Real Estate
Buying in San Salvador.
Property prices in San Salvador — Escalón, Santa Tecla, Santa Elena and Zona Rosa — with price per square metre, rental yields and which areas foreigners buy in.
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The short answer
Escalón and Santa Elena are where foreign buyers concentrate. Apartments run $1,400–2,400 per square metre; a good three-bed in Escalón is $220,000–400,000. Santa Tecla is 20–30% cheaper for a similar standard.
The capital is the least glamorous and most liquid part of the Salvadoran property market — the one place where there are enough comparable sales to value anything properly.
The areas
Escalón. Leafy, walkable, restaurants, older low-rise apartment stock plus new towers. $1,600–2,400 per m².
Santa Elena. Gated, modern, near the international schools. Where corporate families live. $1,500–2,200 per m².
Santa Tecla. Twenty minutes west, cooler, a real town rather than a suburb. $1,100–1,700 per m² and the best value in the metro area.
Zona Rosa. Hotels and offices. Apartments here are investment products, not homes.
What it costs
- Three-bed apartment, Escalón: $220,000–400,000
- Three-bed house, Santa Elena: $280,000–550,000
- Two-bed apartment, Santa Tecla: $120,000–190,000
Why buy here rather than the coast
Tenants. The coastal market depends on tourism and pays in short lets with a rainy-season hole in the middle. The capital has corporate, diplomatic and professional tenants on twelve-month contracts, and the yield is steadier even though it is lower.
See the buying guide for the legal process.
Questions people actually ask
Which area of San Salvador should a foreigner buy in?
Escalón for walkability and restaurants, Santa Elena for gated family housing near the international schools, Santa Tecla for value.
What rental yield does San Salvador offer?
Long lets to corporate and diplomatic tenants gross 5–7%. Yields are lower than the coast but the vacancy risk is far lower too.
Last checked September 12, 2026. Rules and prices change — if you find something out of date, tell us.
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