Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machala and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Machala: $655 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Machala
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Machala Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Machala

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$655

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Machala and in Vancouver

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $655 in Machala versus $2,683 in Vancouver.

Machala $655
Vancouver $2,683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,044 in Machala versus $3,963 in Vancouver.

Machala $1,044
Vancouver $3,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,433 in Machala versus $5,244 in Vancouver.

Machala $1,433
Vancouver $5,244

Living in Machala costs roughly 76% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Machala is 52% below, Vancouver is 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 $2.80

$18.10 CA$25.37

-84.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.64 $24.64

$71.0 CA$99.5

-65.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 $5.27

$10.57 CA$14.81

-50.14%

Cappuccino

$2.71 $2.71

$3.97 CA$5.56

-31.74%

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

$0.91 $0.91

$2.07 CA$2.90

-56.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.85 CA$2.59

-63.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 $1.95

$5.67 CA$7.95

-65.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$6.61 CA$9.27

-41.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.16 CA$3.02

-49.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.58 CA$3.62

-59.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$4.30 CA$6.02

-78.14%

Eggs

$1.45 $1.45

$4.09 CA$5.74

-64.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$12.12 CA$16.98

-72.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$13.28 CA$18.62

-68.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$20.11 CA$28.19

-76.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.96 CA$5.56

-62.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.43 CA$2.00

-55.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$3.71 CA$5.20

-80.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 $0.53

$3.92 CA$5.50

-86.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 $0.38

$2.87 CA$4.02

-86.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$2.98 CA$4.17

-82.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 $0.39

$2.61 CA$3.66

-85.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.63 CA$2.29

-41.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 $4.31

$15.94 CA$22.35

-72.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$14.25 CA$19.97

-45.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.52 CA$3.54

-40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.87 CA$4.03

-23.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$2.57 CA$3.60

-87.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.17 $22.17

$84.4 CA$118

-73.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.74 CA$3.85

-46.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.63 CA$2.28

-9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 $7.89

$31.90 CA$44.71

-75.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.46 CA$2.04

-56.16%

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

$18.1K $18.1K

$26.7K CA$37.4K

-32.39%

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

$21.9K $21.9K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

4.11%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$88.2 CA$124

-40.88%

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

$14.95 $14.95

$36.72 CA$51.5

-59.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.06 $26.06

$49.81 CA$69.8

-47.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.32 $43.32

$45.34 CA$63.6

-4.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.54 $30.54

$12.13 CA$17.00

151.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$12.55 CA$17.59

-59.92%

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

$135 $135

$1,055 CA$1,479

-87.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,038 $9,038

$28.5K CA$39.9K

-68.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.5 $66.5

$56.4 CA$79.1

17.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 $40.79

$34.37 CA$48.18

18.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 $79.8

$89.8 CA$126

-11.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 $67.8

$94.3 CA$132

-28.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$192 $192

$1,738 CA$2,436

-88.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 $131

$1,528 CA$2,143

-91.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 $354

$3,107 CA$4,355

-88.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 $262

$2,547 CA$3,570

-89.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,870

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$454 $454

$3,770 CA$5,284

-87.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

17.92%

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

Last update for Machala: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machala

$136 20.7%

Vancouver

$398 14.9% 194% $263

Accommodation & Living

Machala

$131 20.1%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 1063% $1.4K

Clothing & Footwear

Machala

$115 17.5%

Vancouver

$124 4.6% 7.8% $9

Eating Out

Machala

$95 14.4%

Vancouver

$281 10.5% 197% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machala

$93 14.2%

Vancouver

$175 6.5% 87.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Machala

$53 8.2%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 32% $17

Getting Around

Machala

$32 4.9%

Vancouver

$106 3.9% 226% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $192 in Machala and $1,738 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays about 8.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Machala vs $71 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $136 vs $398 per month, with Machala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Machala

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

03:25 3:25 AM

2 h behind Machala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,260

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Machala Vancouver 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Machala
Vancouver

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

Machala vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machala is about 76% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Machala. 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: $192 in Machala versus $1,738 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Machala – a meal for two runs $25 versus $71 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $655 per month in Machala versus $2,683 in Vancouver – Machala is about 76% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $655 in Machala versus $2,683 in Vancouver, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Machala but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Machala 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.

Expats usually find Machala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.