Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Babahoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $797 a month against $1,015 in Quito, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
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Babahoyo Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Babahoyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,015 in Quito versus $797 in Babahoyo.

Quito $1,015
Babahoyo $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,636 in Quito versus $1,299 in Babahoyo.

Quito $1,636
Babahoyo $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,258 in Quito versus $1,801 in Babahoyo.

Quito $2,258
Babahoyo $1,801

Living in Quito is roughly 27% more expensive than in Babahoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quito 25% lower, Babahoyo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 $5.41

$3.35 $3.35

61.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$37.80 $37.80

45.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 $7.66

$6.68 $6.68

14.67%

Cappuccino

$3.31 $3.31

$2.87 $2.87

15.33%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$0.83 $0.83

63.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.82 $0.82

32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.83 $2.83

22.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.49 $3.49

67.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.06 $1.06

2.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.72 $1.72

-9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.55 $1.55

0.65%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$1.94 $1.94

11.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$6.64 $6.64

-2.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$4.80 $4.80

8.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 $7.66

$7.27 $7.27

5.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.14 $2.14

9.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.13 $1.13

6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.37 $1.37

-7.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.08 $1.08

3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.40 $1.40

-15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.10 $1.10

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 $0.90

$0.78 $0.78

15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.02 $1.02

-1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 $6.14

$5.82 $5.82

5.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.62 $8.62

$7.38 $7.38

16.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.38 $1.38

14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.85 $2.85

8.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.30 $0.30

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 $21.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.52 $1.52

-3.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.12 $1.12

37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.45 $10.45

-3.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.72 $0.72

19.44%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$22.7K $22.7K

2.65%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$34.1K $34.1K

-10.71%

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

$28.33 $28.33

$33.73 $33.73

-16.01%

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

$18.08 $18.08

$12.14 $12.14

48.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 $28.84

$26.59 $26.59

8.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.86 $42.86

$29.18 $29.18

46.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 $17.92

$16.29 $16.29

10.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 $6.75

$7.88 $7.88

-14.34%

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

$750 $750

$299 $299

151.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,967 $8,967

$5,114 $5,114

75.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 $69.7

$60.4 $60.4

15.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.06 $49.06

$50.1 $50.1

-2.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$93.3 $93.3

20.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$67.1 $67.1

63.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$395 $395

38.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 $362

$256 $256

41.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 $1,126

$772 $772

45.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$637 $637

$504 $504

26.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,654 $1,654

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 $664

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 $606

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.09

0.30%

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

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Last update for Babahoyo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$362 35.6%

Babahoyo

$256 32.1% 29.3% $106

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$192 18.9%

Babahoyo

$185 23.2% 3.6% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$153 15.1%

Babahoyo

$122 15.3% 20.5% $31

Eating Out

Quito

$145 14.3%

Babahoyo

$109 13.7% 24.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.4%

Babahoyo

$72 9.1% 3.7% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$56 5.6%

Babahoyo

$45 5.6% 20.2% $11

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Babahoyo

$8.3 * 1% 74% $24

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 $548 in Quito and $395 in Babahoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Quito vs $38 in Babahoyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $185 per month, with Babahoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

Same time as Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

84,164

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Quito Babahoyo 210 km

From you

Quito
Babahoyo

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 Babahoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Quito. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,522 in Quito and $1,196 in Babahoyo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $548 in Quito versus $395 in Babahoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $750 in Quito versus $299 in Babahoyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Babahoyo – a meal for two runs $38 versus $55 in Quito. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.