Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Babahoyo and Cuenca, Ecuador

Name: Cuenca
Address: Cuenca, EC

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $797 a month against $1,007 in Cuenca, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
Learn more

Babahoyo Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
Learn more

Cuenca Living Index

Jump to prices

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$797

/mo nomad

Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Babahoyo and in Cuenca

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Babahoyo and in Cuenca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $797 in Babahoyo versus $1,007 in Cuenca.

Babahoyo $797
Cuenca $1,007

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,299 in Babahoyo versus $1,488 in Cuenca.

Babahoyo $1,299
Cuenca $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,801 in Babahoyo versus $1,969 in Cuenca.

Babahoyo $1,801
Cuenca $1,969

Living in Babahoyo costs roughly 21% less than in Cuenca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Babahoyo 41% lower, Cuenca 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 $3.35

$3.59 $3.59

-6.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.80 $37.80

$30.39 $30.39

24.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 $6.68

$7.93 $7.93

-15.76%

Cappuccino

$2.87 $2.87

$2.79 $2.79

2.87%

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

$0.83 $0.83

$0.76 $0.76

9.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 $0.82

$0.72 $0.72

13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.99 $1.99

42.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.27 $3.27

6.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.05 $1.05

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.17 $2.17

-20.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.93 $1.93

-19.69%

Eggs

$1.94 $1.94

$2.18 $2.18

-11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 $6.64

$6.76 $6.76

-1.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$6.21 $6.21

-22.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$7.30 $7.30

-0.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.02 $2.02

5.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.06 $1.06

6.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.40 $1.40

-2.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.40 $1.40

-22.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.53 $1.53

-8.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.07 $1.07

2.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 $0.78

$0.74 $0.74

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.09 $1.09

-6.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.82 $5.82

$5.22 $5.22

11.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$9.89 $9.89

-25.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.50 $1.50

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.06 $3.06

-6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 $0.30

$0.37 $0.37

-18.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.31 $24.31

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.36 $1.36

11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.45 $10.45

$11.08 $11.08

-5.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$0.86 $0.86

-16.28%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$22.8K $22.8K

-0.48%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$30.8K $30.8K

10.77%

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

$33.73 $33.73

$40.34 $40.34

-16.39%

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

$12.14 $12.14

$13.76 $13.76

-11.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.59 $26.59

$26.36 $26.36

0.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.18 $29.18

$29.25 $29.25

-0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.29 $16.29

$5.13 $5.13

217.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 $7.88

$7.21 $7.21

9.29%

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

$299 $299

$229 $229

30.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,114 $5,114

$6,887 $6,887

-25.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.4 $60.4

$67.8 $67.8

-10.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$46.82 $46.82

6.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 $93.3

$120 $120

-22.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 $67.1

$71.5 $71.5

-6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 $395

$541 $541

-27.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 $256

$396 $396

-35.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 $772

$731 $731

5.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 $504

$583 $583

-13.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,244 $1,244

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 $924

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$544 $544

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.09

11.16

-9.59%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Babahoyo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cuenca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Babahoyo

$256 32.1%

Cuenca

$396 39.4% 55.1% $141

Groceries & Markets

Babahoyo

$185 23.2%

Cuenca

$207 20.6% 12% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Babahoyo

$122 15.3%

Cuenca

$138 13.7% 13.2% $16

Eating Out

Babahoyo

$109 13.7%

Cuenca

$108 10.8% 0.6% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Babahoyo

$72 9.1%

Cuenca

$80 8% 11% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Babahoyo

$45 5.6%

Cuenca

$44 4.3% 2.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Babahoyo

$8.3 * 1%

Cuenca

$33 3.3% 294% $24

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 $395 in Babahoyo and $541 in Cuenca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Babahoyo vs $30 in Cuenca. Groceries flip the comparison at $185 vs $207, with Babahoyo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

Same time as Babahoyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,164

495,776

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Babahoyo Cuenca 140 km

From you

Babahoyo
Cuenca

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

Babahoyo vs Cuenca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Cuenca. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,196 in Babahoyo and $1,510 in Cuenca to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $395 in Babahoyo versus $541 in Cuenca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $299 in Babahoyo versus $229 in Cuenca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuenca – a meal for two runs $30 versus $38 in Babahoyo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.