Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,138 in Nogales, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Nogales

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Quito versus $1,138 in Nogales.

Quito $979
Nogales $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,607 in Quito versus $1,854 in Nogales.

Quito $1,607
Nogales $1,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,234 in Quito versus $2,570 in Nogales.

Quito $2,234
Nogales $2,570

Living in Quito costs roughly 14% less than in Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quito 27% lower, Nogales 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 $6.14

$10.96 MX$199

-43.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$45.05 MX$820

19.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 $7.81

$8.37 MX$152

-6.69%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$3.62 MX$65.8

-5.52%

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

$1.44 $1.44

$1.35 MX$24.56

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.04 MX$18.83

9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.58 MX$46.86

34.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.10 MX$74.6

43.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.58 MX$28.83

-27.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.63 MX$47.77

-41.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.73 MX$31.56

-12.72%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.55 MX$46.34

-15.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$8.49 MX$154

-24.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$8.51 MX$155

-35.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$11.84 MX$215

-34.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.73 MX$49.58

-14.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.59 MX$28.89

-22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.91 MX$34.83

-31.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.85 MX$33.73

-38.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.96 MX$35.68

-38.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.92 MX$34.86

-46.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.45 MX$26.30

-35.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.11 MX$20.12

-5.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.33 MX$78.7

39.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$10.64 MX$194

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.84 MX$33.40

-13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.25 MX$59.2

-5.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.69 MX$12.54

-46.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 $20.95

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.58 MX$47.00

-40.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.06 MX$37.44

-25.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$11.28 MX$205

-11.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.48 MX$26.89

-41.22%

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

$21.0K $21.0K

$21.2K MX$385.8K

-1.06%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$24.9K MX$452.4K

14.81%

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

$28.97 $28.97

$62.4 MX$1,136

-53.60%

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

$17.57 $17.57

$22.44 MX$408

-21.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 $28.14

$30.41 MX$553

-7.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 $46.48

$34.79 MX$633

33.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.70 $17.70

$20.65 MX$376

-14.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.38 $6.38

$5.22 MX$94.9

22.22%

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

$746 $746

$224 MX$4,067

233.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,015 $9,015

$4,654 MX$84.7K

93.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$55.1 MX$1,002

24.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$42.38 MX$771

18.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$103 MX$1,874

14.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$92.4 MX$1,681

17.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 $478

$614 MX$11.2K

-22.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 $313

$400 MX$7,273

-21.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 $967

$1,072 MX$19.5K

-9.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 $549

$786 MX$14.3K

-30.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$1,927 MX$35.1K

-8.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 $720

$1,151 MX$20.9K

-37.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 $597

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 4, 2026

Last update for Nogales: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$313 31.8%

Nogales

$400 34.4% 27.7% $87

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.1%

Nogales

$269 23.1% 36% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$156 15.8%

Nogales

$132 11.3% 15.3% $24

Eating Out

Quito

$153 15.5%

Nogales

$187 16.1% 22.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.6%

Nogales

$115 9.9% 54.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Nogales

$45 3.9% 23.7% $14

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Nogales

$16 * 1.3% 50.6% $16

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 $478 in Quito and $614 in Nogales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Quito vs $45.00 in Nogales. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $269, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

22:27 10:27 PM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

261,137

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Quito Nogales 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Nogales

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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito and Nogales differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $1,138 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,468 in Quito and $1,707 in Nogales to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $478 in Quito versus $614 in Nogales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $746 in Quito versus $224 in Nogales. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Quito – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $45.00 in Nogales. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Quito versus $1,138 in Nogales, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Nogales. 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 16% less than in Nogales. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.