A fishing-and-surf village of about 3,000 people on El Salvador's Pacific coast, El Zonte sits some 42km by road southwest of San Salvador. In 2019 an anonymous bitcoin donor funded local nonprofits on condition the village build a bitcoin-based economy, a pilot Nayib Bukele cited as an inspiration when El Salvador became the first country to make bitcoin legal tender in September 2021. Lawmakers stripped bitcoin of that status in early 2025 as a condition of a $1.4bn IMF loan, though many El Zonte businesses still take it voluntarily. Average land prices here rose 134.8% between 2015 and 2024 as bitcoin-drawn buyers moved in.
Nights sit around 26°C and afternoons around 31°C.
El Zonte barely changes season: afternoons sit around 32°C and nights around 26°C most of the year.
There is a clear wet season from May – October, peaking in September with around 331 mm. The dry months run from December – March.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: May averages an AQI of 74, while December clears to 46.
Days stretch to about 12.8 hours of light in June and shrink to 11.2 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
For what you're after, the best months in El Zonte are November – April. Expect fast internet (123 Mbps) and a high cost of living (about €1600 a month).
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