Sonsonate at a glance
- Sonsonate ranks 5th of 6 priced cities in El Salvador on cost: $1,060 a month in essentials, 54% above Santa Ana, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $304 covers that 0.3×.
- 104.4 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at unit level.
- PM2.5 averages 12 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 7 El Salvador cities we track, so every row says whether Sonsonate is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,060 | $1,060 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $578 | $578 | same |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $674 | $674 | same |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $135 | $135 | same |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $150 | $150 | same |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $162 | $162 | same |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $35 | $35 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $304 | $380 | $76 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,020 | $1,020 | same |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,358 | $1,358 | same |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Sonsonate, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.16 | $6.16 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $38.28 | $38.28 | same |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $6.16 | $6.70 | $0.54 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $3.19 | $3.19 | same |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.76 | $2.00 | $0.24 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.08 | $3.50 | $0.42 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.97 | $0.97 | same |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.73 | $0.73 | same |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.60 | $1.71 | $0.11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.51 | $2.51 | same |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.24 | $1.41 | $0.17 |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.71 | $2.71 | same |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $6.78 | $7.71 | $0.93 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $6.13 | $6.13 | same |
| Apples, 1 kg | $4.11 | $4.11 | same |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.32 | $1.50 | $0.18 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $2.61 | $2.97 | $0.36 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.11 | $2.40 | $0.29 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.19 | $2.49 | $0.30 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.84 | $0.95 | $0.11 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.33 | $0.33 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $35.25 | $35.25 | same |
| Taxi start | $5.64 | $6.00 | $0.36 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $2.82 | $3.00 | $0.18 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.12 | $1.12 | same |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $122.12 | $122.12 | same |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $39.95 | $39.95 | same |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $19.97 | $21.25 | $1.28 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $27.81 | $27.81 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $4.40 | $5.00 | $0.60 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Sonsonate has 104.4 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (unit level). That is the highest of the 7 El Salvador cities we track. El Salvador's national figure is 100.2, so Sonsonate runs 4 above the country as a whole.
Every El Salvador region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Sonsonate ranks against every city we track
Sonsonate sits ahead of 75% of the 1016 cities we track on safety. On clean air it is ahead of 42% of 1016. Its weakest measure is salary against local costs, ahead of only 4% of 991.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Sonsonate sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Sonsonate on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Sonsonate beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Sonsonate in the research deskOr unlock the El Salvador deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Ronan84, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Data updated