Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,661 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index

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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,661

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Quito actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,661 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $979 in Quito, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,661
Quito $979

A couple spends around $2,454 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,607 in Quito, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,454
Quito $1,607

A family of three spends $3,248 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,234 in Quito, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,248
Quito $2,234

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur costs about 70% more than Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sits 24% above the global median, while Quito is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MX$188

$6.14 $6.14

67.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.6 MX$920

$53.9 $53.9

-6.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 MX$185

$7.81 $7.81

29.83%

Cappuccino

$3.53 MX$64.2

$3.42 $3.42

3.22%

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

$1.49 MX$27.18

$1.44 $1.44

3.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$17.99

$1.14 $1.14

-13.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 MX$45.60

$3.48 $3.48

-27.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$81.3

$5.89 $5.89

-24.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.19

$1.14 $1.14

55.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 MX$57.8

$1.54 $1.54

106.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 MX$46.61

$1.51 $1.51

69.54%

Eggs

$2.35 MX$42.81

$2.16 $2.16

8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 MX$211

$6.40 $6.40

81.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 MX$184

$5.48 $5.48

84.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 MX$249

$7.81 $7.81

75.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$49.60

$2.33 $2.33

17.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.14

$1.24 $1.24

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 MX$28.97

$1.31 $1.31

21.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.52

$1.14 $1.14

51.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 MX$22.88

$1.21 $1.21

4.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 MX$33.58

$1.02 $1.02

81.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 MX$50.5

$0.93 $0.93

197.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.17

$1.05 $1.05

20.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.06 MX$92.1

$6.02 $6.02

-15.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 MX$204

$9.93 $9.93

12.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.11

$1.59 $1.59

-6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 MX$64.2

$3.08 $3.08

14.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$15.83

$0.37 $0.37

135.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 MX$967

$20.95 $20.95

153.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MX$79.4

$1.54 $1.54

183.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 MX$55.6

$1.53 $1.53

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 MX$193

$10.01 $10.01

5.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$0.87 $0.87

67.82%

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

$21.5K MX$390.4K

$21.0K $21.0K

2.28%

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

$24.4K MX$443.9K

$28.6K $28.6K

-14.53%

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

$86.9 MX$1,580

$28.97 $28.97

199.79%

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

$25.56 MX$465

$17.57 $17.57

45.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.06 MX$583

$28.14 $28.14

13.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.89 MX$835

$46.48 $46.48

-1.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.59 MX$557

$17.70 $17.70

72.82%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MX$77.1

$6.38 $6.38

-33.54%

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

$231 MX$4,207

$746 $746

-69.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,373 MX$152.3K

$9,015 $9,015

-7.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MX$1,323

$68.8 $68.8

5.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 MX$970

$50.4 $50.4

5.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 MX$1,768

$117 $117

-17.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.5 MX$1,229

$109 $109

-38.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 MX$21.8K

$478 $478

150.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 MX$13.8K

$313 $313

142.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 MX$46.3K

$967 $967

162.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 MX$22.1K

$549 $549

121.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,814 MX$69.4K

$1,763 $1,763

116.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,196 MX$39.9K

$720 $720

205.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.8K

$597 $597

26.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

10.12

14.62%

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

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 5, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$758 45.8%

Quito

$313 31.8% 58.7% $445

Groceries & Markets

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$304 18.4%

Quito

$198 20.1% 35.1% $107

Eating Out

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$187 11.3%

Quito

$153 15.5% 18% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$144 8.7%

Quito

$75 7.6% 48.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$131 7.9%

Quito

$156 15.8% 18.9% $25

Getting Around

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$76 4.6%

Quito

$32 3.2% 58.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$54 3.3%

Quito

$59 6% 8.9% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,197 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $478 in Quito. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $54.0 in Quito. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $198 in Quito – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

01:56 1:56 AM

2 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Quito 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,491 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $1,468 in Quito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quito, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 154% less in Quito. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $231 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $746 in Quito. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,661. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quito – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Quito. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.