Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,661 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $979 per month in Quito vs $1,661 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Quito $979
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,661

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Quito vs $2,454 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Quito $1,607
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,454

A family of three spends $2,234 per month in Quito vs $3,248 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Quito $2,234
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,248

Quito is about 41% cheaper than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Quito sits 27% below the global median, while Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 $6.14

$10.31 MX$188

-40.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$50.6 MX$920

6.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 $7.81

$10.14 MX$185

-22.98%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$3.53 MX$64.2

-3.12%

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

$1.44 $1.44

$1.49 MX$27.18

-3.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.99 MX$17.99

15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.51 MX$45.60

38.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.47 MX$81.3

31.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.77 MX$32.19

-35.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.18 MX$57.8

-51.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.56 MX$46.61

-41.02%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.35 MX$42.81

-8.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$11.62 MX$211

-44.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$10.11 MX$184

-45.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$13.70 MX$249

-42.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.73 MX$49.60

-14.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.55 MX$28.14

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.59 MX$28.97

-17.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.73 MX$31.52

-34.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.26 MX$22.88

-3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.85 MX$33.58

-44.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.77 MX$50.5

-66.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.27 MX$23.17

-17.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 $6.02

$5.06 MX$92.1

18.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$11.19 MX$204

-11.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.49 MX$27.11

6.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.53 MX$64.2

-12.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.87 MX$15.83

-57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 $20.95

$53.2 MX$967

-60.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$4.37 MX$79.4

-64.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.06 MX$55.6

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$10.59 MX$193

-5.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.46 MX$26.53

-40.41%

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

$21.0K $21.0K

$21.5K MX$390.4K

-2.23%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$24.4K MX$443.9K

17.00%

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

$28.97 $28.97

$86.9 MX$1,580

-66.64%

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

$17.57 $17.57

$25.56 MX$465

-31.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 $28.14

$32.06 MX$583

-12.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 $46.48

$45.89 MX$835

1.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.70 $17.70

$30.59 MX$557

-42.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.38 $6.38

$4.24 MX$77.1

50.47%

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

$746 $746

$231 MX$4,207

222.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,015 $9,015

$8,373 MX$152.3K

7.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$72.7 MX$1,323

-5.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$53.3 MX$970

-5.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$97.2 MX$1,768

20.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$67.5 MX$1,229

61.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 $478

$1,197 MX$21.8K

-60.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 $313

$758 MX$13.8K

-58.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 $967

$2,543 MX$46.3K

-61.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 $549

$1,215 MX$22.1K

-54.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$3,814 MX$69.4K

-53.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 $720

$2,196 MX$39.9K

-67.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 $597

$756 MX$13.8K

-21.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.6

-12.76%

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

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$313 31.8%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$758 45.8% 142% $445

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.1%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$304 18.4% 54% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$156 15.8%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$131 7.9% 15.9% $25

Eating Out

Quito

$153 15.5%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$187 11.3% 22% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$144 8.7% 93.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$54 3.3% 8.2% $4.9

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$76 4.6% 141% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Quito versus $1,197 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Quito versus $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $304 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

21:46 9:46 PM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

202,694

💱 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 70%, 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 $2,491 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. 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.

Public transport costs about 154% less in Quito. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $746 per month in Quito and $231 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,661. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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.

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