Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Todos Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $984 a month against $1,398 in Todos Santos, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Todos Santos
Learn more

Todos Santos Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$984

/mo nomad

Todos Santos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito and in Todos Santos

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

A single person spends $984 per month in Quito vs $1,398 in Todos Santos, rent included.

Quito $984
Todos Santos $1,398

A couple spends around $1,587 per month in Quito vs $2,069 in Todos Santos, rent included.

Quito $1,587
Todos Santos $2,069

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Quito vs $2,741 in Todos Santos, rent included.

Quito $2,189
Todos Santos $2,741

Quito is about 30% cheaper than Todos Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Quito sits 27% below the global median, while Todos Santos is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.07 $6.07

$10.97 MX$203

-44.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 $53.8

$44.57 MX$824

20.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 $7.45

$8.31 MX$154

-10.35%

Cappuccino

$3.34 $3.34

$3.54 MX$65.3

-5.65%

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

$1.39 $1.39

$1.41 MX$26.01

-1.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.06 MX$19.67

8.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.44 MX$45.14

41.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 $5.98

$4.13 MX$76.3

44.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.60 MX$29.60

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.68 MX$49.48

-42.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.65 MX$30.44

-9.70%

Eggs

$2.09 $2.09

$2.53 MX$46.72

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$8.01 MX$148

-20.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$8.20 MX$151

-31.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.57 $7.57

$11.37 MX$210

-33.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.82 MX$52.1

-20.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.57 MX$28.97

-21.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.91 MX$35.22

-32.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.83 MX$33.86

-38.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.92 MX$35.53

-38.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.80 MX$33.30

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.46 MX$26.92

-36.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.13 MX$20.97

-9.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 $5.91

$4.34 MX$80.3

36.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$10.44 MX$193

-3.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.75 MX$32.31

-13.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.23 MX$59.8

-0.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.63 MX$11.61

-41.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.25 $21.25

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.58 MX$47.63

-42.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.95 MX$35.96

-22.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.14 MX$206

-9.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.48 MX$27.32

-45.27%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$20.9K MX$386.6K

9.01%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$23.7K MX$437.5K

29.16%

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

$28.20 $28.20

$58.6 MX$1,082

-51.84%

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

$17.65 $17.65

$23.08 MX$426

-23.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.83 $28.83

$29.66 MX$548

-2.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.91 $46.91

$34.43 MX$636

36.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.10 $18.10

$20.26 MX$374

-10.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 $6.58

$5.05 MX$93.4

30.30%

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

$744 $744

$217 MX$4,006

243.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,068 $9,068

$4,567 MX$84.4K

98.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 $70.1

$54.0 MX$997

29.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.81 $49.81

$40.53 MX$749

22.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$100 MX$1,853

14.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$90.2 MX$1,666

21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 $481

$993 MX$18.3K

-51.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 $317

$650 MX$12.0K

-51.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 $950

$1,880 MX$34.7K

-49.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 $546

$979 MX$18.1K

-44.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,775 $1,775

$1,910 MX$35.3K

-7.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$722 $722

$1,134 MX$20.9K

-36.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 $597

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.3

-10.44%

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

Last update for Quito: October 17, 2026

Last update for Todos Santos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$317 32.2%

Todos Santos

$650 46.5% 105% $332

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$195 19.9%

Todos Santos

$264 18.9% 35% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$155 15.8%

Todos Santos

$128 9.2% 17.3% $27

Eating Out

Quito

$150 15.3%

Todos Santos

$185 13.3% 23.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.6%

Todos Santos

$111 8% 49.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$60 6.1%

Todos Santos

$45 3.2% 25.9% $16

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Todos Santos

$15 * 1.1% 53.4% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Quito versus $993 in Todos Santos. 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 $45.00 in Todos Santos. Groceries tell a different story – $195 in Quito vs $264 in Todos Santos – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Todos Santos

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

17:01 5:01 PM

2 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

5,148

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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 Todos Santos 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
Todos Santos

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 Todos Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Todos Santos is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,477 per month in Quito and $2,097 in Todos Santos. 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 $984 in Quito and $1,398 in Todos Santos. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $744 per month in Quito and $217 in Todos Santos. 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 $984, than in Todos Santos at $1,398. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Todos Santos 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, Todos Santos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.