Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $2,738 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,738

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burnaby and in Quito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,738 in Burnaby versus $978 in Quito.

Burnaby $2,738
Quito $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,928 in Burnaby versus $1,586 in Quito.

Burnaby $3,928
Quito $1,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,117 in Burnaby versus $2,194 in Quito.

Burnaby $5,117
Quito $2,194

Living in Burnaby is roughly 180% more expensive than in Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Burnaby is 103% above, Quito is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 CA$29.94

$6.08 $6.08

248.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 CA$118

$55.5 $55.5

50.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CA$12.64

$7.61 $7.61

17.48%

Cappuccino

$4.66 CA$6.59

$3.40 $3.40

37.06%

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

$2.30 CA$3.26

$1.37 $1.37

67.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 CA$2.38

$1.09 $1.09

54.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CA$11.95

$3.43 $3.43

146.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 CA$8.21

$6.06 $6.06

-4.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CA$3.25

$1.14 $1.14

101.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$1.60 $1.60

69.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$1.58 $1.58

123.42%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.36

$2.12 $2.12

45.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 CA$19.08

$6.58 $6.58

105.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.49 CA$19.08

$5.51 $5.51

144.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.16 CA$35.57

$7.65 $7.65

228.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 CA$6.30

$2.24 $2.24

99.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$1.19 $1.19

9.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 CA$6.38

$1.33 $1.33

239.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 CA$6.54

$1.13 $1.13

309.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$1.24 $1.24

126.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.90

$1.02 $1.02

240.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$0.92 $0.92

191.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$1.05 $1.05

100.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 CA$19.78

$6.16 $6.16

127.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 CA$19.03

$10.07 $10.07

33.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 CA$2.94

$1.58 $1.58

31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$3.09 $3.09

-26.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$0.36 $0.36

544.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 CA$112

$21.37 $21.37

272.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.05

$1.53 $1.53

87.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.13

$1.49 $1.49

0.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.37 CA$37.27

$9.84 $9.84

167.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$0.81 $0.81

60.49%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$21.3K $21.3K

29.81%

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

$18.7K CA$26.4K

$27.9K $27.9K

-33.11%

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

$120 CA$170

$28.75 $28.75

318.71%

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

$43.55 CA$61.6

$17.86 $17.86

143.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 CA$75.1

$28.20 $28.20

88.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.72 CA$42.01

$46.08 $46.08

-35.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 CA$14.61

$17.76 $17.76

-41.84%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CA$19.67

$6.34 $6.34

119.40%

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

$634 CA$897

$739 $739

-14.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$71.0 $71.0

-27.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 CA$73.0

$50.4 $50.4

2.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 CA$144

$114 $114

-10.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 CA$109

$107 $107

-27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 CA$2,302

$491 $491

231.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 CA$2,108

$309 $309

382.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 CA$3,469

$932 $932

163.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,187 CA$3,092

$540 $540

304.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,588 CA$9,313

$1,759 $1,759

274.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,530 CA$7,817

$715 $715

673.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 CA$4,445

$594 $594

429.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

10.12

-52.96%

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

Last update for Burnaby: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.5K 54.4%

Quito

$309 31.6% 79.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$425 15.5%

Quito

$198 20.3% 53.4% $227

Eating Out

Burnaby

$322 11.8%

Quito

$151 15.5% 53% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$217 7.9%

Quito

$75 7.7% 65.5% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$127 4.6%

Quito

$154 15.8% 21.3% $27

Getting Around

Burnaby

$99 3.6%

Quito

$32 3.3% 68% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$58 2.1%

Quito

$59 6% 2.1% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Burnaby and $491 in Quito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 430% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Burnaby vs $55.0 in Quito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $425 vs $198 per month, with Quito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

2 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burnaby Quito 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
Quito

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

Burnaby vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnaby and Quito differ by about 180% in total monthly costs ($2,738 vs $978 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 430% higher in Burnaby, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,628 in Burnaby versus $491 in Quito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Burnaby versus $739 in Quito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $978 in Quito versus $2,738 in Burnaby, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Burnaby. The gap between the two cities makes Quito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Burnaby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.