Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibarra and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibarra: $664 a month against $1,015 in Quito, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Ibarra
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Ibarra Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
Learn more

Quito Living Index

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Ibarra

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$664

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $664 in Ibarra versus $1,015 in Quito.

Ibarra $664
Quito $1,015

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,142 in Ibarra versus $1,636 in Quito.

Ibarra $1,142
Quito $1,636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,620 in Ibarra versus $2,258 in Quito.

Ibarra $1,620
Quito $2,258

Living in Ibarra costs roughly 35% less than in Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ibarra 51% lower, Quito 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 $2.58

$5.41 $5.41

-52.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.11 $25.11

$55.2 $55.2

-54.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 $5.60

$7.66 $7.66

-26.89%

Cappuccino

$2.21 $2.21

$3.31 $3.31

-33.23%

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

$1.09 $1.09

$1.36 $1.36

-19.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.09 $1.09

-45.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.46 $3.46

-43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$5.85 $5.85

-61.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.09 $1.09

-13.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.55 $1.55

-36.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.56 $1.56

-5.13%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$2.16 $2.16

-4.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$6.45 $6.45

-40.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$5.22 $5.22

1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$7.66 $7.66

-1.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.34 $2.34

-15.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.20 $1.20

2.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.27 $1.27

3.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.12 $1.12

-23.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.19 $1.19

-57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.02 $1.02

-0.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 $0.70

$0.90 $0.90

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.00 $1.00

-2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 $3.04

$6.14 $6.14

-50.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 $8.33

$8.62 $8.62

-3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.58 $1.58

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.10 $3.10

-1.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.36 $0.36

2.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 $21.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.46 $1.46

5.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.54 $1.54

-3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.92 $9.92

$10.07 $10.07

-1.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$0.86 $0.86

-19.77%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$23.3K $23.3K

0.22%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$30.5K $30.5K

-2.20%

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

$28.50 $28.50

$28.33 $28.33

0.60%

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

$15.16 $15.16

$18.08 $18.08

-16.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.02 $18.02

$28.84 $28.84

-37.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.20 $30.20

$42.86 $42.86

-29.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 $16.73

$17.92 $17.92

-6.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 $6.51

$6.75 $6.75

-3.56%

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

$109 $109

$750 $750

-85.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,023 $9,023

$8,967 $8,967

0.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$69.7 $69.7

-12.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.30 $44.30

$49.06 $49.06

-9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 $91.1

$112 $112

-18.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 $50.1

$110 $110

-54.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 $228

$548 $548

-58.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 $183

$362 $362

-49.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 $810

$1,126 $1,126

-28.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 $501

$637 $637

-21.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$761 $761

$1,654 $1,654

-54.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$610 $610

$664 $664

-8.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$604 $604

$606 $606

-0.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

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

Last update for Ibarra: October 27, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ibarra

$183 27.6%

Quito

$362 35.6% 97.4% $178

Groceries & Markets

Ibarra

$170 25.5%

Quito

$192 18.9% 13.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Ibarra

$111 16.7%

Quito

$153 15.1% 38.1% $42

Eating Out

Ibarra

$85 12.8%

Quito

$145 14.3% 70.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ibarra

$62 9.3%

Quito

$75 7.4% 22% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Ibarra

$43 6.5%

Quito

$56 5.6% 30.3% $13

Getting Around

Ibarra

$10 * 1.6%

Quito

$32 3.2% 206% $22

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 $228 in Ibarra and $548 in Quito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25 in Ibarra vs $55 in Quito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $192 per month, with Ibarra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ibarra

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

Same time as Ibarra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,666

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ibarra Quito 77 km

From you

Ibarra
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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

Ibarra vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibarra wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Quito. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ibarra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $996 in Ibarra and $1,522 in Quito 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: $228 in Ibarra versus $548 in Quito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Ibarra versus $750 in Quito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibarra – a meal for two runs $25 versus $55 in Quito. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $664 in Ibarra versus $1,015 in Quito, a $800 budget is realistic in Ibarra but tight or insufficient in Quito. The gap between the two cities makes Ibarra 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.