Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Babahoyo and Vilcabamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $823 a month against $944 in Vilcabamba, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
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Babahoyo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
Learn more

Vilcabamba Living Index

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Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$823

/mo nomad

Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Babahoyo and in Vilcabamba

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 Vilcabamba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $823 in Babahoyo versus $944 in Vilcabamba.

Babahoyo $823
Vilcabamba $944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,324 in Babahoyo versus $1,411 in Vilcabamba.

Babahoyo $1,324
Vilcabamba $1,411

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,826 in Babahoyo versus $1,878 in Vilcabamba.

Babahoyo $1,826
Vilcabamba $1,878

Living in Babahoyo costs roughly 13% less than in Vilcabamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Babahoyo 39% lower, Vilcabamba 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 $3.68

$3.40 $3.40

8.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.76 $40.76

$29.51 $29.51

38.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.40 $6.40

$7.76 $7.76

-17.53%

Cappuccino

$2.78 $2.78

$2.12 $2.12

31.13%

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

$0.84 $0.84

$1.02 $1.02

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.03 $1.03

-32.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.03 $2.03

21.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.55 $3.55

10.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.04 $1.04

0.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.73 $1.73

2.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.53 $1.53

-4.58%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.50 $2.50

-13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$8.12 $8.12

-21.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$5.26 $5.26

1.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 $7.26

$7.17 $7.17

1.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.83 $1.83

-1.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.14 $1.14

-0.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.28 $1.28

-1.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.12 $1.12

-3.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.94 $0.94

31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.07 $1.07

0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 $0.76

$0.79 $0.79

-3.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.99 $0.99

1.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 $5.38

$5.10 $5.10

5.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 $8.21

$10.97 $10.97

-25.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.60 $1.60

-3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.77 $2.77

7.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.42 $1.42

-2.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 $1.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.97 $9.97

$9.81 $9.81

1.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$0.66 $0.66

16.67%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$23.0K $23.0K

-0.49%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$30.0K $30.0K

0.59%

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

$33.57 $33.57

$34.74 $34.74

-3.37%

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

$13.32 $13.32

$13.23 $13.23

0.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 $26.39

$35.80 $35.80

-26.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 $29.75

$30.33 $30.33

-1.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.19 $16.19

$16.56 $16.56

-2.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 $6.80

$6.78 $6.78

0.29%

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

$300 $300

$301 $301

-0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,662 $5,662

$5,659 $5,659

0.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$60.1 $60.1

-1.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.45 $45.45

$45.32 $45.32

0.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$108 $108

-2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 $72.0

$72.5 $72.5

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 $421

$384 $384

9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$378 $378

-27.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 $830

$628 $628

32.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$496 $496

$585 $585

-15.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,287 $1,287

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,093 $1,093

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$454 $454

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.09

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

Last update for Babahoyo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Babahoyo

$274 33.3%

Vilcabamba

$378 40.1% 38.3% $105

Groceries & Markets

Babahoyo

$188 22.8%

Vilcabamba

$198 21% 5.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Babahoyo

$127 15.5%

Vilcabamba

$129 13.7% 1.4% $1.7

Eating Out

Babahoyo

$108 13.2%

Vilcabamba

$101 10.7% 6.5% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Babahoyo

$73 8.9%

Vilcabamba

$84 8.9% 14.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Babahoyo

$43 5.3%

Vilcabamba

$44 4.7% 1.2% $0.5

Getting Around

Babahoyo

$9.4 * 1.1%

Vilcabamba

$9.4 * 1% 0.5% $0

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 $421 in Babahoyo and $384 in Vilcabamba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $41 in Babahoyo vs $30 in Vilcabamba. Groceries flip the comparison at $188 vs $198, with Babahoyo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

Same time as Babahoyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,164

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Babahoyo Vilcabamba 280 km

From you

Babahoyo
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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 Vilcabamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Vilcabamba. 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 $1,234 in Babahoyo and $1,416 in Vilcabamba 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: $421 in Babahoyo versus $384 in Vilcabamba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $300 in Babahoyo versus $301 in Vilcabamba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Vilcabamba – a meal for two runs $30 versus $41 in Babahoyo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Babahoyo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.