Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $1,026 a month against $1,629 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,026

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,026 in Santa Ana versus $1,629 in San Salvador.

Santa Ana $1,026
San Salvador $1,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,626 in Santa Ana versus $2,449 in San Salvador.

Santa Ana $1,626
San Salvador $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,227 in Santa Ana versus $3,269 in San Salvador.

Santa Ana $2,227
San Salvador $3,269

Living in Santa Ana costs roughly 37% less than in San Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Ana is 25% below, San Salvador is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 $6.58

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.88 $44.88

$44.57 $44.57

0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.88 $6.88

$7.06 $7.06

-2.55%

Cappuccino

$3.52 $3.52

$3.62 $3.62

-2.76%

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

$1.17 $1.17

$1.13 $1.13

3.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 $0.84

$0.79 $0.79

6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.97 $1.97

3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.50 $3.50

3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.79 $1.79

0.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.91 $2.91

-4.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.37 $1.37

0.73%

Eggs

$3.11 $3.11

$2.99 $2.99

4.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$7.81 $7.81

-2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$6.92 $6.92

2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$10.07 $10.07

3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$4.93 $4.93

5.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.42 $1.42

1.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.54 $3.54

0.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.98 $2.98

1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.26 $3.26

-1.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.95 $0.95

5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 $4.04

$4.05 $4.05

-0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.78 $11.78

$11.77 $11.77

0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.28 $2.28

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.92 $2.92

-3.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.31 $0.31

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.77 $14.77

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 $6.05

$5.97 $5.97

1.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.04 $3.04

0.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.18 $20.18

$19.88 $19.88

1.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.25 $1.25

-19.20%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$25.5K $25.5K

-9.20%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.7K $26.7K

1.07%

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

$39.79 $39.79

$129 $129

-69.12%

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

$21.39 $21.39

$20.87 $20.87

2.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.95 $38.95

$42.10 $42.10

-7.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.94 $34.94

$29.34 $29.34

19.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.36 $21.36

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 $4.99

$5.13 $5.13

-2.73%

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

$161 $161

0.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,790 $4,790

$4,729 $4,729

1.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 $66.7

$66.4 $66.4

0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 $47.28

$47.50 $47.50

-0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

-0.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 $653

$893 $893

-26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$776 $776

-64.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 $994

$1,792 $1,792

-44.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 $451

$1,366 $1,366

-67.02%

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)

$450 $450

$376 $376

19.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

-41.18%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Salvador: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$286 27.9%

San Salvador

$285 17.5% 0.5% $1.4

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$274 26.7%

San Salvador

$776 47.7% 184% $503

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$158 15.4%

San Salvador

$158 9.7% 0% $0

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$141 13.7%

San Salvador

$142 8.7% 0.6% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$100 9.8%

San Salvador

$192 11.8% 91.6% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$45 4.4%

San Salvador

$40 2.4% 11.8% $5.3

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$22 * 2.2%

San Salvador

$37 2.3% 65.4% $15

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 $893 in San Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Ana pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45 in Santa Ana vs $45 in San Salvador. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $285, with San Salvador cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Santa Ana

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

Same time as Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,200

316,090 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Ana San Salvador 51 km

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Santa Ana
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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

Santa Ana vs San Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Ana wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in San Salvador. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Ana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Santa Ana, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $653 in Santa Ana versus $893 in San Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,026 per month in Santa Ana versus $1,629 in San Salvador – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.