Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Arlington, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $2,803 in Arlington, WA, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, WA
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Arlington, WA Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Arlington, WA

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 Arlington, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $978 in Quito versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA.

Quito $978
Arlington, WA $2,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,586 in Quito versus $4,283 in Arlington, WA.

Quito $1,586
Arlington, WA $4,283

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,194 in Quito versus $5,763 in Arlington, WA.

Quito $2,194
Arlington, WA $5,763

Living in Quito costs roughly 65% less than in Arlington, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 28% below, Arlington, WA is 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$24.98 $24.98

-75.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$101 $101

-44.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$14.24 $14.24

-46.56%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$5.88 $5.88

-42.18%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$3.04 $3.04

-54.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$3.03 $3.03

-64.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$7.16 $7.16

-52.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$6.81 $6.81

-11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.03 $1.03

10.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.66 $3.66

-56.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$4.19 $4.19

-62.29%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$3.94 $3.94

-46.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$13.98 $13.98

-52.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$13.33 $13.33

-58.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$23.00 $23.00

-66.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$5.30 $5.30

-57.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.90 $1.90

-37.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$4.21 $4.21

-68.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$4.92 $4.92

-77.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.02 $2.02

-38.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.40 $2.40

-57.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.77 $2.77

-66.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.50 $2.50

-58.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$12.72 $12.72

-51.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$14.77 $14.77

-31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.98 $1.98

-20.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$4.39 $4.39

-29.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.62 $2.62

-41.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.71 $1.71

-12.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$29.78 $29.78

-66.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.36 $1.36

-40.44%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$36.1K $36.1K

-41.10%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$25.2K $25.2K

10.77%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$293 $293

-90.18%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$69.9 $69.9

-74.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$89.2 $89.2

-68.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$33.54 $33.54

37.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$16.84 $16.84

-62.35%

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

$739 $739

$2,983 $2,983

-75.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$30.9K $30.9K

-71.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$50.9 $50.9

39.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$54.5 $54.5

-7.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$100 $100

14.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$135 $135

-20.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$1,522 $1,522

-67.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$1,297 $1,297

-76.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$2,826 $2,826

-67.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$2,454 $2,454

-77.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$5,858 $5,858

-89.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

6.81

48.60%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arlington, WA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Arlington, WA

$1.3K 46.3% 320% $988

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Arlington, WA

$436 15.6% 120% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Arlington, WA

$153 5.5% 0.8% $1.2

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Arlington, WA

$387 13.8% 155% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Arlington, WA

$452 16.1% 504% $377

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Arlington, WA

$67 2.4% 14.4% $8.5

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4% 64.9% $21

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 $491 in Quito and $1,522 in Arlington, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays 887% 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: $55.0 in Quito vs $101 in Arlington, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $436 per month, with Quito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

365,438

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Quito Arlington, WA 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Arlington, WA

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 Arlington, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito and Arlington, WA differ by about 187% in total monthly costs ($978 vs $2,803 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 887% lower in Arlington, WA. 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: $491 in Quito versus $1,522 in Arlington, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Arlington, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $978 per month in Quito versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA – a 187% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $978 in Quito versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Arlington, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Quito 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 Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 187% less than in Arlington, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.