Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Vicente and Ilopango

For one person, living is cheaper in San Vicente: $815 a month against $1,622 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in San Vicente
Learn more

San Vicente Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
Learn more

Ilopango Living Index

Jump to prices

San Vicente

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$815

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Vicente and in Ilopango

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in San Vicente versus $1,622 in Ilopango.

San Vicente $815
Ilopango $1,622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,310 in San Vicente versus $1,874 in Ilopango.

San Vicente $1,310
Ilopango $1,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,806 in San Vicente versus $2,127 in Ilopango.

San Vicente $1,806
Ilopango $2,127

Living in San Vicente costs roughly 50% less than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Vicente is 40% below, Ilopango is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.87 $6.87

$3.24 $3.24

112.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.20 $45.20

$44.87 $44.87

0.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 $6.89

$4.88 $4.88

41.19%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$2.86 $2.86

26.22%

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

$1.17 $1.17

$0.93 $0.93

25.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.91 $0.91

-12.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.92 $0.92

123.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.66 $1.66

116.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 $1.89

$3.28 $3.28

-42.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.41 $1.41

97.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.93 $2.93

-52.56%

Eggs

$3.07 $3.07

$2.92 $2.92

5.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$5.14 $5.14

46.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$6.12 $6.12

15.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.42 $10.42

$9.81 $9.81

6.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.08 $3.08

62.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.05 $2.05

-30.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.98 $1.98

28.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.02 $2.02

65.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.05 $2.05

40.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.06 $2.06

64.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.92 $0.92

3.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.01 $1.01

-0.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 $3.98

$4.06 $4.06

-1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 $12.03

$11.76 $11.76

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.02 $1.02

123.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.05 $2.05

43.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 $0.89

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.20 $35.20

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 $6.04

$6.96 $6.96

-13.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.16 $2.16

36.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.70 $19.70

$4.94 $4.94

298.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.67 $0.67

86.57%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$19.9K $19.9K

28.05%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$25.4K $25.4K

8.36%

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

$132 $132

$35.33 $35.33

272.69%

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

$21.65 $21.65

$9.91 $9.91

118.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 $42.85

$39.26 $39.26

9.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.73 $40.73

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.05 $10.05

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 $5.04

$4.90 $4.90

2.86%

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

$165 $165

$107 $107

54.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,759 $4,759

$1,884 $1,884

152.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 $67.6

$20.30 $20.30

233.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.84 $46.84

$29.50 $29.50

58.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$75.0 $75.0

56.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$60.7 $60.7

91.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 $675

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 $1,006

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 $590

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 $640

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,736 $1,736

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$960 $960

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,014 $1,014

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

41.67%

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

Last update for San Vicente: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ilopango: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Vicente

$287 35.2%

Ilopango

$250 15.4% 12.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Vicente

$196 24.1%

Ilopango

$85 5.2% 56.9% $112

Clothing & Footwear

San Vicente

$157 19.2%

Ilopango

$83 5.1% 46.8% $73

Eating Out

San Vicente

$144 17.7%

Ilopango

$90 5.6% 37.5% $54

Getting Around

San Vicente

$21 * 2.5%

Ilopango

$57 3.5% 173% $36

Sport & Entertainment

San Vicente

$10 * 1.2%

Ilopango

$51 3.1% 401% $40

Accommodation & Living

San Vicente

- * 0%

Ilopango

$1K 62.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $45 in San Vicente vs $45 in Ilopango. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $250, with Ilopango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Vicente

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

Same time as San Vicente

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,504

38,890

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Vicente Ilopango 28 km

From you

San Vicente
Ilopango

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 Vicente vs Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Vicente is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,223 in San Vicente and $2,433 in Ilopango 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.

Shoppers in Ilopango pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Childcare runs $165 in San Vicente versus $107 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in San Vicente versus $1,622 in Ilopango, a $1,200 budget is realistic in San Vicente but tight or insufficient in Ilopango. The gap between the two cities makes San Vicente 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.