MigrantoAverage salary in El Salvador
What people take home per month and earn per year, by industry and against other countries
Wages in El Salvador
84% of gross pay stays in hand after income tax and employee contributions
Per employee, all industries
Take-home / mo
$452
Gross / yr
$6,444
Salaries in El Salvador by industry
Take-home pay by industry against the national average
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Key facts
Salaries in El Salvador in numbers
Mining & quarrying is paid unusually poorly in El Salvador
Here it sits at -27% against the national average, where the same industry usually sits at +24%.
Public-sector work pays above average
Public administration, education and health together average $661 a month, 46% above the national average.
Next door, Costa Rica pays 2.6× more
$1,171 a month in Costa Rica against $452 here, the widest gap to any neighbouring country.
Industries pay 3× apart
Agriculture & fishing sits at the bottom on $239 a month, against a national average of $452.
Professional & scientific pays the most
It averages $710 a month, 57% above the national average of $452.
Staffing & facilities is where the country places highest
It ranks #71 of 135 in the world, while El Salvador ranks #112 of 169 on pay overall.
How salaries in El Salvador compare
Neighbours, region and the world on the same take-home figure
Industries against the world
Where this country pays an industry more, or less, than that industry is usually paid
Pays more than usual here
- Health & social work+51% here, usually +12%
- Water & waste+29% here, usually -6%
- Staffing & facilities+16% here, usually -18%
Pays less than usual here
- Mining & quarrying-27% here, usually +24%
- Agriculture & fishing-47% here, usually -38%
- Arts & recreation-20% here, usually -13%
“Usually” is what the same industry pays above or below the national average in a typical country
Data source: Mean monthly earnings 2024 (ILOSTAT), adjusted to 2026 using IMF GDP-per-capita growth
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What you could earn in El Salvador
Tell us what you do and what you earn today — we'll estimate what someone with your background could earn in El Salvador, what your living costs might be, and what you could save
- What someone in your field earns
- What you could spend and save
- How it compares with today
Take-home in El Salvador
$277/mo
vs $1,200 in your country
Cost of living
$115
vs $800 in your country
Potential savings
$162
more than in your country
Standard of living
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Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary in El Salvador?
The average salary in El Salvador is $537 a month before tax, or $452 take-home after tax and social contributions. Over a year that's $6,444 before tax and $5,424 after.
What are the highest-paying jobs in El Salvador?
The highest-paying jobs in El Salvador are in professional, IT, and healthcare. Take-home pay in these industries averages around $710 a month (about $10,140 gross a year), roughly 57% above the national average.
What is a good salary in El Salvador?
A good salary in El Salvador is generally one above the national average — more than $452 take-home a month, or $6,444 gross a year. But a lot depends on your spending, where you live, and your financial goals.
What salary do you need to live comfortably in El Salvador?
A typical person in El Salvador spends about $313 a month, while the average take-home pay is $452. How much you need to live comfortably depends on the city, your family situation, and how you usually spend. See the cost of living in El Salvador for the full picture.
What are the lowest-paying jobs in El Salvador?
Agriculture is the lowest-paying industry in El Salvador. Pay there averages around $239 a month take-home (about $3,408 gross a year). For comparison, the highest-paying industries pay about 3 times more.
Is El Salvador a high-salary country?
Moderately. By average after-tax pay, El Salvador is ahead of 34% of countries worldwide and ranks 24th out of 27 countries in Latin America.
Where to live?
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Living in El Salvador
See the full country overview