Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca and St. Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuenca: $989 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 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
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index

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Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$989

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cuenca and in St. Thomas

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

A single person spends $989 per month in Cuenca vs $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Cuenca $989
St. Thomas $2,432

A couple spends around $1,482 per month in Cuenca vs $3,274 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Cuenca $1,482
St. Thomas $3,274

A family of three spends $1,976 per month in Cuenca vs $4,117 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Cuenca $1,976
St. Thomas $4,117

Cuenca is about 59% cheaper than St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cuenca sits 27% below the global median, while St. Thomas is 80% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 $3.59

$21.05 CA$29.76

-82.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.50 $29.50

$62.6 CA$88.5

-52.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.79 $7.79

$11.38 CA$16.09

-31.55%

Cappuccino

$2.65 $2.65

$3.32 CA$4.69

-20.18%

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

$0.83 $0.83

$2.19 CA$3.10

-62.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.59 CA$2.24

-55.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$5.02 CA$7.10

-59.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$5.89 CA$8.33

-46.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.08 CA$2.95

-51.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.61 CA$3.69

-16.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.73 CA$5.27

-49.87%

Eggs

$2.27 $2.27

$3.09 CA$4.37

-26.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$9.94 CA$14.05

-28.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$15.43 CA$21.81

-61.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 $7.47

$19.20 CA$27.15

-61.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.86 CA$5.46

-47.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.24 CA$1.75

-12.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$3.49 CA$4.94

-61.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$3.97 CA$5.61

-64.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.36 CA$4.76

-54.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$3.07 CA$4.34

-64.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 $0.75

$2.85 CA$4.03

-73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.46 CA$2.06

-22.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 $5.29

$10.98 CA$15.52

-51.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$12.74 CA$18.01

-20.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.40 CA$3.39

-37.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.78 CA$3.93

7.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$2.25 CA$3.18

-84.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.94 $15.94

$58.7 CA$82.9

-72.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.30 CA$3.26

-40.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.62 CA$2.29

-33.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.83 $10.83

$21.70 CA$30.68

-50.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.13 CA$1.59

-23.01%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

-12.57%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$19.7K CA$27.9K

50.38%

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

$39.83 $39.83

$123 CA$174

-67.72%

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

$13.33 $13.33

$42.76 CA$60.5

-68.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 $26.61

$55.5 CA$78.4

-52.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.02 $30.02

$44.43 CA$62.8

-32.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.18 $5.18

$20.32 CA$28.72

-74.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 $7.22

$10.33 CA$14.61

-30.11%

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

$227 $227

$399 CA$564

-43.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,764 $6,764

$16.7K CA$23.5K

-59.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 $67.8

$53.5 CA$75.7

26.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.84 $46.84

$35.84 CA$50.7

30.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$82.2 CA$116

52.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.5 $71.5

$90.6 CA$128

-21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 $529

$1,148 CA$1,622

-53.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 $386

$1,267 CA$1,792

-69.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 $709

$1,794 CA$2,537

-60.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 $608

$1,470 CA$2,078

-58.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 $1,221

$4,187 CA$5,919

-70.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$857 $857

$3,561 CA$5,034

-75.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$561 $561

$2,970 CA$4,198

-81.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

4.99

123.65%

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

Last update for Cuenca: October 12, 2026

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuenca

$386 39.1%

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1% 228% $881

Groceries & Markets

Cuenca

$208 21%

St. Thomas

$387 15.9% 86.6% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Cuenca

$140 14.2%

St. Thomas

$118 4.9% 15.7% $22

Eating Out

Cuenca

$107 10.8%

St. Thomas

$294 12.1% 176% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuenca

$80 8.1%

St. Thomas

$222 9.1% 178% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Cuenca

$44 4.5%

St. Thomas

$65 2.7% 46.4% $21

Getting Around

Cuenca

$24 2.4%

St. Thomas

$78 3.2% 224% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Cuenca versus $1,148 in St. Thomas. 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 430% higher in St. Thomas, 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 $30.00 in Cuenca versus $63.0 in St. Thomas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $387 – making Cuenca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

1 h ahead of Cuenca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,776

38,909

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cuenca St. Thomas 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuenca
St. Thomas

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 St. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Thomas is pricier by about 146%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,483 per month in Cuenca and $3,648 in St. Thomas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Cuenca and $63.0 in St. Thomas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $989 in Cuenca and $2,432 in St. Thomas. That's a gap of about 146%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuenca, where all-in costs run around $989, than in St. Thomas at $2,432. In Cuenca it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Thomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cuenca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St. Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.