Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Fort Collins, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $1,014 a month against $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
Learn more

Quito Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Fort Collins, CO
Learn more

Fort Collins, CO Living Index

Jump to prices

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,014

/mo nomad

Fort Collins, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Fort Collins, CO

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 Fort Collins, CO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Quito versus $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO.

Quito $1,014
Fort Collins, CO $2,815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Quito versus $3,967 in Fort Collins, CO.

Quito $1,641
Fort Collins, CO $3,967

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,269 in Quito versus $5,119 in Fort Collins, CO.

Quito $2,269
Fort Collins, CO $5,119

Living in Quito costs roughly 64% less than in Fort Collins, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 25% below, Fort Collins, CO is 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 $5.55

$22.17 $22.17

-74.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 $54.6

$80.8 $80.8

-32.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 $7.63

$11.16 $11.16

-31.63%

Cappuccino

$3.33 $3.33

$6.28 $6.28

-46.97%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$2.43 $2.43

-44.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.08 $2.08

-45.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 $3.69

$7.05 $7.05

-47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$6.91 $6.91

-10.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.04 $1.04

10.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.88 $2.88

-44.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.79 $2.79

-45.88%

Eggs

$2.15 $2.15

$4.28 $4.28

-49.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$10.91 $10.91

-40.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$9.09 $9.09

-41.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 $7.77

$19.04 $19.04

-59.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$4.96 $4.96

-55.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.58 $1.58

-21.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$4.64 $4.64

-72.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$5.29 $5.29

-79.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.44 $3.44

-63.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$4.72 $4.72

-77.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.26 $2.26

-59.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.71 $1.71

-42.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 $5.95

$10.38 $10.38

-42.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 $8.35

$16.63 $16.63

-49.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.48 $2.48

-38.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.61 $2.61

22.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.42 $21.42

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.52 $2.52

-39.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.85 $1.85

-17.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$24.65 $24.65

-59.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.07 $1.07

-20.56%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$28.2K $28.2K

-19.54%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$25.7K $25.7K

15.14%

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

$28.99 $28.99

$211 $211

-86.24%

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

$17.94 $17.94

$56.0 $56.0

-67.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.85 $28.85

$70.4 $70.4

-59.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 $45.09

$50.3 $50.3

-10.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.78 $17.78

$30.35 $30.35

-41.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 $6.75

$12.12 $12.12

-44.31%

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

$743 $743

$1,294 $1,294

-42.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,223 $8,223

$11.5K $11.5K

-28.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$59.3 $59.3

17.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$68.1 $68.1

-26.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$81.6 $81.6

38.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$116 $116

-8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 $542

$1,876 $1,876

-71.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 $354

$1,510 $1,510

-76.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$2,852 $2,852

-59.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 $638

$2,194 $2,194

-70.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,636 $1,636

$4,047 $4,047

-59.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$663 $663

$2,856 $2,856

-76.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$603 $603

$4,357 $4,357

-86.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

6.77

49.48%

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

Last update for Quito: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fort Collins, CO: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$354 34.9%

Fort Collins, CO

$1.5K 53.6% 326% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$193 19%

Fort Collins, CO

$382 13.6% 98.4% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$153 15.1%

Fort Collins, CO

$146 5.2% 4.3% $6.6

Eating Out

Quito

$148 14.6%

Fort Collins, CO

$353 12.6% 139% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$76 7.5%

Fort Collins, CO

$337 12% 345% $261

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 5.8%

Fort Collins, CO

$75 2.7% 27.3% $16

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Fort Collins, CO

$12 * 0.4% 63.2% $20

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 $542 in Quito and $1,876 in Fort Collins, CO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Collins, CO pays about 7.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Quito vs $81 in Fort Collins, CO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $382 per month, with Quito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇺🇸 Fort Collins, CO

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

148,612

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quito Fort Collins, CO 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Fort Collins, CO

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 Fort Collins, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Fort Collins, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Quito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 86% 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 $1,876 in Fort Collins, CO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 98% higher in Fort Collins, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,014 per month in Quito versus $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO – Quito is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,014 in Quito versus $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Fort Collins, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Quito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Quito delivers better value at $1,014 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Quito hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Quito wins on affordability, Fort Collins, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.