Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Rosarito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,173 in Rosarito, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Quito
🇪🇨 Ecuador
$979
/mo nomad
Rosarito
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,173
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Rosarito

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

A single person spends $979 per month in Quito vs $1,173 in Rosarito, rent included.

  • Quito $979
  • Rosarito $1,173

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Quito vs $1,900 in Rosarito, rent included.

  • Quito $1,607
  • Rosarito $1,900

A family of three spends $2,234 per month in Quito vs $2,628 in Rosarito, rent included.

  • Quito $2,234
  • Rosarito $2,628

Quito is about 17% cheaper than Rosarito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quito and Rosarito are more affordable than the global median – Quito 27% lower, Rosarito 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.14 $6.14
$12.41 MX$228
-50.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.9 $53.9
$34.87 MX$640
54.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.81 $7.81
$9.82 MX$180
-20.47%
Cappuccino
$3.42 $3.42
$4.26 MX$78.2
-19.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 $1.44
$1.37 MX$25.20
5.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.24 MX$22.83
-8.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.48 $3.48
$3.42 MX$62.7
1.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.89 $5.89
$6.57 MX$121
-10.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.80 MX$33.03
-36.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 $1.54
$3.01 MX$55.3
-48.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.76 MX$32.27
-14.20%
Eggs
$2.16 $2.16
$3.31 MX$60.7
-34.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.40 $6.40
$8.34 MX$153
-23.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.48 $5.48
$7.32 MX$134
-25.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.81 $7.81
$11.88 MX$218
-34.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 $2.33
$2.86 MX$52.5
-18.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.68 MX$30.79
-26.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.91 MX$35.02
-31.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.65 MX$30.30
-30.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 $1.21
$1.58 MX$28.93
-23.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.91 MX$35.07
-46.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.93 $0.93
$1.47 MX$27.08
-36.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.07 MX$19.73
-1.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.02 $6.02
$4.37 MX$80.2
37.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.93 $9.93
$8.20 MX$151
21.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 $1.59
$2.30 MX$42.15
-30.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 $3.08
$4.11 MX$75.5
-25.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 $0.37
$0.66 MX$12.11
-43.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.95 $20.95
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 $1.54
$3.00 MX$55.2
-48.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 $1.53
$2.28 MX$41.84
-32.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.01 $10.01
$11.05 MX$203
-9.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 $0.87
$1.31 MX$24.12
-33.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K $21.0K
$21.2K MX$389.6K
-1.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.6K $28.6K
$24.4K MX$448.8K
16.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$28.97 $28.97
$48.34 MX$887
-40.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.57 $17.57
$34.02 MX$625
-48.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.14 $28.14
$29.93 MX$550
-5.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.48 $46.48
$35.33 MX$649
31.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.70 $17.70
$20.08 MX$369
-11.85%
Cinema Ticket
$6.38 $6.38
$6.88 MX$126
-7.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$746 $746
$210 MX$3,849
256.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,015 $9,015
$4,684 MX$86.0K
92.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.8 $68.8
$54.5 MX$1,000
26.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.4 $50.4
$46.77 MX$859
7.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 $117
$104 MX$1,901
13.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 $109
$69.5 MX$1,277
56.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$478 $478
$624 MX$11.5K
-23.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$313 $313
$396 MX$7,274
-20.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$967 $967
$1,036 MX$19.0K
-6.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$549 $549
$776 MX$14.2K
-29.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,763 $1,763
$1,894 MX$34.8K
-6.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$720 $720
$1,146 MX$21.0K
-37.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Quito
Rosarito
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$597 $597
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.12
12.07
-16.16%

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

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rosarito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Quito
$313
Rosarito
$396 26.5% $83
Groceries & Markets
Quito
$198
Rosarito
$269 36.3% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Quito
$156
Rosarito
$123 20.6% $32
Eating Out
Quito
$153
Rosarito
$220 44.1% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Quito
$75
Rosarito
$112 50.4% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Quito
$59
Rosarito
$49 17.1% $10
Getting Around
Quito
$32
Rosarito
$17 * 46.1% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Quito versus $624 in Rosarito. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Quito versus $35.00 in Rosarito. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $269 in Rosarito – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇪🇨 Quito
🇲🇽 Rosarito
🕒 Local time
22:23 10:23 PM
20:23 8:23 PM
2 h behind Quito
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,671,191 Capital
100,660
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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 = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Quito Rosarito 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Quito
  • Rosarito

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 Rosarito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rosarito cheaper than Quito?
Yes – Rosarito is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,468 per month in Quito and $1,759 in Rosarito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Quito, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Quito and in Rosarito?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $979 in Quito and $1,173 in Rosarito. That's a gap of about 20%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $746 per month in Quito and $210 in Rosarito. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Quito or in Rosarito?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Rosarito at $1,173. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rosarito it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Quito or Rosarito more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Quito – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Quito. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rosarito makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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