Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibarra and Vilcabamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibarra: $664 a month against $943 in Vilcabamba, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Ibarra
Learn more

Ibarra Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
Learn more

Vilcabamba Living Index

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Ibarra

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$664

/mo nomad

Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $664 in Ibarra versus $943 in Vilcabamba.

Ibarra $664
Vilcabamba $943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,142 in Ibarra versus $1,400 in Vilcabamba.

Ibarra $1,142
Vilcabamba $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,620 in Ibarra versus $1,857 in Vilcabamba.

Ibarra $1,620
Vilcabamba $1,857

Living in Ibarra costs roughly 30% less than in Vilcabamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ibarra 51% lower, Vilcabamba 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 $2.58

$3.53 $3.53

-26.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.11 $25.11

$29.95 $29.95

-16.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 $5.60

$8.06 $8.06

-30.52%

Cappuccino

$2.21 $2.21

$2.20 $2.20

0.45%

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

$1.09 $1.09

$0.97 $0.97

12.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.07 $1.07

-44.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.03 $2.03

-3.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.45 $3.45

-34.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.04 $1.04

-9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.79 $1.79

-45.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.47 $1.47

0.68%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$2.48 $2.48

-16.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$8.29 $8.29

-53.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$5.14 $5.14

2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$7.24 $7.24

4.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.87 $1.87

5.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.10 $1.10

11.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.21 $1.21

8.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.13 $1.13

-23.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$0.93 $0.93

-45.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.09 $1.09

-7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 $0.70

$0.81 $0.81

-13.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.02 $1.02

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 $3.04

$5.22 $5.22

-41.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 $8.33

$11.20 $11.20

-25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.64 $1.64

-3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.78 $2.78

9.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.34 $0.34

8.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.40 $1.40

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.23 $1.23

20.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.92 $9.92

$10.09 $10.09

-1.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$0.68 $0.68

1.47%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$22.9K $22.9K

2.25%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

0.22%

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

$28.50 $28.50

$34.34 $34.34

-17.01%

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

$15.16 $15.16

$13.49 $13.49

12.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.02 $18.02

$36.53 $36.53

-50.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.20 $30.20

$30.19 $30.19

0.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 $16.73

$16.60 $16.60

0.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 $6.51

$6.34 $6.34

2.68%

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

$109 $109

$341 $341

-68.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,023 $9,023

$6,293 $6,293

43.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

0.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.30 $44.30

$44.77 $44.77

-1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 $91.1

$92.3 $92.3

-1.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 $50.1

$72.6 $72.6

-31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 $228

$383 $383

-40.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 $183

$381 $381

-51.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 $810

$618 $618

31.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 $501

$572 $572

-12.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$761 $761

$1,295 $1,295

-41.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$610 $610

$1,087 $1,087

-43.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$604 $604

$448 $448

34.92%

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 Ibarra: October 27, 2026

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ibarra

$183 27.6%

Vilcabamba

$381 40.4% 108% $198

Groceries & Markets

Ibarra

$170 25.5%

Vilcabamba

$200 21.2% 17.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ibarra

$111 16.7%

Vilcabamba

$122 12.9% 9.8% $11

Eating Out

Ibarra

$85 12.8%

Vilcabamba

$104 11% 22.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ibarra

$62 9.3%

Vilcabamba

$84 9% 36.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ibarra

$43 6.5%

Vilcabamba

$43 4.6% 0.9% $0.4

Getting Around

Ibarra

$10 * 1.6%

Vilcabamba

$8.9 * 0.9% 14.7% $1.5

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 $228 in Ibarra and $383 in Vilcabamba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibarra pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Ibarra vs $30 in Vilcabamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $200 per month, with Ibarra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ibarra

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

Same time as Ibarra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,666

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ibarra Vilcabamba 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Vilcabamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibarra wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Vilcabamba. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ibarra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Ibarra, 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: $228 in Ibarra versus $383 in Vilcabamba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Ibarra versus $341 in Vilcabamba. 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 $30 in Vilcabamba. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $664 in Ibarra versus $943 in Vilcabamba, a $800 budget is realistic in Ibarra but tight or insufficient in Vilcabamba. 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.