Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Zaragoza, El Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $635 a month against $1,629 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
Learn more

Zaragoza Living Index

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San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,629

/mo nomad

Zaragoza

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$635

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Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,629 in San Salvador versus $635 in Zaragoza.

San Salvador $1,629
Zaragoza $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,449 in San Salvador versus $1,036 in Zaragoza.

San Salvador $2,449
Zaragoza $1,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,269 in San Salvador versus $1,437 in Zaragoza.

San Salvador $3,269
Zaragoza $1,437

Living in San Salvador is roughly 156% more expensive than in Zaragoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Salvador is 20% above, Zaragoza is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 $6.58

$6.95 $6.95

-5.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 $44.57

$29.51 $29.51

51.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 $7.06

$6.96 $6.96

1.44%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$1.54 $1.54

135.06%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$1.11 $1.11

1.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.81 $0.81

-2.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.24 $1.24

58.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.12 $2.12

65.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.78 $1.78

0.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.27 $2.27

28.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.97 $0.97

41.24%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$2.50 $2.50

19.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$7.49 $7.49

4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 $6.92

$3.92 $3.92

76.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$5.36 $5.36

87.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.99 $3.99

23.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.58 $2.58

-1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.14 $2.14

65.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.96 $2.96

0.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.82 $1.82

79.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.96 $0.96

-1.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.79 $0.79

17.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.77 $3.77

7.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 $11.77

$8.20 $8.20

43.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.60 $1.60

42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.21 $2.21

32.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 $0.31

$1.48 $1.48

-79.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.77 $14.77

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.97 $5.97

$4.90 $4.90

21.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.93 $2.93

3.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.88 $19.88

$20.10 $20.10

-1.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.12 $1.12

11.61%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$24.8K $24.8K

2.80%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.6K $24.6K

8.47%

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

$129 $129

$46.09 $46.09

179.54%

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

$20.87 $20.87

$21.21 $21.21

-1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.10 $42.10

$35.34 $35.34

19.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.34 $29.34

$34.94 $34.94

-16.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.36 $21.36

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 $5.13

$5.03 $5.03

1.99%

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

$161 $161

$150 $150

6.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,729 $4,729

$4,759 $4,759

-0.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$67.3 $67.3

-1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.50 $47.50

$46.68 $46.68

1.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$112 $112

7.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$69.5 $69.5

68.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 $893

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 $776

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 $1,792

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 $1,366

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 $2,817

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,839 $1,839

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$376 $376

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 Zaragoza: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Salvador

$776 47.7%

Zaragoza

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$285 17.5%

Zaragoza

$217 34.1% 24% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$192 11.8%

Zaragoza

$103 16.2% 46.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.7%

Zaragoza

$133 20.9% 15.9% $25

Eating Out

San Salvador

$142 8.7%

Zaragoza

$113 17.8% 20.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$40 2.4%

Zaragoza

$45 7.1% 13.6% $5.4

Getting Around

San Salvador

$37 2.3%

Zaragoza

$25 * 4% 31.5% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $45 in San Salvador vs $30 in Zaragoza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $217 per month, with Zaragoza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇸🇻 Zaragoza

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

Same time as San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

11,749

💱 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 Zaragoza 16 km

From you

San Salvador
Zaragoza

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 Zaragoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zaragoza wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in San Salvador. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zaragoza the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,444 in San Salvador and $953 in Zaragoza to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $161 in San Salvador versus $150 in Zaragoza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zaragoza – a meal for two runs $30 versus $45 in San Salvador. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $635 in Zaragoza versus $1,629 in San Salvador, a $800 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in San Salvador. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.