Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Puerto Penasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,216 in Puerto Penasco, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Penasco
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Puerto Penasco Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Puerto Penasco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Quito versus $1,216 in Puerto Penasco.

Quito $979
Puerto Penasco $1,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,607 in Quito versus $1,963 in Puerto Penasco.

Quito $1,607
Puerto Penasco $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,234 in Quito versus $2,710 in Puerto Penasco.

Quito $2,234
Puerto Penasco $2,710

Living in Quito costs roughly 20% less than in Puerto Penasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quito 27% lower, Puerto Penasco 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 $6.14

$12.20 MX$224

-49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$44.66 MX$820

20.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 $7.81

$8.56 MX$157

-8.76%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$4.83 MX$88.7

-29.19%

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

$1.44 $1.44

$1.40 MX$25.67

2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.05 MX$19.32

8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.67 MX$49.05

30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$3.95 MX$72.6

49.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.60 MX$29.32

-28.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.05 MX$55.9

-49.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.68 MX$30.92

-10.12%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.99 MX$54.8

-27.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$4.88 MX$89.7

31.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$10.75 MX$197

-49.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$9.68 MX$178

-19.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$4.47 MX$82.1

-47.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.91 MX$35.06

-35.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$3.15 MX$57.8

-58.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.11 MX$38.80

-45.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.95 MX$35.88

-37.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.02 MX$37.14

-49.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.46 MX$26.85

-36.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.59 MX$29.19

-33.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.48 MX$82.2

34.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$13.70 MX$252

-27.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.57 MX$28.91

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.56 MX$28.67

97.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.64 MX$11.71

-42.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 $20.95

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.25 MX$41.40

-31.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.13 MX$57.5

-51.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$11.22 MX$206

-10.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.38 MX$25.27

-36.96%

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

$21.0K $21.0K

$21.3K MX$391.3K

-1.53%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$24.4K MX$448.1K

17.00%

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

$28.97 $28.97

$71.5 MX$1,314

-59.51%

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

$17.57 $17.57

$12.60 MX$231

39.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 $28.14

$43.81 MX$804

-35.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 $46.48

$33.41 MX$613

39.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.70 $17.70

$20.26 MX$372

-12.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.38 $6.38

$5.43 MX$99.6

17.50%

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

$746 $746

$226 MX$4,143

230.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,015 $9,015

$4,696 MX$86.2K

91.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$55.9 MX$1,026

23.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$42.12 MX$773

19.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$100 MX$1,839

17.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$90.6 MX$1,664

20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 $478

$533 MX$9,787

-10.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 $313

$387 MX$7,112

-19.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 $967

$958 MX$17.6K

1.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 $549

$764 MX$14.0K

-28.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$1,873 MX$34.4K

-5.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 $720

$1,168 MX$21.4K

-38.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 $597

$596 MX$10.9K

0.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.55

-4.08%

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

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Last update for Puerto Penasco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$313 31.8%

Puerto Penasco

$387 31.9% 23.7% $74

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.1%

Puerto Penasco

$293 24.1% 48.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$156 15.8%

Puerto Penasco

$130 10.7% 16.5% $26

Eating Out

Quito

$153 15.5%

Puerto Penasco

$212 17.5% 38.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.6%

Puerto Penasco

$128 10.5% 71.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Puerto Penasco

$44 3.6% 25.3% $15

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Puerto Penasco

$20 * 1.7% 35.3% $11

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 $533 in Puerto Penasco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quito pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $54.0 in Quito vs $45.00 in Puerto Penasco. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $293, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Puerto Penasco

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

56,756

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Quito Puerto Penasco 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Puerto Penasco

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 Penasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito and Puerto Penasco differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $1,216 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% 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: $478 in Quito versus $533 in Puerto Penasco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $746 in Quito versus $226 in Puerto Penasco. 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 Puerto Penasco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Quito versus $1,216 in Puerto Penasco, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Puerto Penasco. 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.

Safety-wise, Quito and Puerto Penasco are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Puerto Penasco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.