Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanaimo, BC and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $2,349 in Nanaimo, BC, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Nanaimo, BC
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Nanaimo, BC Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index

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Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,349

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,349 in Nanaimo, BC versus $979 in Quito.

Nanaimo, BC $2,349
Quito $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Nanaimo, BC versus $1,607 in Quito.

Nanaimo, BC $3,389
Quito $1,607

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,429 in Nanaimo, BC versus $2,234 in Quito.

Nanaimo, BC $4,429
Quito $2,234

Living in Nanaimo, BC is roughly 140% more expensive than in Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nanaimo, BC is 75% above, Quito is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.51 CA$24.96

$6.14 $6.14

185.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 CA$109

$53.9 $53.9

42.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 CA$16.21

$7.81 $7.81

45.58%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.43

$3.42 $3.42

11.40%

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

$2.21 CA$3.14

$1.44 $1.44

53.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 CA$2.30

$1.14 $1.14

41.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 CA$7.78

$3.48 $3.48

56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 CA$7.88

$5.89 $5.89

-6.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.14 $1.14

42.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 CA$4.79

$1.54 $1.54

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$1.51 $1.51

102.65%

Eggs

$4.15 CA$5.92

$2.16 $2.16

92.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 CA$16.00

$6.40 $6.40

75.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 CA$18.68

$5.48 $5.48

139.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 CA$23.86

$7.81 $7.81

114.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

$2.33 $2.33

99.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.82

$1.24 $1.24

3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.92

$1.31 $1.31

217.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.82 CA$8.30

$1.14 $1.14

410.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.87

$1.21 $1.21

124.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$4.05

$1.02 $1.02

178.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 CA$4.05

$0.93 $0.93

205.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.26

$1.05 $1.05

117.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 CA$17.32

$6.02 $6.02

101.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 CA$20.17

$9.93 $9.93

42.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 CA$3.87

$1.59 $1.59

71.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 CA$3.80

$3.08 $3.08

-13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 CA$2.62

$0.37 $0.37

397.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 CA$63.8

$20.95 $20.95

113.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 CA$3.93

$1.54 $1.54

78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 CA$3.02

$1.53 $1.53

38.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.48 CA$40.59

$10.01 $10.01

184.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 CA$1.87

$0.87 $0.87

50.57%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$21.0K $21.0K

32.41%

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

$19.3K CA$27.6K

$28.6K $28.6K

-32.29%

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

$151 CA$216

$28.97 $28.97

422.54%

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

$40.28 CA$57.4

$17.57 $17.57

129.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 CA$91.1

$28.14 $28.14

127.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.48 CA$39.17

$46.48 $46.48

-40.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.61 CA$26.53

$17.70 $17.70

5.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.94 CA$15.60

$6.38 $6.38

71.47%

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

$515 CA$734

$746 $746

-30.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K CA$18.4K

$9,015 $9,015

43.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.90 CA$69.7

$68.8 $68.8

-28.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.57 CA$47.86

$50.4 $50.4

-33.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 CA$141

$117 $117

-15.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$153

$109 $109

-1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 CA$1,954

$478 $478

186.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 CA$1,601

$313 $313

258.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,121 CA$3,023

$967 $967

119.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 CA$2,421

$549 $549

209.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,831 CA$5,461

$1,763 $1,763

117.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,462 CA$4,935

$720 $720

380.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,148 CA$4,487

$597 $597

427.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

10.12

-53.36%

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

Last update for Nanaimo, BC: 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

Nanaimo, BC

$1.1K 48.8%

Quito

$313 31.8% 72.1% $810

Groceries & Markets

Nanaimo, BC

$405 17.6%

Quito

$198 20.1% 51.2% $207

Eating Out

Nanaimo, BC

$274 11.9%

Quito

$153 15.5% 44% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanaimo, BC

$256 11.1%

Quito

$75 7.6% 70.8% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Nanaimo, BC

$130 5.6%

Quito

$156 15.8% 19.8% $26

Getting Around

Nanaimo, BC

$65 2.8%

Quito

$32 3.2% 51.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nanaimo, BC

$49 2.1%

Quito

$59 6% 20% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,371 in Nanaimo, BC and $478 in Quito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanaimo, BC pays 428% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in Nanaimo, BC vs $54.0 in Quito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $198 per month, with Quito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Nanaimo, BC

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

2 h ahead of Nanaimo, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,504

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

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

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Nanaimo, BC Quito 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanaimo, BC
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

Nanaimo, BC vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito wins on cost – living expenses run 140% lower than in Nanaimo, BC. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Quito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 428% higher in Nanaimo, BC, 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: $1,371 in Nanaimo, BC versus $478 in Quito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Quito runs roughly 114% less than in Nanaimo, BC. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $515 in Nanaimo, BC versus $746 in Quito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $979 in Quito versus $2,349 in Nanaimo, BC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Nanaimo, BC. The gap between the two cities makes Quito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Quito delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $979 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Quito hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nanaimo, BC and Quito are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Nanaimo, BC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.