Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, El Salvador and Ilopango

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $1,026 a month against $1,651 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,026

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana and in Ilopango actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,026 in Santa Ana versus $1,651 in Ilopango.

Santa Ana $1,026
Ilopango $1,651

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,626 in Santa Ana versus $1,885 in Ilopango.

Santa Ana $1,626
Ilopango $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,227 in Santa Ana versus $2,119 in Ilopango.

Santa Ana $2,227
Ilopango $2,119

Living in Santa Ana costs roughly 38% less than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Ana is 25% below, Ilopango is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 $6.58

$3.11 $3.11

111.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.88 $44.88

$45.31 $45.31

-0.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.88 $6.88

$5.05 $5.05

36.24%

Cappuccino

$3.52 $3.52

$2.82 $2.82

24.82%

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

$1.17 $1.17

$0.87 $0.87

34.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 $0.84

$0.93 $0.93

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.94 $0.94

117.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.67 $1.67

116.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 $1.80

$3.17 $3.17

-43.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.43 $1.43

94.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.98 $2.98

-53.69%

Eggs

$3.11 $3.11

$2.93 $2.93

6.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$5.14 $5.14

47.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$6.12 $6.12

15.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$10.08 $10.08

3.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$3.07 $3.07

68.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.94 $1.94

-25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.94 $1.94

30.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.02 $2.02

75.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.05 $2.05

46.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.99 $1.99

60.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.99 $0.99

1.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.02 $1.02

-8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 $4.04

$4.11 $4.11

-1.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.78 $11.78

$11.83 $11.83

-0.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.03 $1.03

109.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.96 $1.96

44.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.92 $0.92

-68.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.14 $35.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 $6.05

$7.16 $7.16

-15.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.15 $2.15

42.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.18 $20.18

$4.70 $4.70

329.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.64 $0.64

57.81%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$20.5K $20.5K

12.95%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$25.3K $25.3K

6.58%

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

$39.79 $39.79

$35.26 $35.26

12.85%

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

$21.39 $21.39

$9.87 $9.87

116.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.95 $38.95

$39.61 $39.61

-1.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.94 $34.94

$40.56 $40.56

-13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 $4.99

$5.07 $5.07

-1.58%

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

$161 $161

$107 $107

50.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,790 $4,790

$1,902 $1,902

151.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 $66.7

$19.99 $19.99

233.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 $47.28

$30.34 $30.34

55.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$75.6 $75.6

59.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$59.7 $59.7

95.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 $653

$672 $672

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$1,036 $1,036

-73.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 $994

$592 $592

68.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 $451

$633 $633

-28.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 $1,748

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$964 $964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$450 $450

$991 $991

-54.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

-16.67%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ilopango: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$286 27.9%

Ilopango

$250 15.1% 12.7% $36

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$274 26.7%

Ilopango

$1K 62.8% 279% $763

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$158 15.4%

Ilopango

$84 5.1% 47.1% $74

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$141 13.7%

Ilopango

$89 5.4% 36.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$100 9.8%

Ilopango

$85 5.1% 15.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$45 4.4%

Ilopango

$51 3.1% 12.9% $5.8

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$22 * 2.2%

Ilopango

$57 3.4% 152% $34

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 $653 in Santa Ana and $672 in Ilopango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Santa Ana vs $45 in Ilopango. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $250, with Ilopango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Santa Ana

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

Same time as Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,200

38,890

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Ana Ilopango 66 km

From you

Santa Ana
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

Santa Ana vs Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Ana is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Santa Ana. 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: $653 in Santa Ana versus $672 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $161 in Santa Ana versus $107 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Santa Ana gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Ana wins on affordability, Ilopango on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.