Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Fort St John, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $1,913 in Fort St John, BC, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Fort St John, BC

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 St John, BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $978 in Quito versus $1,913 in Fort St John, BC.

Quito $978
Fort St John, BC $1,913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,586 in Quito versus $2,956 in Fort St John, BC.

Quito $1,586
Fort St John, BC $2,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,194 in Quito versus $4,000 in Fort St John, BC.

Quito $2,194
Fort St John, BC $4,000

Living in Quito costs roughly 49% less than in Fort St John, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 28% below, Fort St John, BC is 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$17.24 CA$24.37

-64.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$41.68 CA$58.9

33.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$9.28 CA$13.11

-18.00%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$3.84 CA$5.43

-11.46%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$1.71 CA$2.42

-19.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.20 CA$1.70

-9.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$6.20 CA$8.76

-44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$4.61 CA$6.51

31.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$3.36 CA$4.75

-66.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.77 CA$3.91

-42.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.70 CA$5.23

-57.30%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$3.93 CA$5.56

-46.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$11.80 CA$16.69

-44.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$13.63 CA$19.27

-59.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$18.56 CA$26.23

-58.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$5.70 CA$8.06

-60.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$0.67 CA$0.95

77.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$3.75 CA$5.30

-64.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$3.50 CA$4.95

-67.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.73 CA$3.86

-54.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.82 CA$3.99

-63.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.03 CA$2.87

-54.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.51 CA$3.54

-58.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$14.53 CA$20.55

-57.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$20.83 CA$29.44

-51.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$4.98 CA$7.04

-68.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$5.51 CA$7.80

-43.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$1.37 CA$1.94

-73.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

$28.24 CA$39.92

-24.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.17 CA$1.65

-30.77%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

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

$27.9K $27.9K

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

$28.75 $28.75

$124 CA$175

-76.79%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$96.6 CA$137

-81.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$59.4 CA$83.9

-52.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$13.11 CA$18.53

251.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$10.56 CA$14.93

-39.96%

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

$739 $739

$707 CA$1,000

4.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$71.3 CA$101

-0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$46.86 CA$66.3

7.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$105 CA$149

8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$139 CA$197

-22.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$737 CA$1,041

-33.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$692 CA$979

-55.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$1,520 CA$2,149

-38.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$1,380 CA$1,951

-60.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$3,001 CA$4,243

-80.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

6.1

65.90%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Fort St John, BC

$692 36.2% 124% $384

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Fort St John, BC

$446 23.3% 125% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Fort St John, BC

$163 8.5% 5.7% $8.8

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Fort St John, BC

$264 13.8% 74.1% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Fort St John, BC

$280 14.6% 274% $205

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Fort St John, BC

$34 1.8% 41.7% $25

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Fort St John, BC

$34 * 1.8% 6.1% $1.9

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 $491 in Quito and $737 in Fort St John, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort St John, BC pays 405% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Quito vs $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $446, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

16:08 4:08 PM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

18,609

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quito Fort St John, BC 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Fort St John, BC

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 St John, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 405% lower in Fort St John, BC. 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: $491 in Quito versus $737 in Fort St John, BC. 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 $55.0 versus $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $978 per month in Quito versus $1,913 in Fort St John, BC – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $978 in Quito versus $1,913 in Fort St John, BC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Fort St John, BC. The gap between the two cities makes Quito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Quito is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fort St John, BC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Fort St John, BC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.