Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,436 in Mazatlan, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mazatlan
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,436
/mo nomad
Quito
🇪🇨 Ecuador
$979
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Mazatlan vs $979 in Quito, rent included.

  • Mazatlan $1,436
  • Quito $979

A couple spends around $2,041 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,607 in Quito, rent included.

  • Mazatlan $2,041
  • Quito $1,607

A family of three spends $2,645 per month in Mazatlan vs $2,234 in Quito, rent included.

  • Mazatlan $2,645
  • Quito $2,234

Mazatlan costs about 47% more than Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Mazatlan sits 7% above the global median, while Quito is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.96 MX$201
$6.14 $6.14
78.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.29 MX$850
$53.9 $53.9
-14.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.37 MX$154
$7.81 $7.81
7.17%
Cappuccino
$3.40 MX$62.4
$3.42 $3.42
-0.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.53
$1.44 $1.44
0.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 MX$20.12
$1.14 $1.14
-3.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.13 MX$39.04
$3.48 $3.48
-38.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 MX$52.0
$5.89 $5.89
-51.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 MX$30.14
$1.14 $1.14
43.86%
White Bread (500g)
$2.59 MX$47.48
$1.54 $1.54
68.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 MX$24.44
$1.51 $1.51
-11.92%
Eggs
$2.74 MX$50.4
$2.16 $2.16
26.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.06 MX$148
$6.40 $6.40
25.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.94 MX$127
$5.48 $5.48
26.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.67 MX$141
$7.81 $7.81
-1.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$49.89
$2.33 $2.33
16.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 MX$31.17
$1.24 $1.24
37.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 MX$29.79
$1.31 $1.31
23.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.52 MX$9.52
$1.14 $1.14
-54.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.63 MX$29.99
$1.21 $1.21
34.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.12
$1.02 $1.02
34.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.60 MX$29.44
$0.93 $0.93
72.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.05 $1.05
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 MX$77.1
$6.02 $6.02
-30.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.98 MX$293
$9.93 $9.93
60.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.03 MX$37.24
$1.59 $1.59
27.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 MX$56.8
$3.08 $3.08
0.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 MX$12.72
$0.37 $0.37
86.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.84 MX$768
$20.95 $20.95
99.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 MX$68.0
$1.54 $1.54
140.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.45 MX$45.00
$1.53 $1.53
60.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$10.01 $10.01
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.17
$0.87 $0.87
75.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$393.0K
$21.0K $21.0K
2.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K MX$455.0K
$28.6K $28.6K
-13.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.0 MX$1,084
$28.97 $28.97
103.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$46.93 MX$862
$17.57 $17.57
167.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.53 MX$799
$28.14 $28.14
54.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.05 MX$827
$46.48 $46.48
-3.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.70 $17.70
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.39 MX$80.7
$6.38 $6.38
-31.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$88.4 MX$1,624
$746 $746
-88.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,007 MX$36.9K
$9,015 $9,015
-77.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.9 MX$1,173
$68.8 $68.8
-7.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.58 MX$506
$50.4 $50.4
-45.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 MX$2,055
$117 $117
-4.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.1 MX$1,545
$109 $109
-22.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 MX$14.5K
$478 $478
64.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 MX$11.4K
$313 $313
97.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,241 MX$22.8K
$967 $967
28.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$840 MX$15.4K
$549 $549
52.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,579 MX$29.0K
$1,763 $1,763
-10.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,051 MX$19.3K
$720 $720
45.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mazatlan
Quito
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$533 MX$9,785
$597 $597
-10.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.6
10.12
14.62%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mazatlan
$619
Quito
$313 49.4% $306
Groceries & Markets
Mazatlan
$236 *
Quito
$198 16.2% $38
Eating Out
Mazatlan
$180
Quito
$153 15% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mazatlan
$150
Quito
$75 50% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Mazatlan
$129
Quito
$156 20.2% $26
Getting Around
Mazatlan
$61
Quito
$32 47.8% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Mazatlan
$54
Quito
$59 10% $5.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Mazatlan versus $478 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 12% higher in Quito, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Mazatlan versus $54.0 in Quito. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Mazatlan vs $198 in Quito – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mazatlan
🇪🇨 Quito
🕒 Local time
00:12 12:12 AM
02:12 2:12 AM
2 h ahead of Mazatlan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
441,975
2,671,191 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mazatlan Quito 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mazatlan
  • 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
Mazatlan vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mazatlan and in Quito compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,436 in Mazatlan, $979 in Quito – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Mazatlan compared to Quito?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,155 per month in Mazatlan and $1,468 in Quito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Mazatlan and 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 commuting costs compare in Mazatlan and in Quito?
Public transport costs about 100% less in Quito. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mazatlan and Quito?
Kindergarten costs $88.4 per month in Mazatlan and $746 in Quito. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Mazatlan at $1,436. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mazatlan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Mazatlan and Quito?
It depends on your priorities. Mazatlan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $979 in Quito to $1,436 in Mazatlan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Mazatlan and Quito?
If budget matters most, go with Quito. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mazatlan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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