Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and San Miguel

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.

78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel
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San Miguel Living Index

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San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,629

/mo nomad

San Miguel

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

San Salvador costs about 24% more than San Miguel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 $6.58

$3.98 $3.98

65.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 $44.57

$24.56 $24.56

81.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 $7.06

$6.75 $6.75

4.59%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$3.08 $3.08

17.53%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$0.76 $0.76

48.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.59 $0.59

33.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.96 $1.96

0.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.59 $3.59

-2.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.86 $1.86

-3.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.81 $2.81

3.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.38 $1.38

-0.72%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$3.06 $3.06

-2.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$7.91 $7.91

-1.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 $6.92

$7.05 $7.05

-1.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.15 $10.15

-0.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$5.02 $5.02

-1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.38 $1.38

2.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.56 $2.56

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.99 $2.99

-0.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.25 $3.25

0.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.98 $0.98

-5.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.93 $3.93

3.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 $11.77

$12.21 $12.21

-3.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.29 $2.29

-0.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.94 $2.94

-0.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.33 $0.33

-6.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.77 $14.77

$27.10 $27.10

-45.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.97 $5.97

$6.18 $6.18

-3.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.92 $2.92

4.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.88 $19.88

$10.02 $10.02

98.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.30 $1.30

-3.85%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$25.0K $25.0K

1.74%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$27.2K $27.2K

-1.67%

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

$129 $129

$128 $128

0.37%

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

$20.87 $20.87

$19.90 $19.90

4.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.10 $42.10

$24.90 $24.90

69.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.34 $29.34

$28.30 $28.30

3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.36 $21.36

$21.76 $21.76

-1.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 $5.13

$5.04 $5.04

1.79%

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

$161 $161

$165 $165

-2.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,729 $4,729

$4,340 $4,340

8.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$65.5 $65.5

1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.50 $47.50

$46.48 $46.48

2.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

0.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$115 $115

1.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 $893

$701 $701

27.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 $776

$501 $501

54.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 $1,792

$980 $980

82.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 $1,366

$832 $832

64.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 $2,817

$1,377 $1,377

104.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,839 $1,839

$944 $944

94.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$376 $376

$382 $382

-1.70%

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 Salvador: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Miguel: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Salvador

$776 47.7%

San Miguel

$501 38% 35.5% $275

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$285 17.5%

San Miguel

$288 21.9% 1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$192 11.8%

San Miguel

$173 13.2% 9.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.7%

San Miguel

$156 11.9% 1.2% $1.8

Eating Out

San Salvador

$142 8.7%

San Miguel

$111 8.5% 21.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$40 2.4%

San Miguel

$38 2.9% 3.1% $1.2

Getting Around

San Salvador

$37 2.3%

San Miguel

$49 3.7% 32.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $893 in San Salvador versus $701 in San Miguel. 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 $45 in San Salvador versus $25 in San Miguel. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in San Salvador vs $288 in San Miguel – so San Salvador wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇸🇻 San Miguel

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

Same time as San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

247,126

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Salvador San Miguel 110 km

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 San Miguel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,444 per month in San Salvador and $1,976 in San Miguel. 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 $45 in San Salvador and $25 in San Miguel. 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 $1,629 in San Salvador and $1,317 in San Miguel, 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.