Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portoviejo and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $877 a month against $1,015 in Quito, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
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Portoviejo Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index

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Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$877

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Portoviejo versus $1,015 in Quito.

Portoviejo $877
Quito $1,015

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Portoviejo versus $1,636 in Quito.

Portoviejo $1,400
Quito $1,636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,924 in Portoviejo versus $2,258 in Quito.

Portoviejo $1,924
Quito $2,258

Living in Portoviejo costs roughly 14% less than in Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Portoviejo 36% lower, Quito 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 $4.06

$5.41 $5.41

-24.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.6 $51.6

$55.2 $55.2

-6.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 $8.95

$7.66 $7.66

16.84%

Cappuccino

$2.93 $2.93

$3.31 $3.31

-11.48%

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

$0.94 $0.94

$1.36 $1.36

-30.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 $0.67

$1.09 $1.09

-38.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.46 $3.46

-15.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 $4.16

$5.85 $5.85

-28.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.09 $1.09

7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.55 $1.55

30.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.56 $1.56

-7.05%

Eggs

$2.15 $2.15

$2.16 $2.16

-0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$6.45 $6.45

7.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$5.22 $5.22

-3.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$7.66 $7.66

22.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.34 $2.34

-35.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.20 $1.20

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.27 $1.27

-22.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.12 $1.12

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.19 $1.19

2.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.02 $1.02

-2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 $0.89

$0.90 $0.90

-1.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.00 $1.00

-6.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 $6.04

$6.14 $6.14

-1.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.23 $12.23

$8.62 $8.62

41.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.58 $1.58

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.10 $3.10

-29.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.36 $0.36

-5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 $21.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.46 $1.46

82.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.54 $1.54

16.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 $12.17

$10.07 $10.07

20.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$0.86 $0.86

2.33%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$23.3K $23.3K

-1.51%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$30.5K $30.5K

1.15%

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

$33.95 $33.95

$28.33 $28.33

19.84%

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

$14.67 $14.67

$18.08 $18.08

-18.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.33 $26.33

$28.84 $28.84

-8.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.57 $31.57

$42.86 $42.86

-26.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 $16.27

$17.92 $17.92

-9.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 $7.54

$6.75 $6.75

11.70%

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

$375 $375

$750 $750

-49.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,671 $5,671

$8,967 $8,967

-36.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 $65.2

$69.7 $69.7

-6.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 $41.29

$49.06 $49.06

-15.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$112 $112

9.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 $92.4

$110 $110

-15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 $415

$548 $548

-24.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$362 $362

-24.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 $914

$1,126 $1,126

-18.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 $430

$637 $637

-32.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,019 $1,019

$1,654 $1,654

-38.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 $789

$664 $664

18.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$331 $331

$606 $606

-45.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

10.12

-0.69%

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

Last update for Portoviejo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portoviejo

$273 31.2%

Quito

$362 35.6% 32.3% $88

Groceries & Markets

Portoviejo

$201 22.9%

Quito

$192 18.9% 4.4% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Portoviejo

$145 16.5%

Quito

$153 15.1% 5.7% $8.3

Eating Out

Portoviejo

$124 14.1%

Quito

$145 14.3% 16.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portoviejo

$75 8.5%

Quito

$75 7.4% 0.4% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Portoviejo

$47 5.3%

Quito

$56 5.6% 20.8% $9.7

Getting Around

Portoviejo

$13 * 1.5%

Quito

$32 3.2% 147% $19

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 $415 in Portoviejo and $548 in Quito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quito pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Portoviejo vs $55 in Quito. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $192, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

Same time as Portoviejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,641

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Portoviejo Quito 230 km

From you

Portoviejo
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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

Portoviejo vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portoviejo wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Quito. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Portoviejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Portoviejo. 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: $415 in Portoviejo versus $548 in Quito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Quito pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $877 per month in Portoviejo versus $1,015 in Quito – Portoviejo is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Portoviejo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Portoviejo wins on affordability, Quito on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.