Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca, Ecuador and Bahia de Caraquez

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez: $873 a month against $1,006 in Cuenca, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cuenca outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
Learn more

Cuenca Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Bahia de Caraquez
Learn more

Bahia de Caraquez Living Index

Jump to prices

Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,006

/mo nomad

Bahia de Caraquez

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cuenca and in Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,006 per month in Cuenca vs $873 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Cuenca $1,006
Bahia de Caraquez $873

A couple spends around $1,509 per month in Cuenca vs $1,437 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Cuenca $1,509
Bahia de Caraquez $1,437

A family of three spends $2,012 per month in Cuenca vs $2,002 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Cuenca $2,012
Bahia de Caraquez $2,002

Cuenca costs about 15% more than Bahia de Caraquez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cuenca and Bahia de Caraquez are more affordable than the global median – Cuenca 26% lower, Bahia de Caraquez 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 $3.46

$3.97 $3.97

-12.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.28 $30.28

$53.2 $53.2

-43.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 $7.78

$8.82 $8.82

-11.79%

Cappuccino

$2.74 $2.74

$2.79 $2.79

-1.79%

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

$0.77 $0.77

$0.92 $0.92

-16.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 $0.73

$0.68 $0.68

7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.98 $2.98

-32.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.20 $4.20

-17.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.21 $1.21

-16.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.01 $2.01

7.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.41 $1.41

36.88%

Eggs

$2.19 $2.19

$2.08 $2.08

5.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$6.89 $6.89

10.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.26 $6.26

$5.21 $5.21

20.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$8.99 $8.99

-15.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.52 $1.52

26.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.16 $1.16

-6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.02 $1.02

39.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.95 $0.95

46.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.27 $1.27

17.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.92 $0.92

18.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.83 $0.83

-4.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$0.93 $0.93

15.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 $5.19

$5.83 $5.83

-10.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 $10.04

$11.84 $11.84

-15.20%

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

$2.19 $2.19

33.79%

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

$2.71 $2.71

-77.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.72 $1.72

-34.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.85 $11.85

-8.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.84 $0.84

-3.57%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$22.5K $22.5K

1.23%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$31.1K $31.1K

-2.81%

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

$39.20 $39.20

$33.68 $33.68

16.39%

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

$13.14 $13.14

$15.13 $15.13

-13.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.14 $27.14

$26.40 $26.40

2.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.14 $29.14

$29.48 $29.48

-1.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.37 $5.37

$16.45 $16.45

-67.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 $7.45

$7.64 $7.64

-2.49%

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

$228 $228

$375 $375

-39.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,930 $5,930

$5,635 $5,635

5.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 $67.9

$66.0 $66.0

2.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$41.24 $41.24

13.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

-0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 $70.9

$92.4 $92.4

-23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 $546

$414 $414

31.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 $402

$274 $274

47.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 $747

$834 $834

-10.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$636 $636

$509 $509

25.13%

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

10.05

11.04%

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

Last update for Cuenca: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bahia de Caraquez: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuenca

$402 40%

Bahia de Caraquez

$274 31.3% 32% $129

Groceries & Markets

Cuenca

$210 20.9%

Bahia de Caraquez

$199 22.8% 5.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cuenca

$140 13.9%

Bahia de Caraquez

$146 16.8% 4.6% $6.4

Eating Out

Cuenca

$107 10.6%

Bahia de Caraquez

$121 13.9% 13.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuenca

$79 7.9%

Bahia de Caraquez

$75 8.6% 5.3% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cuenca

$44 4.4%

Bahia de Caraquez

$45 5.1% 1.7% $0.7

Getting Around

Cuenca

$24 2.3%

Bahia de Caraquez

$13 * 1.5% 46.3% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $546 in Cuenca versus $414 in Bahia de Caraquez. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cuenca versus $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Cuenca vs $199 in Bahia de Caraquez – so Bahia de Caraquez wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🇪🇨 Bahia de Caraquez

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

Same time as Cuenca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,776

24,963

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cuenca Bahia de Caraquez 300 km

From you

Cuenca
Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,006 in Cuenca, $873 in Bahia de Caraquez – Bahia de Caraquez comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,510 per month in Cuenca and $1,309 in Bahia de Caraquez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $546 in Cuenca.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cuenca and $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Cuenca, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,006 in Cuenca and $873 in Bahia de Caraquez, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bahia de Caraquez costs $873 versus $1,006 in Cuenca. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.