Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Mochis and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $1,111 in Los Mochis, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Los Mochis
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,111
/mo nomad
Quito
🇪🇨 Ecuador
$978
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,111 per month in Los Mochis vs $978 in Quito, rent included.

  • Los Mochis $1,111
  • Quito $978

A couple spends around $1,768 per month in Los Mochis vs $1,586 in Quito, rent included.

  • Los Mochis $1,768
  • Quito $1,586

A family of three spends $2,424 per month in Los Mochis vs $2,194 in Quito, rent included.

  • Los Mochis $2,424
  • Quito $2,194

Los Mochis costs about 14% more than Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Los Mochis and Quito are more affordable than the global median – Los Mochis 18% lower, Quito 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.87 MX$127
$6.08 $6.08
12.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.35 MX$598
$55.5 $55.5
-41.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.01 MX$203
$7.61 $7.61
44.68%
Cappuccino
$3.17 MX$58.6
$3.40 $3.40
-6.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 MX$20.34
$1.37 $1.37
-19.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 MX$18.71
$1.09 $1.09
-7.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.50 MX$46.20
$3.43 $3.43
-27.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 MX$63.0
$6.06 $6.06
-43.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.02
$1.14 $1.14
33.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.75 MX$50.8
$1.60 $1.60
71.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.71 MX$31.61
$1.58 $1.58
8.23%
Eggs
$2.35 MX$43.44
$2.12 $2.12
10.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$159
$6.58 $6.58
30.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.59 MX$177
$5.51 $5.51
74.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.84 MX$237
$7.65 $7.65
67.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 MX$46.55
$2.24 $2.24
12.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 MX$28.79
$1.19 $1.19
31.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 MX$34.31
$1.33 $1.33
39.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.73 MX$31.88
$1.13 $1.13
53.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.89 MX$34.99
$1.24 $1.24
52.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 MX$33.47
$1.02 $1.02
77.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.43 MX$26.36
$0.92 $0.92
55.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 MX$17.81
$1.05 $1.05
-8.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.74 MX$69.2
$6.16 $6.16
-39.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.17 MX$207
$10.07 $10.07
10.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 MX$33.72
$1.58 $1.58
15.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 MX$57.2
$3.09 $3.09
-
🚌 Getting Around
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 MX$12.73
$0.36 $0.36
91.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$21.37 $21.37
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.62 MX$48.45
$1.53 $1.53
71.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 MX$36.02
$1.49 $1.49
30.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.87 MX$201
$9.84 $9.84
10.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 MX$26.34
$0.81 $0.81
76.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K MX$393.0K
$21.3K $21.3K
0.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.4K
$27.9K $27.9K
-14.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.0 MX$1,053
$28.75 $28.75
98.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.38 MX$414
$17.86 $17.86
25.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.97 MX$554
$28.20 $28.20
6.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.05 MX$629
$46.08 $46.08
-26.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.97 MX$369
$17.76 $17.76
12.44%
Cinema Ticket
$5.22 MX$96.5
$6.34 $6.34
-17.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$222 MX$4,108
$739 $739
-69.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,159 MX$95.3K
$8,909 $8,909
-42.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 MX$992
$71.0 $71.0
-24.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.77 MX$753
$50.4 $50.4
-19.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 MX$1,881
$114 $114
-10.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0 MX$1,625
$107 $107
-17.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$617 MX$11.4K
$491 $491
25.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$387 MX$7,153
$309 $309
25.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,026 MX$19.0K
$932 $932
10.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$777 MX$14.4K
$540 $540
43.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,913 MX$35.4K
$1,759 $1,759
8.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,292 MX$23.9K
$715 $715
80.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Los Mochis
Quito
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 MX$12.0K
$594 $594
9.81%
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 Los Mochis: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Los Mochis
$387
Quito
$309 20.2% $78
Groceries & Markets
Los Mochis
$273
Quito
$198 27.6% $75
Eating Out
Los Mochis
$154
Quito
$151 1.5% $2.3
Clothing & Footwear
Los Mochis
$128
Quito
$154 20.6% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Los Mochis
$109
Quito
$75 31.6% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Los Mochis
$44
Quito
$59 32.1% $14
Getting Around
Los Mochis
$15 *
Quito
$32 110% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in Los Mochis versus $491 in Quito. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Los Mochis, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Los Mochis versus $55.0 in Quito. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Los Mochis vs $198 in Quito – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Los Mochis
🇪🇨 Quito
🕒 Local time
08:57 8:57 AM
10:57 10:57 AM
2 h ahead of Los Mochis
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
298,009
2,671,191 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Los Mochis Quito 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Los Mochis
  • 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
Los Mochis vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Los Mochis or Quito?
Los Mochis costs about 14% more than Quito, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Los Mochis and in Quito?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Los Mochis and $1,467 in Quito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Los Mochis or Quito?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Quito, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Los Mochis and in Quito?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Los Mochis and $55.0 in Quito. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Los Mochis or in Quito?
Groceries cost about 38% more in Los Mochis, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Los Mochis or in Quito?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Los Mochis at $1,111. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Mochis it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Los Mochis or Quito?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quito costs $978 versus $1,111 in Los Mochis. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Los Mochis or to Quito?
If budget matters most, go with Quito. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Los Mochis makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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