Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Portoviejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $877 a month against $1,015 in Quito, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
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Portoviejo Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Portoviejo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,015 in Quito versus $877 in Portoviejo.

Quito $1,015
Portoviejo $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,636 in Quito versus $1,400 in Portoviejo.

Quito $1,636
Portoviejo $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,258 in Quito versus $1,924 in Portoviejo.

Quito $2,258
Portoviejo $1,924

Living in Quito is roughly 16% more expensive than in Portoviejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quito 25% lower, Portoviejo 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 $5.41

$4.06 $4.06

33.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$51.6 $51.6

6.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 $7.66

$8.95 $8.95

-14.41%

Cappuccino

$3.31 $3.31

$2.93 $2.93

12.97%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$0.94 $0.94

44.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.67 $0.67

62.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.91 $2.91

18.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$4.16 $4.16

40.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.17 $1.17

-6.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.02 $2.02

-23.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.45 $1.45

7.59%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.15 $2.15

0.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$6.95 $6.95

-7.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$5.04 $5.04

3.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 $7.66

$9.41 $9.41

-18.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.52 $1.52

53.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.15 $1.15

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.99 $0.99

28.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.96 $0.96

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.22 $1.22

-2.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.99 $0.99

3.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 $0.90

$0.89 $0.89

1.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.94 $0.94

6.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 $6.14

$6.04 $6.04

1.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.62 $8.62

$12.23 $12.23

-29.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.50 $1.50

5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.19 $2.19

41.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.34 $0.34

5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 $21.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.67 $2.67

-45.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.79 $1.79

-13.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.07 $10.07

$12.17 $12.17

-17.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.88 $0.88

-2.27%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$23.0K $23.0K

1.53%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$30.8K $30.8K

-1.14%

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

$28.33 $28.33

$33.95 $33.95

-16.55%

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

$18.08 $18.08

$14.67 $14.67

23.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 $28.84

$26.33 $26.33

9.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.86 $42.86

$31.57 $31.57

35.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 $17.92

$16.27 $16.27

10.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 $6.75

$7.54 $7.54

-10.48%

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

$750 $750

$375 $375

99.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,967 $8,967

$5,671 $5,671

58.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 $69.7

$65.2 $65.2

6.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.06 $49.06

$41.29 $41.29

18.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$123 $123

-8.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$92.4 $92.4

18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$415 $415

32.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 $362

$273 $273

32.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 $1,126

$914 $914

23.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$637 $637

$430 $430

48.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,654 $1,654

$1,019 $1,019

62.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 $664

$789 $789

-15.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 $606

$331 $331

82.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.05

0.70%

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

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portoviejo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$362 35.6%

Portoviejo

$273 31.2% 24.4% $88

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$192 18.9%

Portoviejo

$201 22.9% 4.7% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$153 15.1%

Portoviejo

$145 16.5% 5.4% $8.3

Eating Out

Quito

$145 14.3%

Portoviejo

$124 14.1% 14.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.4%

Portoviejo

$75 8.5% 0.4% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$56 5.6%

Portoviejo

$47 5.3% 17.2% $9.7

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Portoviejo

$13 * 1.5% 59.5% $19

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 $548 in Quito and $415 in Portoviejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quito pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Quito vs $52 in Portoviejo. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $201, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

Same time as Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

180,641

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Quito Portoviejo 230 km

From you

Quito
Portoviejo

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 Portoviejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portoviejo wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Quito. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Portoviejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 83% higher in Quito, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $548 in Quito versus $415 in Portoviejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Quito pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,015 per month in Quito versus $877 in Portoviejo – Portoviejo is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Portoviejo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Portoviejo wins on affordability, Quito on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.