 San Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,317 in San Miguel, $1,629 in San Salvador – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,976 per month in San Miguel and $2,444 in San Salvador. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Miguel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $701 there versus $893 in San Salvador.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in San Miguel and $45 in San Salvador. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 45% less in San Salvador. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,317 in San Miguel and $1,629 in San Salvador, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Salvador has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,317 in San Miguel to $1,629 in San Salvador. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.