Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esmeraldas and Vilcabamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $857 a month against $944 in Vilcabamba, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vilcabamba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
Learn more

Vilcabamba Living Index

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Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$857

/mo nomad

Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Esmeraldas and in Vilcabamba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Esmeraldas versus $944 in Vilcabamba.

Esmeraldas $857
Vilcabamba $944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Esmeraldas versus $1,411 in Vilcabamba.

Esmeraldas $1,421
Vilcabamba $1,411

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,985 in Esmeraldas versus $1,878 in Vilcabamba.

Esmeraldas $1,985
Vilcabamba $1,878

Living in Esmeraldas costs roughly 9% less than in Vilcabamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Esmeraldas 37% lower, Vilcabamba 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 $2.92

$3.40 $3.40

-14.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 $54.8

$29.51 $29.51

85.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.89 $3.89

$7.76 $7.76

-49.87%

Cappuccino

$3.44 $3.44

$2.12 $2.12

62.26%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$1.02 $1.02

-51.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.03 $1.03

-50.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.03 $2.03

77.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.55 $3.55

73.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.04 $1.04

-5.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.73 $1.73

-8.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.53 $1.53

-1.31%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.50 $2.50

-13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$8.12 $8.12

-19.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$5.26 $5.26

4.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$7.17 $7.17

9.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.83 $1.83

25.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.14 $1.14

7.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.28 $1.28

3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.12 $1.12

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.94 $0.94

34.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.79 $0.79

-37.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.99 $0.99

4.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 $5.97

$5.10 $5.10

17.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 $8.29

$10.97 $10.97

-24.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.60 $1.60

-5.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.77 $2.77

11.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.42 $1.42

4.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.33 $1.33

-7.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.12 $10.12

$9.81 $9.81

3.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$0.66 $0.66

28.79%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$23.0K $23.0K

1.23%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$30.0K $30.0K

-1.73%

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

$28.90 $28.90

$34.74 $34.74

-16.81%

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

$18.12 $18.12

$13.23 $13.23

36.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.69 $28.69

$35.80 $35.80

-19.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 $30.26

$30.33 $30.33

-0.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.45 $16.45

$16.56 $16.56

-0.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 $6.47

$6.78 $6.78

-4.57%

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

$757 $757

$301 $301

151.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,921 $8,921

$5,659 $5,659

57.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$60.1 $60.1

16.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$45.32 $45.32

11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$108 $108

6.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$72.5 $72.5

46.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 $420

$384 $384

9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$378 $378

-27.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 $811

$628 $628

29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 $505

$585 $585

-13.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,287 $1,287

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,093 $1,093

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 $442

$454 $454

-2.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.09

0.30%

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

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 31, 2026

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Esmeraldas

$274 31.9%

Vilcabamba

$378 40.1% 38.2% $105

Groceries & Markets

Esmeraldas

$191 22.3%

Vilcabamba

$198 21% 3.6% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Esmeraldas

$154 18%

Vilcabamba

$129 13.7% 16.3% $25

Eating Out

Esmeraldas

$111 12.9%

Vilcabamba

$101 10.7% 8.4% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esmeraldas

$76 8.8%

Vilcabamba

$84 8.9% 10.6% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Esmeraldas

$43 5%

Vilcabamba

$44 4.7% 1.6% $0.7

Getting Around

Esmeraldas

$9 * 1.1%

Vilcabamba

$9.4 * 1% 5.1% $0.5

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 $420 in Esmeraldas and $384 in Vilcabamba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilcabamba pays 3% 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: $55 in Esmeraldas vs $30 in Vilcabamba. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $198, with Esmeraldas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

Same time as Esmeraldas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,216

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Esmeraldas Vilcabamba 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Esmeraldas
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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

Esmeraldas vs Vilcabamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Esmeraldas. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $420 in Esmeraldas versus $384 in Vilcabamba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Vilcabamba. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $857 per month in Esmeraldas versus $944 in Vilcabamba – Esmeraldas is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Esmeraldas wins on affordability, Vilcabamba on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.