Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in San Salvador: $1,666 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
Learn more

San Salvador Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,666

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,666 in San Salvador versus $2,530 in Toronto.

San Salvador $1,666
Toronto $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,465 in San Salvador versus $3,646 in Toronto.

San Salvador $2,465
Toronto $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in San Salvador versus $4,761 in Toronto.

San Salvador $3,263
Toronto $4,761

Living in San Salvador costs roughly 34% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Salvador 24% above, Toronto 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.72 $6.72

$17.67 CA$25.19

-61.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.39 $45.39

$77.4 CA$110

-41.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 $7.07

$10.47 CA$14.93

-32.47%

Cappuccino

$3.53 $3.53

$4.08 CA$5.81

-13.48%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$2.12 CA$3.02

-46.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.76 CA$2.51

-51.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$6.17 CA$8.80

-66.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$6.89 CA$9.82

-49.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.43 CA$3.46

-23.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.75 CA$3.92

5.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.23 CA$3.18

-37.22%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$3.45 CA$4.91

-10.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$8.93 CA$12.73

-11.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$11.44 CA$16.31

-39.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.05 $10.05

$14.61 CA$20.83

-31.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.75 CA$5.34

35.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.15 CA$1.64

20.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.55 CA$5.06

-28.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$4.28 CA$6.10

-20.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.85 CA$2.63

55.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.67 CA$2.38

96.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.22 CA$3.16

-56.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.21 CA$1.72

-19.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 $4.07

$13.88 CA$19.78

-70.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$14.25 CA$20.31

-14.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.20 CA$3.13

-0.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.42 CA$3.45

18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$2.42 CA$3.44

-85.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.66 $37.66

$111 CA$158

-65.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.90 CA$4.13

108.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.26 CA$1.80

140.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.11 $20.11

$22.03 CA$31.40

-8.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.22 CA$1.74

5.74%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

-10.42%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

36.08%

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

$130 $130

$122 CA$174

7.05%

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

$21.57 $21.57

$32.03 CA$45.66

-32.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.03 $43.03

$47.92 CA$68.3

-10.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 $31.99

$38.90 CA$55.5

-17.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.57 $21.57

$23.24 CA$33.12

-7.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 $5.06

$12.61 CA$17.97

-59.87%

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

$165 $165

$834 CA$1,189

-80.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,640 $4,640

$23.3K CA$33.3K

-80.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 $68.2

$52.6 CA$75.0

29.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.79 $46.79

$40.26 CA$57.4

16.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$96.2 CA$137

24.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$123 CA$175

-5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 $906

$1,598 CA$2,278

-43.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 $755

$1,435 CA$2,045

-47.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$2,657 CA$3,787

-32.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 $1,343

$2,096 CA$2,988

-35.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,813 $2,813

$8,033 CA$11.5K

-64.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 $1,845

$6,557 CA$9,347

-71.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 $372

$3,743 CA$5,335

-90.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

4.47

90.16%

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

Last update for San Salvador: October 6, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Salvador

$755 46.1%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 90% $680

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$287 17.5%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 18.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$195 11.9%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 3.5% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.7%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 11.3% $18

Eating Out

San Salvador

$142 8.7%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 97.9% $139

Getting Around

San Salvador

$60 3.7%

Toronto

$130 5% 115% $69

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$42 2.6%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 52.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $906 in San Salvador and $1,598 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 905% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in San Salvador vs $77.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $340 per month, with San Salvador cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

01:50 1:50 AM

2 h ahead of San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Salvador Toronto 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Salvador
Toronto

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 Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Salvador wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Salvador the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 905% lower in Toronto. 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: $906 in San Salvador versus $1,598 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Salvador – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $77.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,666 in San Salvador versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Salvador but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes San Salvador 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.

Expats usually find San Salvador gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.