Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Tepic

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $1,100 in Tepic, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Tepic

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

A single person spends $978 per month in Quito vs $1,100 in Tepic, rent included.

Quito $978
Tepic $1,100

A couple spends around $1,586 per month in Quito vs $1,808 in Tepic, rent included.

Quito $1,586
Tepic $1,808

A family of three spends $2,194 per month in Quito vs $2,516 in Tepic, rent included.

Quito $2,194
Tepic $2,516

Quito is about 11% cheaper than Tepic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Quito and Tepic are more affordable than the global median – Quito 28% lower, Tepic 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$13.45 MX$249

-54.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$44.40 MX$820

24.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$9.21 MX$170

-17.37%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$3.24 MX$59.9

4.94%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$1.73 MX$31.90

-20.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.23 MX$22.64

-11.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.81 MX$51.9

22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$5.02 MX$92.8

20.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.51 MX$27.89

-24.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.45 MX$45.20

-34.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.69 MX$31.24

-6.51%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$2.11 MX$38.94

0.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$4.90 MX$90.5

34.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$9.48 MX$175

-41.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$11.69 MX$216

-34.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.81 MX$52.0

-20.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.58 MX$29.26

-24.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.98 MX$36.53

-32.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.82 MX$33.72

-37.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.02 MX$37.37

-38.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.83 MX$33.77

-44.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.46 MX$26.98

-36.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.07 MX$19.83

-1.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$4.26 MX$78.8

44.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.56 MX$195

-4.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.78 MX$14.44

102.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.36 MX$62.1

-8.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.83 MX$15.42

-56.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.24 MX$41.34

-31.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.33 MX$24.65

12.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$12.03 MX$222

-18.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.43 MX$26.37

-43.36%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$21.2K MX$392.2K

0.13%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$23.9K MX$441.4K

16.80%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$44.05 MX$814

-34.73%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$12.13 MX$224

47.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$30.94 MX$572

-8.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$34.03 MX$629

35.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$20.32 MX$376

-12.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$6.62 MX$122

-4.23%

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

$739 $739

$253 MX$4,676

192.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$10.7K MX$198.2K

-16.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$59.8 MX$1,105

18.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$39.45 MX$729

27.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$108 MX$1,998

5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$83.4 MX$1,542

28.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$518 MX$9,568

-5.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$360 MX$6,658

-14.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$1,027 MX$19.0K

-9.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$752 MX$13.9K

-28.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

$1,837 MX$33.9K

-4.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

$1,128 MX$20.8K

-36.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$657 MX$12.1K

-9.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.68

-13.36%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tepic: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Tepic

$360 32.7% 16.7% $51

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Tepic

$253 23% 27.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Tepic

$131 11.9% 15.2% $23

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Tepic

$210 19.1% 38.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Tepic

$87 7.9% 16.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Tepic

$47 4.3% 19.6% $11

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Tepic

$12 * 1.1% 61.5% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $491 in Quito versus $518 in Tepic. 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 11% higher in Tepic, 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 $55.0 in Quito versus $44.00 in Tepic. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $253 in Tepic – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Tepic

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

371,387

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quito Tepic 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Tepic

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 Tepic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tepic is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,467 per month in Quito and $1,651 in Tepic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $978 in Quito and $1,100 in Tepic. That's a gap of about 13%.

Kindergarten costs $739 per month in Quito and $253 in Tepic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Tepic at $1,100. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tepic it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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