Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Tecla: $1,355 a month against $1,658 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,658

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Salvador and in Santa Tecla

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 Santa Tecla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,658 in San Salvador versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla.

San Salvador $1,658
Santa Tecla $1,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,492 in San Salvador versus $2,006 in Santa Tecla.

San Salvador $2,492
Santa Tecla $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,326 in San Salvador versus $2,657 in Santa Tecla.

San Salvador $3,326
Santa Tecla $2,657

Living in San Salvador is roughly 22% more expensive than in Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Salvador 23% above, Santa Tecla 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 $6.56

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.50 $45.50

$44.20 $44.20

2.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 $7.04

$6.82 $6.82

3.23%

Cappuccino

$3.48 $3.48

$3.50 $3.50

-0.57%

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

$1.17 $1.17

$1.15 $1.15

1.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 $0.84

$0.86 $0.86

-2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.98 $1.98

3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.63 $3.63

-0.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.75 $1.75

3.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.14 $2.14

31.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$2.30 $2.30

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.85 $7.85

$7.52 $7.52

4.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 $6.92

$5.55 $5.55

24.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 $10.09

$10.23 $10.23

-1.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$3.27 $3.27

58.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.37 $1.37

4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.64 $2.64

-0.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.54 $3.54

-0.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.98 $2.98

-1.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.35 $3.35

0.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.96 $0.96

7.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.98 $0.98

-1.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.94 $3.94

3.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.79 $11.79

$12.06 $12.06

-2.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.20 $2.20

4.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.95 $2.95

0.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.24 $38.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 $6.02

$6.16 $6.16

-2.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.06 $3.06

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.03 $20.03

$20.27 $20.27

-1.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.24 $1.24

2.42%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$25.4K $25.4K

-1.50%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$27.0K $27.0K

-0.59%

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

$132 $132

-0.08%

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

$21.13 $21.13

$20.92 $20.92

1.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.94 $41.94

$42.31 $42.31

-0.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.98 $30.98

$24.72 $24.72

25.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.42 $21.42

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 $4.96

$5.03 $5.03

-1.39%

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

$164 $164

$160 $160

2.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,762 $4,762

$4,809 $4,809

-0.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 $67.9

$67.0 $67.0

1.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.22 $46.22

$46.85 $46.85

-1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$116 $116

0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$115 $115

0.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 $895

$765 $765

17.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 $778

$548 $548

41.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$1,200 $1,200

49.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 $1,367

$887 $887

54.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 $2,748

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,835 $1,835

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$379 $379

$406 $406

-6.69%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Salvador

$778 46.9%

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4% 29.5% $230

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$287 17.3%

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2% 9.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$195 11.8%

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$156 9.4%

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5% 0.3% $0.5

Eating Out

San Salvador

$141 8.5%

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

San Salvador

$61 3.7%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 64.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$41 2.5%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6% 15% $6.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $895 in San Salvador and $765 in Santa Tecla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Tecla pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in San Salvador vs $44.00 in Santa Tecla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $260 per month, with Santa Tecla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

Same time as San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

138,695

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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San Salvador Santa Tecla 11 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 Santa Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Tecla wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in San Salvador. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Tecla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Santa Tecla. 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: $895 in San Salvador versus $765 in Santa Tecla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $164 in San Salvador versus $160 in Santa Tecla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Tecla – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $46.00 in San Salvador. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,355 in Santa Tecla versus $1,658 in San Salvador, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santa Tecla but tight or insufficient in San Salvador. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Tecla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, San Salvador and Santa Tecla are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Tecla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in San Salvador. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.