Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Los Banos, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $984 a month against $2,394 in Los Banos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Los Banos, CA
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Los Banos, CA Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$984

/mo nomad

Los Banos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Los Banos, CA

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 Los Banos, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $984 in Quito versus $2,394 in Los Banos, CA.

Quito $984
Los Banos, CA $2,394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,587 in Quito versus $3,580 in Los Banos, CA.

Quito $1,587
Los Banos, CA $3,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,189 in Quito versus $4,767 in Los Banos, CA.

Quito $2,189
Los Banos, CA $4,767

Living in Quito costs roughly 59% less than in Los Banos, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 27% below, Los Banos, CA is 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.07 $6.07

$14.86 $14.86

-59.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 $53.8

$101 $101

-46.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 $7.45

$9.83 $9.83

-24.21%

Cappuccino

$3.34 $3.34

$5.11 $5.11

-34.64%

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

$1.39 $1.39

$2.53 $2.53

-45.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.04 $2.04

-43.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 $3.45

$7.94 $7.94

-56.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 $5.98

$8.24 $8.24

-27.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.03 $1.03

6.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.21 $3.21

-52.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.95 $2.95

-49.49%

Eggs

$2.09 $2.09

$1.58 $1.58

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$8.69 $8.69

-27.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$7.73 $7.73

-27.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.57 $7.57

$12.80 $12.80

-40.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.39 $3.39

-34.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.35 $1.35

-8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.79 $2.79

-54.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.83 $2.83

-60.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.92 $2.92

-59.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.44 $2.44

-55.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.30 $2.30

-59.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.49 $2.49

-59.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 $5.91

$11.10 $11.10

-46.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$14.10 $14.10

-28.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.87 $1.87

-18.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.31 $1.31

144.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$2.04 $2.04

-81.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.25 $21.25

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.71 $2.71

-45.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.56 $1.56

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 $10.08

$32.88 $32.88

-69.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.45 $1.45

-44.14%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$30.4K $30.4K

-24.97%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$27.0K $27.0K

13.26%

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

$28.20 $28.20

$217 $217

-87.02%

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

$17.65 $17.65

$44.68 $44.68

-60.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.83 $28.83

$88.7 $88.7

-67.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.91 $46.91

$39.09 $39.09

20.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.10 $18.10

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 $6.58

$14.86 $14.86

-55.72%

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

$744 $744

$2,509 $2,509

-70.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,068 $9,068

$29.5K $29.5K

-69.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 $70.1

$23.82 $23.82

194.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.81 $49.81

$21.67 $21.67

129.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$52.3 $52.3

119.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$59.4 $59.4

84.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 $481

$1,618 $1,618

-70.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 $317

$1,294 $1,294

-75.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 $950

$2,682 $2,682

-64.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 $546

$2,280 $2,280

-76.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,775 $1,775

$2,713 $2,713

-34.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$722 $722

$2,408 $2,408

-70.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 $597

$6,598 $6,598

-90.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

6.47

56.41%

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

Last update for Quito: October 17, 2026

Last update for Los Banos, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$317 32.2%

Los Banos, CA

$1.3K 54.1% 308% $977

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$195 19.9%

Los Banos, CA

$307 12.8% 57% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$155 15.8%

Los Banos, CA

$71 3% 54.4% $84

Eating Out

Quito

$150 15.3%

Los Banos, CA

$284 11.9% 88.9% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.6%

Los Banos, CA

$351 14.7% 370% $276

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$60 6.1%

Los Banos, CA

$69 2.9% 14.6% $8.8

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Los Banos, CA

$19 * 0.8% 41.3% $13

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 $481 in Quito and $1,618 in Los Banos, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Banos, CA pays 1005% 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: $54.0 in Quito vs $101 in Los Banos, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $307 per month, with Quito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇺🇸 Los Banos, CA

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

06:54 6:54 AM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

35,972

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Quito Los Banos, CA 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Los Banos, CA

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 Los Banos, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito wins on cost – living expenses run 143% lower than in Los Banos, CA. 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 1005% lower in Los Banos, CA. 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: $481 in Quito versus $1,618 in Los Banos, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Los Banos, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $984 per month in Quito versus $2,394 in Los Banos, CA – a 143% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $984 in Quito versus $2,394 in Los Banos, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Los Banos, CA. 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 – similar infrastructure at $984 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Quito hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 143% less than in Los Banos, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.