Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Salinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Salinas: $790 a month against $1,015 in Quito, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Salinas
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Salinas Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Salinas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Salinas

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

A single person spends $1,015 per month in Quito vs $790 in Salinas, rent included.

Quito $1,015
Salinas $790

A couple spends around $1,636 per month in Quito vs $1,224 in Salinas, rent included.

Quito $1,636
Salinas $1,224

A family of three spends $2,258 per month in Quito vs $1,658 in Salinas, rent included.

Quito $2,258
Salinas $1,658

Quito costs about 28% more than Salinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Quito and Salinas are more affordable than the global median – Quito 25% lower, Salinas 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 $5.41

$3.48 $3.48

55.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$30.14 $30.14

82.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 $7.66

$7.63 $7.63

0.39%

Cappuccino

$3.31 $3.31

$2.69 $2.69

23.05%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$0.74 $0.74

83.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.44 $0.44

147.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.96 $1.96

76.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.99 $2.99

95.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.05 $1.05

3.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.09 $2.09

-25.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.53 $1.53

1.96%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.17 $2.17

-0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$6.73 $6.73

-4.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$6.14 $6.14

-14.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 $7.66

$7.57 $7.57

1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.08 $2.08

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.01 $1.01

18.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.34 $1.34

-5.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.98 $0.98

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.55 $1.55

-23.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.03 $1.03

-0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 $0.90

$0.75 $0.75

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.99 $0.99

1.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 $6.14

$5.19 $5.19

18.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.62 $8.62

$8.70 $8.70

-0.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.28 $1.28

23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.39 $1.39

123.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.33 $0.33

9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 $21.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.27 $1.27

14.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.90 $0.90

71.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.07 $10.07

$7.77 $7.77

29.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.81 $0.81

6.17%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$22.8K $22.8K

2.14%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$30.9K $30.9K

-1.47%

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

$28.33 $28.33

$25.33 $25.33

11.84%

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

$18.08 $18.08

$13.52 $13.52

33.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 $28.84

$26.28 $26.28

9.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.86 $42.86

$29.97 $29.97

43.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 $17.92

$15.90 $15.90

12.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 $6.75

$4.37 $4.37

54.46%

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

$750 $750

$235 $235

219.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,967 $8,967

$7,006 $7,006

28.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 $69.7

$66.0 $66.0

5.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.06 $49.06

$46.36 $46.36

5.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$124 $124

-9.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$72.3 $72.3

51.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$394 $394

39.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 $362

$242 $242

49.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 $1,126

$522 $522

115.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$637 $637

$368 $368

73.31%

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

$526 $526

15.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

12.44%

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

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Last update for Salinas: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$362 35.6%

Salinas

$242 30.6% 33% $119

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$192 18.9%

Salinas

$195 24.6% 1.5% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$153 15.1%

Salinas

$139 17.6% 9.2% $14

Eating Out

Quito

$145 14.3%

Salinas

$104 13.1% 28.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.4%

Salinas

$65 8.2% 13.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$56 5.6%

Salinas

$39 4.9% 31.3% $18

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Salinas

$7.1 * 0.9% 77.7% $25

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 $394 in Salinas. 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 15% higher in Quito, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Quito versus $30 in Salinas. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Quito vs $195 in Salinas – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇪🇨 Salinas

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

Same time as Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

29,294

💱 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 Salinas 350 km

From you

Quito
Salinas

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 Salinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Quito is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,522 per month in Quito and $1,186 in Salinas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salinas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $548 in Quito.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Quito and $30 in Salinas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $750 per month in Quito and $235 in Salinas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

If budget matters most, go with Salinas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Quito makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.