Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Tecla and San Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Tecla: $1,355 a month against $1,658 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,355 in Santa Tecla versus $1,658 in San Salvador.

Santa Tecla $1,355
San Salvador $1,658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Santa Tecla versus $2,492 in San Salvador.

Santa Tecla $2,006
San Salvador $2,492

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,657 in Santa Tecla versus $3,326 in San Salvador.

Santa Tecla $2,657
San Salvador $3,326

Living in Santa Tecla costs roughly 18% less than in San Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Tecla 0% above, San Salvador 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 $6.56

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.20 $44.20

$45.50 $45.50

-2.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 $6.82

$7.04 $7.04

-3.12%

Cappuccino

$3.50 $3.50

$3.48 $3.48

0.57%

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

$1.15 $1.15

$1.17 $1.17

-1.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.84 $0.84

2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.05 $2.05

-3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.61 $3.61

0.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.81 $1.81

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.81 $2.81

-23.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

Eggs

$2.30 $2.30

$2.99 $2.99

-23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$7.85 $7.85

-4.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$6.92 $6.92

-19.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$10.09 $10.09

1.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$5.19 $5.19

-36.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.43 $1.43

-4.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.63 $2.63

0.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.51 $3.51

0.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.93 $2.93

1.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.38 $3.38

-0.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.03 $1.03

-6.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.97 $0.97

1.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 $3.94

$4.09 $4.09

-3.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.06 $12.06

$11.79 $11.79

2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.29 $2.29

-3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.96 $2.96

-0.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.24 $38.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 $6.16

$6.02 $6.02

2.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.03 $3.03

0.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.27 $20.27

$20.03 $20.03

1.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.27 $1.27

-2.36%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.1K $25.1K

1.52%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.8K $26.8K

0.59%

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

$132 $132

0.08%

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

$20.92 $20.92

$21.13 $21.13

-0.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 $42.31

$41.94 $41.94

0.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.72 $24.72

$30.98 $30.98

-20.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.42 $21.42

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$4.96 $4.96

1.41%

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

$160 $160

$164 $164

-2.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,809 $4,809

$4,762 $4,762

0.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$67.9 $67.9

-1.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 $46.85

$46.22 $46.22

1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$117 $117

-0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$116 $116

-0.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 $765

$895 $895

-14.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$778 $778

-29.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$1,799 $1,799

-33.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

$1,367 $1,367

-35.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 $2,748

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,835 $1,835

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$406 $406

$379 $379

7.17%

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 Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Salvador: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4%

San Salvador

$778 46.9% 41.9% $230

Groceries & Markets

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2%

San Salvador

$287 17.3% 10.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4%

San Salvador

$195 11.8% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5%

San Salvador

$156 9.4% 0.3% $0.5

Eating Out

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4%

San Salvador

$141 8.5% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6%

San Salvador

$41 2.5% 17.7% $6.1

Getting Around

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6%

San Salvador

$61 3.7% 183% $39

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 $765 in Santa Tecla and $895 in San Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Tecla pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Santa Tecla vs $46.00 in San Salvador for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $287 per month, with Santa Tecla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

Same time as Santa Tecla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,695

316,090 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Santa Tecla San Salvador 11 km

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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 Tecla vs San Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Tecla wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in San Salvador. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Tecla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Santa Tecla, 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: $765 in Santa Tecla versus $895 in San Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $160 in Santa Tecla versus $164 in San Salvador. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Tecla – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $46.00 in San Salvador. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,355 in Santa Tecla versus $1,658 in San Salvador, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santa Tecla but tight or insufficient in San Salvador. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Tecla 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.

Safety-wise, Santa Tecla and San Salvador are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Tecla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in San Salvador. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.