Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $1,014 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,014

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Calgary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Quito versus $2,297 in Calgary.

Quito $1,014
Calgary $2,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Quito versus $3,378 in Calgary.

Quito $1,641
Calgary $3,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,269 in Quito versus $4,459 in Calgary.

Quito $2,269
Calgary $4,459

Living in Quito costs roughly 56% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 25% below, Calgary is 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 $5.55

$17.94 CA$25.15

-69.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 $54.6

$68.9 CA$96.5

-20.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 $7.63

$10.94 CA$15.33

-30.26%

Cappuccino

$3.33 $3.33

$3.70 CA$5.19

-10.00%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$2.07 CA$2.90

-34.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.04 CA$2.86

-44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 $3.69

$5.74 CA$8.05

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$5.70 CA$7.99

8.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.98 CA$2.77

-41.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.65 CA$3.71

-39.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$5.84 CA$8.18

-74.14%

Eggs

$2.15 $2.15

$3.81 CA$5.35

-43.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$10.81 CA$15.15

-40.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$11.02 CA$15.45

-51.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 $7.77

$17.87 CA$25.06

-56.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$4.88 CA$6.84

-54.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.45 CA$2.03

-14.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$4.15 CA$5.82

-69.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$3.99 CA$5.59

-72.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.93 CA$4.10

-57.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$3.02 CA$4.24

-64.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.67 CA$3.74

-65.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.57 CA$2.20

-37.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 $5.95

$14.11 CA$19.77

-57.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 $8.35

$15.45 CA$21.66

-45.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.50 CA$3.51

-39.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.18 CA$4.45

0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$2.85 CA$3.99

-88.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.42 $21.42

$90.2 CA$126

-76.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.16 CA$4.43

-51.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.41 CA$1.97

8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$27.46 CA$38.49

-63.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.18 CA$1.66

-27.97%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$27.9K CA$39.1K

-18.50%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

40.46%

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

$28.99 $28.99

$182 CA$255

-84.05%

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

$17.94 $17.94

$36.01 CA$50.5

-50.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.85 $28.85

$48.80 CA$68.4

-40.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 $45.09

$48.78 CA$68.4

-7.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.78 $17.78

$18.15 CA$25.45

-2.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 $6.75

$14.52 CA$20.35

-53.51%

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

$743 $743

$542 CA$760

37.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,223 $8,223

$21.2K CA$29.7K

-61.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$59.1 CA$82.8

18.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$42.34 CA$59.4

18.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$94.2 CA$132

19.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$109 CA$152

-1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 $542

$1,214 CA$1,702

-55.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 $354

$1,036 CA$1,453

-65.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$2,045 CA$2,867

-44.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 $638

$1,655 CA$2,319

-61.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,636 $1,636

$3,653 CA$5,121

-55.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$663 $663

$3,183 CA$4,462

-79.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$603 $603

$3,219 CA$4,512

-81.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

4.43

128.44%

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

Last update for Quito: November 2, 2026

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$354 34.9%

Calgary

$1K 45.1% 193% $682

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$193 19%

Calgary

$390 17% 102% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$153 15.1%

Calgary

$137 6% 10.5% $16

Eating Out

Quito

$148 14.6%

Calgary

$277 12.1% 87.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$76 7.5%

Calgary

$267 11.6% 252% $191

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 5.8%

Calgary

$78 3.4% 32.8% $19

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Calgary

$112 4.9% 250% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Quito and $1,214 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Quito vs $69 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $390 per month, with Quito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

04:17 4:17 AM

1 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Quito Calgary 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
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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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Quito. 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: $542 in Quito versus $1,214 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Quito – a meal for two runs $55 versus $69 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,014 per month in Quito versus $2,297 in Calgary – Quito is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,014 in Quito versus $2,297 in Calgary, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Calgary. 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 56% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.