Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Alamos, Sonora

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,169 in Alamos, Sonora, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Alamos, Sonora
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Alamos, Sonora Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Alamos, Sonora

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Alamos, Sonora

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

A single person spends $979 per month in Quito vs $1,169 in Alamos, Sonora, rent included.

Quito $979
Alamos, Sonora $1,169

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Quito vs $1,871 in Alamos, Sonora, rent included.

Quito $1,607
Alamos, Sonora $1,871

A family of three spends $2,234 per month in Quito vs $2,573 in Alamos, Sonora, rent included.

Quito $2,234
Alamos, Sonora $2,573

Quito is about 16% cheaper than Alamos, Sonora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quito and Alamos, Sonora are more affordable than the global median – Quito 27% lower, Alamos, Sonora 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 $6.14

$11.17 MX$203

-45.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$44.19 MX$804

21.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 $7.81

$8.40 MX$153

-7.02%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$3.65 MX$66.5

-6.30%

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

$1.44 $1.44

$1.41 MX$25.68

2.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.03 MX$18.72

10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.69 MX$49.00

29.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.05 MX$73.7

45.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.65 MX$30.08

-30.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.62 MX$47.59

-41.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.68 MX$30.54

-10.12%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.56 MX$46.65

-15.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$8.27 MX$150

-22.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$8.35 MX$152

-34.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$11.75 MX$214

-33.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.73 MX$49.65

-14.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.54 MX$27.96

-19.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.98 MX$35.93

-33.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.79 MX$32.60

-36.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.99 MX$36.15

-39.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.91 MX$34.73

-46.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.44 MX$26.11

-35.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.09 MX$19.87

-3.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.36 MX$79.4

38.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$10.36 MX$188

-4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.76 MX$31.97

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.11 MX$56.5

-0.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.69 MX$12.56

-46.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 $20.95

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.57 MX$46.83

-40.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.98 MX$36.01

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$11.17 MX$203

-10.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.49 MX$27.14

-41.61%

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

$21.0K $21.0K

$21.7K MX$395.2K

-3.41%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$24.8K MX$451.8K

14.96%

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

$28.97 $28.97

$61.1 MX$1,112

-52.62%

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

$17.57 $17.57

$22.63 MX$412

-22.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 $28.14

$30.53 MX$555

-7.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 $46.48

$34.41 MX$626

35.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.70 $17.70

$20.52 MX$373

-13.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.38 $6.38

$5.14 MX$93.5

24.12%

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

$746 $746

$222 MX$4,038

236.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,015 $9,015

$4,726 MX$86.0K

90.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$54.8 MX$996

25.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$42.36 MX$771

18.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$101 MX$1,844

15.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$91.2 MX$1,660

19.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 $478

$627 MX$11.4K

-23.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 $313

$387 MX$7,044

-19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 $967

$1,063 MX$19.3K

-8.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 $549

$785 MX$14.3K

-30.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$1,904 MX$34.6K

-7.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 $720

$1,181 MX$21.5K

-39.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 $597

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.3

-10.44%

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

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Last update for Alamos, Sonora: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$313 31.8%

Alamos, Sonora

$387 33.8% 23.7% $74

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.1%

Alamos, Sonora

$266 23.2% 34.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$156 15.8%

Alamos, Sonora

$130 11.4% 16.2% $25

Eating Out

Quito

$153 15.5%

Alamos, Sonora

$190 16.5% 24% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.6%

Alamos, Sonora

$114 10% 53% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Alamos, Sonora

$45 3.9% 24.5% $15

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Alamos, Sonora

$15 * 1.3% 51.8% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Quito versus $627 in Alamos, Sonora. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Quito versus $44.00 in Alamos, Sonora. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $266 in Alamos, Sonora – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Alamos, Sonora

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

10,961

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quito Alamos, Sonora 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Alamos, Sonora

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

Quito vs Alamos, Sonora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Alamos, Sonora is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,468 per month in Quito and $1,753 in Alamos, Sonora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Quito and $44.00 in Alamos, Sonora. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Alamos, Sonora, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Alamos, Sonora at $1,169. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alamos, Sonora it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quito – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Quito. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alamos, Sonora makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.