Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guayaquil and Babahoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $823 a month against $1,281 in Guayaquil, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Guayaquil
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Guayaquil Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
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Babahoyo Living Index

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Guayaquil

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,281

/mo nomad

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guayaquil and in Babahoyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,281 in Guayaquil versus $823 in Babahoyo.

Guayaquil $1,281
Babahoyo $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,944 in Guayaquil versus $1,324 in Babahoyo.

Guayaquil $1,944
Babahoyo $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,607 in Guayaquil versus $1,826 in Babahoyo.

Guayaquil $2,607
Babahoyo $1,826

Living in Guayaquil is roughly 56% more expensive than in Babahoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guayaquil 5% lower, Babahoyo 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.10 $4.10

$3.68 $3.68

11.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 $50.2

$40.76 $40.76

23.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 $8.92

$6.40 $6.40

39.37%

Cappuccino

$2.72 $2.72

$2.78 $2.78

-2.16%

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

$0.84 $0.84

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 $0.64

$0.70 $0.70

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.46 $2.46

22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 $4.35

$3.92 $3.92

10.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.05 $1.05

11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.78 $1.78

12.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.46 $1.46

-0.68%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$2.16 $2.16

-4.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$6.35 $6.35

6.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$5.33 $5.33

-4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 $9.45

$7.26 $7.26

30.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.81 $1.81

-15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.13 $1.13

4.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.26 $1.26

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.08 $1.08

-12.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.24 $1.24

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.08 $1.08

-15.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 $0.83

$0.76 $0.76

9.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.00 $1.00

-6.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$5.38 $5.38

9.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$8.21 $8.21

48.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.98 $2.98

-26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.34 $0.34

5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.28 $26.28

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.39 $1.39

102.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.33 $1.33

15.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.06 $12.06

$9.97 $9.97

20.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.77 $0.77

3.90%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$22.9K $22.9K

-0.97%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$30.2K $30.2K

1.83%

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

$130 $130

$33.57 $33.57

288.56%

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

$14.70 $14.70

$13.32 $13.32

10.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.68 $25.68

$26.39 $26.39

-2.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.56 $44.56

$29.75 $29.75

49.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.30 $27.30

$16.19 $16.19

68.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 $7.52

$6.80 $6.80

10.59%

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

$368 $368

$300 $300

22.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,002 $9,002

$5,662 $5,662

58.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.8 $65.8

$59.1 $59.1

11.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.98 $39.98

$45.45 $45.45

-12.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$106 $106

17.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 $93.4

$72.0 $72.0

29.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 $653

$421 $421

55.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 $545

$274 $274

99.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$976 $976

$830 $830

17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 $940

$496 $496

89.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,009 $2,009

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 $1,201

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 $613

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

10.09

-0.40%

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

Last update for Guayaquil: November 1, 2026

Last update for Babahoyo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guayaquil

$545 42.5%

Babahoyo

$274 33.3% 49.8% $271

Groceries & Markets

Guayaquil

$200 15.6%

Babahoyo

$188 22.8% 6.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guayaquil

$171 13.3%

Babahoyo

$73 8.9% 57.1% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Guayaquil

$146 11.4%

Babahoyo

$127 15.5% 12.7% $19

Eating Out

Guayaquil

$122 9.5%

Babahoyo

$108 13.2% 11.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Guayaquil

$60 4.7%

Babahoyo

$43 5.3% 27.3% $16

Getting Around

Guayaquil

$38 3%

Babahoyo

$9.4 * 1.1% 75.4% $29

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 $653 in Guayaquil and $421 in Babahoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50 in Guayaquil vs $41 in Babahoyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $188 per month, with Babahoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Guayaquil

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

Same time as Guayaquil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000

84,164

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Guayaquil Babahoyo 83 km

From you

Guayaquil
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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

Guayaquil vs Babahoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Guayaquil. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,922 in Guayaquil and $1,234 in Babahoyo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $653 in Guayaquil versus $421 in Babahoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $368 in Guayaquil versus $300 in Babahoyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Babahoyo – a meal for two runs $41 versus $50 in Guayaquil. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Babahoyo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.