Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Puerto Ayora

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Ayora: $841 a month against $1,015 in Quito, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Ayora
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Puerto Ayora Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Puerto Ayora

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Puerto Ayora

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

A single person spends $1,015 per month in Quito vs $841 in Puerto Ayora, rent included.

Quito $1,015
Puerto Ayora $841

A couple spends around $1,636 per month in Quito vs $1,370 in Puerto Ayora, rent included.

Quito $1,636
Puerto Ayora $1,370

A family of three spends $2,258 per month in Quito vs $1,898 in Puerto Ayora, rent included.

Quito $2,258
Puerto Ayora $1,898

Quito costs about 21% more than Puerto Ayora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Quito and Puerto Ayora are more affordable than the global median – Quito 25% lower, Puerto Ayora 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 $5.41

$3.66 $3.66

47.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$42.00 $42.00

31.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 $7.66

$7.51 $7.51

2.00%

Cappuccino

$3.31 $3.31

$2.75 $2.75

20.36%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$0.88 $0.88

54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.74 $0.74

47.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.55 $2.55

35.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.84 $3.84

52.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.07 $1.07

1.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.74 $1.74

-10.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.52 $1.52

2.63%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.13 $2.13

1.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$6.51 $6.51

-0.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$5.35 $5.35

-2.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 $7.66

$7.29 $7.29

5.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.81 $1.81

29.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.09 $1.09

10.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.23 $1.23

3.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.20 $1.20

-0.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.06 $1.06

-3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 $0.90

$0.70 $0.70

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.03 $1.03

-2.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 $6.14

$5.15 $5.15

19.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.62 $8.62

$8.02 $8.02

7.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.54 $1.54

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.05 $3.05

1.64%

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

$1.40 $1.40

4.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.29 $1.29

19.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.18 $10.18

-1.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.70 $0.70

22.86%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$20.9K $20.9K

11.86%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$34.6K $34.6K

-11.80%

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

$28.33 $28.33

$34.00 $34.00

-16.68%

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

$18.08 $18.08

$11.45 $11.45

57.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 $28.84

$26.26 $26.26

9.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.86 $42.86

$31.96 $31.96

34.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 $17.92

$17.85 $17.85

0.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 $6.75

$7.08 $7.08

-4.66%

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

$750 $750

$327 $327

129.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,967 $8,967

$4,955 $4,955

80.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 $69.7

$54.9 $54.9

27.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.06 $49.06

$45.38 $45.38

8.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$111 $111

0.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$79.8 $79.8

37.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$475 $475

15.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 $362

$283 $283

27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 $1,126

$697 $697

61.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$637 $637

$545 $545

17.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,654 $1,654

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 $664

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 $606

$808 $808

-24.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.09

0.30%

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

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Last update for Puerto Ayora: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$362 35.6%

Puerto Ayora

$283 33.7% 21.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$192 18.9%

Puerto Ayora

$188 22.3% 2.1% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$153 15.1%

Puerto Ayora

$131 15.6% 14.4% $22

Eating Out

Quito

$145 14.3%

Puerto Ayora

$112 13.3% 22.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.4%

Puerto Ayora

$72 8.5% 4.7% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$56 5.6%

Puerto Ayora

$46 5.5% 18.2% $10

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Puerto Ayora

$9.2 * 1.1% 71.2% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $548 in Quito versus $475 in Puerto Ayora. 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 33% higher in Puerto Ayora, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Quito versus $42 in Puerto Ayora. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $188 – making Puerto Ayora the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇪🇨 Puerto Ayora

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

12,696

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Highest

Between locations

Quito Puerto Ayora 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Puerto Ayora

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 Puerto Ayora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,015 in Quito, $841 in Puerto Ayora – Puerto Ayora comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,522 per month in Quito and $1,262 in Puerto Ayora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Ayora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $475 there versus $548 in Quito.

Kindergarten costs $750 per month in Quito and $327 in Puerto Ayora. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,015 in Quito and $841 in Puerto Ayora. That makes Puerto Ayora about 17% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,015 in Quito and $841 in Puerto Ayora, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto Ayora – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.