Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Helena, MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $1,014 a month against $3,132 in Helena, MT, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
150

Cost of Living Index in Helena, MT
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Helena, MT Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,014

/mo nomad

Helena, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,132

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Helena, MT

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Quito versus $3,132 in Helena, MT.

Quito $1,014
Helena, MT $3,132

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Quito versus $4,595 in Helena, MT.

Quito $1,641
Helena, MT $4,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,269 in Quito versus $6,059 in Helena, MT.

Quito $2,269
Helena, MT $6,059

Living in Quito costs roughly 68% less than in Helena, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 25% below, Helena, MT is 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 $5.55

$21.21 $21.21

-73.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 $54.6

$111 $111

-50.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 $7.63

$18.06 $18.06

-57.75%

Cappuccino

$3.33 $3.33

$5.01 $5.01

-33.53%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$2.20 $2.20

-38.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.72 $1.72

-33.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 $3.69

$5.10 $5.10

-27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$7.09 $7.09

-13.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.03 $1.03

11.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.89 $3.89

-58.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$4.55 $4.55

-66.81%

Eggs

$2.15 $2.15

$3.77 $3.77

-42.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$17.72 $17.72

-63.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$8.89 $8.89

-40.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 $7.77

$19.91 $19.91

-60.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$4.70 $4.70

-52.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.84 $1.84

-32.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$4.42 $4.42

-71.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$4.14 $4.14

-73.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.11 $2.11

-41.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.47 $1.47

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.65 $1.65

-44.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.63 $1.63

-39.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 $5.95

$10.28 $10.28

-42.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 $8.35

$12.79 $12.79

-34.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.78 $1.78

-14.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.58 $2.58

24.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$3.45 $3.45

-90.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.42 $21.42

$60.8 $60.8

-64.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$9.90 $9.90

-84.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.49 $3.49

-56.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$45.50 $45.50

-78.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$0.99 $0.99

-14.14%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$35.3K $35.3K

-35.74%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$30.1K $30.1K

-1.69%

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

$28.99 $28.99

$376 $376

-92.28%

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

$17.94 $17.94

$67.1 $67.1

-73.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.85 $28.85

$84.1 $84.1

-65.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 $45.09

$53.1 $53.1

-15.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.78 $17.78

$15.23 $15.23

16.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 $6.75

$11.98 $11.98

-43.66%

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

$743 $743

$1,902 $1,902

-60.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,223 $8,223

$27.9K $27.9K

-70.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$64.3 $64.3

8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$117 $117

-56.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$80.6 $80.6

40.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$122 $122

-12.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 $542

$1,756 $1,756

-69.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 $354

$1,527 $1,527

-76.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$2,889 $2,889

-60.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 $638

$2,568 $2,568

-75.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,636 $1,636

$3,430 $3,430

-52.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$663 $663

$3,028 $3,028

-78.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$603 $603

$6,496 $6,496

-90.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

6.35

59.37%

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

Last update for Quito: November 2, 2026

Last update for Helena, MT: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$354 34.9%

Helena, MT

$1.5K 48.8% 331% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$193 19%

Helena, MT

$388 12.4% 101% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$153 15.1%

Helena, MT

$173 5.5% 12.9% $20

Eating Out

Quito

$148 14.6%

Helena, MT

$339 10.8% 129% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$76 7.5%

Helena, MT

$527 16.8% 595% $451

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 5.8%

Helena, MT

$77 2.5% 31.5% $18

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Helena, MT

$102 3.3% 219% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Quito and $1,756 in Helena, MT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helena, MT pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Quito vs $111 in Helena, MT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $388 per month, with Quito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇺🇸 Helena, MT

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

32,091

💱 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 Helena, MT 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Helena, MT

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 Helena, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,014 in Quito and $3,132 in Helena, MT, so Quito is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 91% 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 $1,756 in Helena, MT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $743 in Quito versus $1,902 in Helena, MT. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Helena, MT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,014 in Quito versus $3,132 in Helena, MT, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Helena, MT. 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 68% less than in Helena, MT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.