Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in San Salvador and in Mexico City: $1,629 and $1,608 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,629

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Salvador and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,629 in San Salvador versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

San Salvador $1,629
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,449 in San Salvador versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

San Salvador $2,449
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,269 in San Salvador versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

San Salvador $3,269
Mexico City $3,490

Living in San Salvador is roughly 1% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Salvador 20% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 $6.58

$10.62 MX$199

-38.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 $44.57

$48.35 MX$904

-7.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 $7.06

$10.35 MX$193

-31.79%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$3.69 MX$69.0

-1.90%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$1.67 MX$31.14

-32.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.27 MX$23.65

-37.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.19 MX$59.7

-38.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$5.31 MX$99.2

-34.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.72 MX$32.23

4.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.04 MX$56.8

-4.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.94 MX$36.27

-29.38%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$2.89 MX$54.0

3.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$10.97 MX$205

-28.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 $6.92

$9.25 MX$173

-25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$15.13 MX$283

-33.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.05 MX$57.0

61.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.94 MX$36.27

-26.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.03 MX$37.85

25.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.31 MX$43.25

53.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.04 MX$38.03

46.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.80 MX$33.63

81.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.48 MX$27.64

-35.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.27 MX$23.69

-26.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 $4.05

$5.30 MX$99.1

-23.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 $11.77

$16.10 MX$301

-26.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.98 MX$37.06

15.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$4.25 MX$79.5

-31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.31 MX$5.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.77 $14.77

$19.73 MX$369

-25.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.97 $5.97

$1.84 MX$34.34

224.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.53 MX$9.97

473.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.88 $19.88

$5.30 MX$99.0

275.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.51 MX$28.23

-17.22%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

17.06%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

11.39%

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

$129 $129

$63.0 MX$1,177

104.57%

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

$20.87 $20.87

$27.39 MX$512

-23.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.10 $42.10

$35.67 MX$666

18.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.34 $29.34

$58.9 MX$1,101

-50.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.36 $21.36

$23.64 MX$442

-9.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 $5.13

$6.40 MX$120

-19.84%

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

$161 $161

$432 MX$8,065

-62.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,729 $4,729

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-58.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$68.2 MX$1,275

-2.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.50 $47.50

$53.1 MX$993

-10.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$108 MX$2,014

11.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$117 MX$2,191

-0.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 $893

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-19.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 $776

$710 MX$13.3K

9.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 $1,792

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-30.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 $1,366

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-2.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 $2,817

$3,631 MX$67.8K

-22.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,839 $1,839

$2,135 MX$39.9K

-13.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$376 $376

$946 MX$17.7K

-60.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

11.35

-25.11%

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

Last update for San Salvador: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Salvador

$776 47.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 8.5% $66

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$285 17.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 12.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$192 11.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 34.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1.3% $2.1

Eating Out

San Salvador

$142 8.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 40.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$40 2.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 81.2% $32

Getting Around

San Salvador

$37 2.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 31.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $893 in San Salvador and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45 in San Salvador vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $320 per month, with San Salvador cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

Same time as San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Salvador Mexico City 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Salvador
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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 Salvador vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Salvador and Mexico City differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,629 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in San Salvador. 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: $893 in San Salvador versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Salvador runs roughly 25% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $161 in San Salvador versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City 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.