Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecuador and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecuador: $897 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Ecuador
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Ecuador Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇪🇨 Ecuador

$897

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ecuador and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in Ecuador versus $1,843 in Italy.

Ecuador $897
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,406 in Ecuador versus $2,816 in Italy.

Ecuador $1,406
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,915 in Ecuador versus $3,788 in Italy.

Ecuador $1,915
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $558–$1,235 in Ecuador. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Ecuador costs about 51% less than in Italy on average.

Ecuador (34% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 $3.45

$20.46 €18.38

-83.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.58 $34.58

$79.5 €71.4

-56.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 $7.13

$11.15 €10.02

-36.05%

Cappuccino

$2.67 $2.67

$2.04 €1.83

30.88%

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

$1.02 $1.02

$3.10 €2.79

-67.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.40 €1.26

-44.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$5.51 €4.95

-63.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$5.74 €5.16

-30.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.57 €1.41

-31.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.38 €2.14

-22.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.90 €2.60

-49.66%

Eggs

$2.07 $2.07

$4.07 €3.66

-49.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$17.44 €15.67

-64.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$12.56 €11.28

-57.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.71 $7.71

$20.17 €18.12

-61.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.58 €2.32

-23.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.19 €1.97

-52.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.68 €2.41

-50.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$3.27 €2.94

-62.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.90 €1.71

-38.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.82 €1.63

-45.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.57 €1.41

-51.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.55 €0.49

96.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 $5.93

$6.69 €6.01

-11.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$7.99 €7.18

23.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.77 €1.59

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.35 €2.11

31.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.91 €1.72

-82.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.67 $20.67

$43.44 €39.03

-52.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$5.62 €5.05

-73.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.71 €1.54

-9.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.91 $9.91

$33.64 €30.22

-70.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$2.03 €1.82

-58.62%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$35.3K €31.7K

-35.46%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$36.7K €33.0K

-16.10%

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

$44.22 $44.22

$227 €204

-80.48%

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

$13.37 $13.37

$11.59 €10.41

15.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 $28.60

$30.38 €27.30

-5.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.52 $32.52

$51.8 €46.52

-37.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 $15.40

$23.70 €21.29

-35.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 $6.93

$10.60 €9.53

-34.62%

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

$391 $391

$568 €510

-31.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,017 $6,017

$11.5K €10.4K

-47.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 $63.7

$90.5 €81.3

-29.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.09 $45.09

$38.55 €34.64

16.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$103 €92.2

2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 $79.5

$131 €118

-39.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 $418

$826 €742

-49.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 $299

$646 €581

-53.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 $643

$1,400 €1,258

-54.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 $535

$1,054 €947

-49.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,502 $1,502

$3,662 €3,290

-58.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$823 $823

$2,301 €2,068

-64.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$531 $531

$1,886 €1,695

-71.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.34

3.56

190.45%

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

Last update for Ecuador: October 24, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ecuador

$299 33.4%

Italy

$646 35.1% 116% $347

Groceries & Markets

Ecuador

$195 21.8%

Italy

$348 18.9% 78.3% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Ecuador

$132 14.7%

Italy

$163 8.9% 23.7% $31

Eating Out

Ecuador

$106 11.9%

Italy

$279 15.1% 162% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecuador

$86 9.6%

Italy

$269 14.6% 212% $182

Sport & Entertainment

Ecuador

$46 5.2%

Italy

$73 4% 57.4% $27

Getting Around

Ecuador

$31 3.5%

Italy

$65 3.5% 109% $34

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $382 in Ecuador, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $548 in Quito vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $513 in Ecuador, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 91% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 78% more in Italy.

Public transport is 95% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 3.7 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ecuador

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

6 h ahead of Ecuador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,938,986

58,850,717

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ecuador Italy 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ecuador
Italy

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

Ecuador vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $897 per month in Ecuador and $1,843 in Italy, there’s a 106% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Ecuador: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $382 in Ecuador. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Ecuador wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.