Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Quesnel

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $2,330 in Quesnel, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Quesnel
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Quesnel Living Index

Jump to prices

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Quesnel

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Quesnel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $978 in Quito versus $2,330 in Quesnel.

Quito $978
Quesnel $2,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,586 in Quito versus $3,279 in Quesnel.

Quito $1,586
Quesnel $3,279

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,194 in Quito versus $4,227 in Quesnel.

Quito $2,194
Quesnel $4,227

Living in Quito costs roughly 58% less than in Quesnel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 28% below, Quesnel is 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$16.27 CA$23.00

-62.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$44.91 CA$63.5

23.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$10.90 CA$15.41

-30.18%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$4.02 CA$5.69

-15.42%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$2.38 CA$3.36

-42.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.99 CA$2.81

-45.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$4.50 CA$6.37

-23.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$5.74 CA$8.12

5.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.27 CA$3.21

-49.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.45 CA$3.46

-34.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.95 CA$5.59

-60.00%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$4.66 CA$6.59

-54.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$11.82 CA$16.72

-44.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$16.49 CA$23.31

-66.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$16.55 CA$23.40

-53.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$4.05 CA$5.72

-44.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.29 CA$1.82

-7.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$4.36 CA$6.17

-69.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$4.27 CA$6.03

-73.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.04 CA$4.30

-59.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.64 CA$5.15

-71.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.46 CA$3.48

-62.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.72 CA$2.43

-38.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$11.87 CA$16.78

-48.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.46 CA$14.79

-3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.55 CA$3.60

-38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.24 CA$4.58

-4.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$2.22 CA$3.14

-83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

$55.6 CA$78.7

-61.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.49 CA$3.53

-38.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.15 CA$3.03

-30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$41.45 CA$58.6

-76.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.24 CA$1.76

-34.68%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$28.6K CA$40.4K

-25.68%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$22.1K CA$31.2K

26.23%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$172 CA$243

-83.30%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$38.46 CA$54.4

-53.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$69.1 CA$97.7

-59.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$40.54 CA$57.3

13.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$18.31 CA$25.89

-3.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$7.26 CA$10.26

-12.67%

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

$739 $739

$736 CA$1,041

0.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$12.4K CA$17.5K

-27.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$36.45 CA$51.5

94.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$45.75 CA$64.7

10.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$76.6 CA$108

49.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$107 CA$151

0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$771 CA$1,089

-36.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$1,133 CA$1,601

-72.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$1,910 CA$2,701

-51.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$1,664 CA$2,353

-67.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

$3,754 CA$5,306

-53.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

$3,780 CA$5,344

-81.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$2,424 CA$3,427

-75.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

5.35

89.16%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Quesnel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Quesnel

$1.1K 48.6% 267% $824

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Quesnel

$403 17.3% 104% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Quesnel

$120 5.1% 22.5% $35

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Quesnel

$263 11.3% 73.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Quesnel

$280 12% 274% $205

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Quesnel

$55 2.4% 6.3% $3.7

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Quesnel

$78 3.3% 145% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $491 in Quito and $771 in Quesnel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quesnel pays 308% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Quito vs $45.00 in Quesnel. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $403, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇨🇦 Quesnel

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

10,007

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quito Quesnel 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Quesnel

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 Quesnel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito wins on cost – living expenses run 138% lower than in Quesnel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Quito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 308% lower in Quesnel. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $491 in Quito versus $771 in Quesnel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 104% higher in Quesnel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Quito – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $45.00 in Quesnel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $978 in Quito versus $2,330 in Quesnel, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Quesnel. The gap between the two cities makes Quito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Quito delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $978 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Quito hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Quesnel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.