Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ensenada and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,077 in Ensenada, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Ensenada despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ensenada
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Ensenada Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
Learn more

Quito Living Index

Jump to prices

Ensenada

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ensenada 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 Ensenada and in Quito actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,077 in Ensenada versus $979 in Quito.

Ensenada $1,077
Quito $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,707 in Ensenada versus $1,607 in Quito.

Ensenada $1,707
Quito $1,607

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,336 in Ensenada versus $2,234 in Quito.

Ensenada $2,336
Quito $2,234

Living in Ensenada is roughly 10% more expensive than in Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ensenada 20% lower, Quito 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 MX$218

$6.14 $6.14

95.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.40 MX$626

$53.9 $53.9

-36.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 MX$134

$7.81 $7.81

-5.51%

Cappuccino

$3.06 MX$55.6

$3.42 $3.42

-10.53%

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

$1.18 MX$21.51

$1.44 $1.44

-18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MX$12.55

$1.14 $1.14

-39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 MX$51.7

$3.48 $3.48

-18.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 MX$72.3

$5.89 $5.89

-32.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MX$32.00

$1.14 $1.14

54.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$47.86

$1.54 $1.54

70.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.11

$1.51 $1.51

13.25%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$49.57

$2.16 $2.16

26.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$155

$6.40 $6.40

33.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 MX$123

$5.48 $5.48

23.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 MX$189

$7.81 $7.81

33.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$39.40

$2.33 $2.33

-6.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MX$29.81

$1.24 $1.24

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.06

$1.31 $1.31

38.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.78

$1.14 $1.14

38.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 MX$24.50

$1.21 $1.21

11.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.41

$1.02 $1.02

80.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$26.84

$0.93 $0.93

59.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.89

$1.05 $1.05

-0.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$73.8

$6.02 $6.02

-32.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 MX$245

$9.93 $9.93

35.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$32.87

$1.59 $1.59

13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$48.58

$3.08 $3.08

-13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$15.81

$0.37 $0.37

135.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.92 MX$653

$20.95 $20.95

71.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 MX$54.0

$1.54 $1.54

92.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 MX$36.04

$1.53 $1.53

29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.57 MX$356

$10.01 $10.01

95.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.87

$0.87 $0.87

57.47%

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

$20.0K MX$364.0K

$21.0K $21.0K

-4.63%

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

$24.6K MX$447.3K

$28.6K $28.6K

-13.87%

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

$48.01 MX$873

$28.97 $28.97

65.72%

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

$32.03 MX$583

$17.57 $17.57

82.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.68 MX$485

$28.14 $28.14

-5.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.95 MX$563

$46.48 $46.48

-33.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.17 MX$203

$17.70 $17.70

-36.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 MX$84.5

$6.38 $6.38

-27.12%

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

$197 MX$3,582

$746 $746

-73.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,889 MX$88.9K

$9,015 $9,015

-45.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MX$985

$68.8 $68.8

-21.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 MX$803

$50.4 $50.4

-12.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,875

$117 $117

-12.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 MX$1,054

$109 $109

-46.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 MX$9,610

$478 $478

10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 MX$6,052

$313 $313

6.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 MX$18.3K

$967 $967

4.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 MX$11.8K

$549 $549

18.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,345 MX$24.5K

$1,763 $1,763

-23.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$687 MX$12.5K

$720 $720

-4.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$673 MX$12.2K

$597 $597

12.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.12

11.66%

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

Last update for Ensenada: October 6, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ensenada

$333 30.6%

Quito

$313 31.8% 5.9% $20

Groceries & Markets

Ensenada

$255 23.5%

Quito

$198 20.1% 22.6% $58

Eating Out

Ensenada

$184 16.9%

Quito

$153 15.5% 17% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ensenada

$117 10.7%

Quito

$156 15.8% 33.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ensenada

$107 9.8%

Quito

$75 7.6% 30% $32

Getting Around

Ensenada

$52 4.8%

Quito

$32 3.2% 39.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ensenada

$40 3.7%

Quito

$59 6% 47.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Ensenada and $478 in Quito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ensenada pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $34.00 in Ensenada vs $54.0 in Quito. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $198, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ensenada

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

04:05 4:05 AM

2 h ahead of Ensenada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

330,652

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 →

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Between locations

Ensenada Quito 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ensenada
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

Ensenada vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ensenada and Quito differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,077 vs $979 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Ensenada, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $528 in Ensenada versus $478 in Quito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,077 per month in Ensenada versus $979 in Quito – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Quito runs roughly 71% less than in Ensenada. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $979 in Quito versus $1,077 in Ensenada, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Ensenada. The gap between the two cities makes Quito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ensenada and Quito are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Ensenada. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.