Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Los Mochis

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $1,111 in Los Mochis, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
Learn more

Quito Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Los Mochis
Learn more

Los Mochis Living Index

Jump to prices

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Los Mochis

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Los Mochis

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

A single person spends $978 per month in Quito vs $1,111 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Quito $978
Los Mochis $1,111

A couple spends around $1,586 per month in Quito vs $1,768 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Quito $1,586
Los Mochis $1,768

A family of three spends $2,194 per month in Quito vs $2,424 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Quito $2,194
Los Mochis $2,424

Quito is about 12% cheaper than Los Mochis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quito and Los Mochis are more affordable than the global median – Quito 28% lower, Los Mochis 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$6.87 MX$127

-11.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$32.35 MX$598

71.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$11.01 MX$203

-30.88%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$3.17 MX$58.6

7.26%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$1.10 MX$20.34

24.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.01 MX$18.71

7.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.50 MX$46.20

37.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.41 MX$63.0

77.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.52 MX$28.02

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.75 MX$50.8

-41.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.71 MX$31.61

-7.60%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$2.35 MX$43.44

-9.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$8.61 MX$159

-23.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$9.59 MX$177

-42.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$12.84 MX$237

-40.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.52 MX$46.55

-11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.56 MX$28.79

-23.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.86 MX$34.31

-28.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.73 MX$31.88

-34.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.89 MX$34.99

-34.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.81 MX$33.47

-43.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.43 MX$26.36

-35.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.96 MX$17.81

9.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.74 MX$69.2

64.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$11.17 MX$207

-9.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.82 MX$33.72

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.09 MX$57.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.69 MX$12.73

-47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.62 MX$48.45

-41.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.95 MX$36.02

-23.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$10.87 MX$201

-9.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.43 MX$26.34

-43.36%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$21.3K MX$393.0K

-0.06%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$23.9K MX$441.4K

16.80%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$57.0 MX$1,053

-49.54%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$22.38 MX$414

-20.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$29.97 MX$554

-5.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$34.05 MX$629

35.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$19.97 MX$369

-11.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$5.22 MX$96.5

21.46%

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

$739 $739

$222 MX$4,108

232.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$5,159 MX$95.3K

72.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$53.7 MX$992

32.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$40.77 MX$753

23.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$102 MX$1,881

12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$88.0 MX$1,625

21.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$617 MX$11.4K

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$387 MX$7,153

-20.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$1,026 MX$19.0K

-9.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$777 MX$14.4K

-30.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

$1,913 MX$35.4K

-8.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

$1,292 MX$23.9K

-44.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$652 MX$12.0K

-8.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.3

-10.44%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Los Mochis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Los Mochis

$387 34.8% 25.4% $78

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Los Mochis

$273 24.6% 38.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Los Mochis

$128 11.5% 17.1% $26

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Los Mochis

$154 13.8% 1.6% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Los Mochis

$109 9.8% 46.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Los Mochis

$44 4% 24.3% $14

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Los Mochis

$15 * 1.4% 52.4% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $491 in Quito versus $617 in Los Mochis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Los Mochis, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Quito versus $32.00 in Los Mochis. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $273 in Los Mochis – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Los Mochis

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

298,009

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quito Los Mochis 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Los Mochis

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 Mochis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Mochis costs about 14% more than Quito, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,467 per month in Quito and $1,667 in Los Mochis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quito, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Quito and $32.00 in Los Mochis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Los Mochis, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Los Mochis at $1,111. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Mochis it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quito costs $978 versus $1,111 in Los Mochis. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Quito. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Los Mochis makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.