Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riobamba and Vilcabamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Riobamba: $557 a month against $944 in Vilcabamba, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Riobamba
Learn more

Riobamba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
Learn more

Vilcabamba Living Index

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Riobamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$557

/mo nomad

Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riobamba and in Vilcabamba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Riobamba and in Vilcabamba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $557 in Riobamba versus $944 in Vilcabamba.

Riobamba $557
Vilcabamba $944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $889 in Riobamba versus $1,411 in Vilcabamba.

Riobamba $889
Vilcabamba $1,411

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,220 in Riobamba versus $1,878 in Vilcabamba.

Riobamba $1,220
Vilcabamba $1,878

Living in Riobamba costs roughly 41% less than in Vilcabamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Riobamba 59% lower, Vilcabamba 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 $3.47

$3.40 $3.40

2.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.17 $16.17

$29.51 $29.51

-45.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.27 $6.27

$7.76 $7.76

-19.20%

Cappuccino

$2.36 $2.36

$2.12 $2.12

11.32%

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

$0.77 $0.77

$1.02 $1.02

-24.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.03 $1.03

-31.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.03 $2.03

-2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.55 $3.55

-17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.04 $1.04

-5.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.73 $1.73

26.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.53 $1.53

-43.79%

Eggs

$1.70 $1.70

$2.50 $2.50

-32.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$8.12 $8.12

-75.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$5.26 $5.26

-40.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$7.17 $7.17

-33.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.83 $1.83

-3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.14 $1.14

-57.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.28 $1.28

10.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.12 $1.12

-11.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$0.94 $0.94

-18.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.07 $1.07

-19.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 $0.47

$0.79 $0.79

-40.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.99 $0.99

-1.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 $5.12

$5.10 $5.10

0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 $5.45

$10.97 $10.97

-50.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.60 $1.60

-4.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.77 $2.77

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.34 $0.34

-14.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.42 $1.42

-10.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.33 $1.33

-18.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.08 $11.08

$9.81 $9.81

12.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$0.66 $0.66

25.76%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$23.0K $23.0K

1.12%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$30.0K $30.0K

1.28%

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

$19.63 $19.63

$34.74 $34.74

-43.49%

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

$6.88 $6.88

$13.23 $13.23

-48.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.13 $27.13

$35.80 $35.80

-24.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.35 $25.35

$30.33 $30.33

-16.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.55 $16.55

$16.56 $16.56

-0.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 $6.01

$6.78 $6.78

-11.36%

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

$79.6 $79.6

$301 $301

-73.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,459 $1,459

$5,659 $5,659

-74.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$60.1 $60.1

-15.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.00 $48.00

$45.32 $45.32

5.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$108 $108

-4.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 $72.0

$72.5 $72.5

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 $117

$384 $384

-69.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.9 $95.9

$378 $378

-74.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 $222

$628 $628

-64.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 $192

$585 $585

-67.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$497 $497

$1,287 $1,287

-61.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,093 $1,093

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$340 $340

$454 $454

-25.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

10.09

10.60%

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

Last update for Riobamba: October 31, 2026

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Riobamba

$142 25.5%

Vilcabamba

$198 21% 39.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Riobamba

$123 22.2%

Vilcabamba

$129 13.7% 4.4% $5.4

Eating Out

Riobamba

$97 17.3%

Vilcabamba

$101 10.7% 4.9% $4.8

Accommodation & Living

Riobamba

$96 17.2%

Vilcabamba

$378 40.1% 295% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riobamba

$54 9.6%

Vilcabamba

$84 8.9% 56.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Riobamba

$37 6.7%

Vilcabamba

$44 4.7% 17.4% $6.5

Getting Around

Riobamba

$7.9 * 1.4%

Vilcabamba

$9.4 * 1% 20.3% $1.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Riobamba and $384 in Vilcabamba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilcabamba pays 34% 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: $16 in Riobamba vs $30 in Vilcabamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $198 per month, with Riobamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Riobamba

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

Same time as Riobamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Riobamba Vilcabamba 290 km

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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

Riobamba vs Vilcabamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $557 in Riobamba and $944 in Vilcabamba, so Riobamba is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Riobamba. 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: $117 in Riobamba versus $384 in Vilcabamba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $80 in Riobamba versus $301 in Vilcabamba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Riobamba – a meal for two runs $16 versus $30 in Vilcabamba. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Riobamba gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Riobamba and Vilcabamba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Riobamba wins on affordability, Vilcabamba on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.