Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca, Ecuador and Babahoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $823 a month against $1,006 in Cuenca, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
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Babahoyo Living Index

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Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,006

/mo nomad

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cuenca and in Babahoyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,006 in Cuenca versus $823 in Babahoyo.

Cuenca $1,006
Babahoyo $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,509 in Cuenca versus $1,324 in Babahoyo.

Cuenca $1,509
Babahoyo $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,012 in Cuenca versus $1,826 in Babahoyo.

Cuenca $2,012
Babahoyo $1,826

Living in Cuenca is roughly 22% more expensive than in Babahoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuenca 26% lower, Babahoyo 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 $3.46

$3.68 $3.68

-5.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.28 $30.28

$40.76 $40.76

-25.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 $7.78

$6.40 $6.40

21.56%

Cappuccino

$2.74 $2.74

$2.78 $2.78

-1.44%

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

$0.77 $0.77

$0.84 $0.84

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 $0.73

$0.70 $0.70

4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.46 $2.46

-17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.92 $3.92

-11.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.05 $1.05

-3.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.78 $1.78

21.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.46 $1.46

32.19%

Eggs

$2.19 $2.19

$2.16 $2.16

1.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$6.35 $6.35

20.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.26 $6.26

$5.33 $5.33

17.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$7.26 $7.26

4.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.81 $1.81

6.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.13 $1.13

-4.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.26 $1.26

12.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.08 $1.08

28.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.24 $1.24

20.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.08 $1.08

0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.76 $0.76

3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.00 $1.00

7.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 $5.19

$5.38 $5.38

-3.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 $10.04

$8.21 $8.21

22.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.54 $1.54

-1.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.98 $2.98

-1.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.34 $0.34

5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.89 $15.89

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.39 $1.39

-55.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.33 $1.33

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.81 $10.81

$9.97 $9.97

8.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.77 $0.77

5.19%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$22.9K $22.9K

-0.35%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

0.05%

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

$39.20 $39.20

$33.57 $33.57

16.77%

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

$13.14 $13.14

$13.32 $13.32

-1.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.14 $27.14

$26.39 $26.39

2.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.14 $29.14

$29.75 $29.75

-2.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.37 $5.37

$16.19 $16.19

-66.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 $7.45

$6.80 $6.80

9.56%

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

$228 $228

$300 $300

-23.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,930 $5,930

$5,662 $5,662

4.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 $67.9

$59.1 $59.1

14.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$45.45 $45.45

2.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$106 $106

18.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 $70.9

$72.0 $72.0

-1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 $546

$421 $421

29.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 $402

$274 $274

47.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 $747

$830 $830

-9.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$636 $636

$496 $496

28.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,243 $1,243

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$923 $923

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$560 $560

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

10.09

10.60%

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

Last update for Cuenca: October 31, 2026

Last update for Babahoyo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuenca

$402 40%

Babahoyo

$274 33.3% 32% $129

Groceries & Markets

Cuenca

$210 20.9%

Babahoyo

$188 22.8% 10.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cuenca

$140 13.9%

Babahoyo

$127 15.5% 9.1% $13

Eating Out

Cuenca

$107 10.6%

Babahoyo

$108 13.2% 1.3% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuenca

$79 7.9%

Babahoyo

$73 8.9% 7.8% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Cuenca

$44 4.4%

Babahoyo

$43 5.3% 1.6% $0.7

Getting Around

Cuenca

$24 2.3%

Babahoyo

$9.4 * 1.1% 60.1% $14

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 $546 in Cuenca and $421 in Babahoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Cuenca vs $41 in Babahoyo. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $188, with Babahoyo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

Same time as Cuenca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,776

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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Highest

Between locations

Cuenca Babahoyo 140 km

From you

Cuenca
Babahoyo

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

Cuenca vs Babahoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 18% 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 $1,510 in Cuenca and $1,234 in Babahoyo 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: $546 in Cuenca versus $421 in Babahoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $228 in Cuenca versus $300 in Babahoyo. 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 $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.