Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Banos

For one person, living is cheaper in Banos: $819 a month against $1,015 in Quito, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Banos
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Banos Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Banos

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Banos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,015 in Quito versus $819 in Banos.

Quito $1,015
Banos $819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,636 in Quito versus $1,260 in Banos.

Quito $1,636
Banos $1,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,258 in Quito versus $1,701 in Banos.

Quito $2,258
Banos $1,701

Living in Quito is roughly 24% more expensive than in Banos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quito 25% lower, Banos 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 $5.41

$2.78 $2.78

94.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$30.08 $30.08

83.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 $7.66

$5.02 $5.02

52.59%

Cappuccino

$3.31 $3.31

$2.60 $2.60

27.31%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$0.92 $0.92

47.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.73 $0.73

49.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.99 $2.99

15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.02 $2.02

189.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.05 $1.05

3.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.99 $1.99

-22.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.86 $0.86

81.40%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$1.49 $1.49

44.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$7.04 $7.04

-8.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$5.04 $5.04

3.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 $7.66

$5.85 $5.85

30.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.49 $1.49

57.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$0.49 $0.49

144.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.02 $1.02

24.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.95 $0.95

17.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$0.51 $0.51

133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.91 $0.91

12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 $0.90

$0.51 $0.51

76.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.02 $1.02

-1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 $6.14

$5.83 $5.83

5.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.62 $8.62

$11.80 $11.80

-26.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.55 $1.55

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.15 $2.15

44.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 $21.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.27 $1.27

14.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.23 $1.23

25.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.07 $10.07

$11.90 $11.90

-15.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.87 $0.87

-1.15%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$23.1K $23.1K

1.02%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$30.6K $30.6K

-0.40%

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

$28.33 $28.33

$33.82 $33.82

-16.23%

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

$18.08 $18.08

$14.62 $14.62

23.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 $28.84

$25.86 $25.86

11.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.86 $42.86

$29.84 $29.84

43.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 $17.92

$14.62 $14.62

22.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 $6.75

$7.28 $7.28

-7.28%

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

$750 $750

$369 $369

103.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,967 $8,967

$5,777 $5,777

55.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 $69.7

$64.8 $64.8

7.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.06 $49.06

$39.86 $39.86

23.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$127 $127

-11.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$91.7 $91.7

19.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$440 $440

24.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 $362

$275 $275

31.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 $1,126

$705 $705

59.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$637 $637

$448 $448

42.26%

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

10.05

0.70%

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

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Last update for Banos: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$362 35.6%

Banos

$275 33.6% 23.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$192 18.9%

Banos

$176 21.5% 8.1% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$153 15.1%

Banos

$146 17.8% 5% $7.6

Eating Out

Quito

$145 14.3%

Banos

$94 11.5% 35% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.4%

Banos

$74 9.1% 1.3% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$56 5.6%

Banos

$44 5.4% 21.2% $12

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Banos

$8.9 * 1.1% 72.2% $23

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 $440 in Banos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Quito vs $30 in Banos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $176 per month, with Banos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇪🇨 Banos

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

Same time as Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

9,501

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quito Banos 130 km

From you

Quito
Banos

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 Banos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Banos wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Quito. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Banos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,522 in Quito and $1,228 in Banos 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 $440 in Banos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $750 in Quito versus $369 in Banos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Banos – a meal for two runs $30 versus $55 in Quito. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Banos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $819 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Banos hard to pass up.