Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo, Ecuador and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $723 a month against $1,015 in Quito, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$723

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santo Domingo and in Quito

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

A single person spends $723 per month in Santo Domingo vs $1,015 in Quito, rent included.

Santo Domingo $723
Quito $1,015

A couple spends around $1,190 per month in Santo Domingo vs $1,636 in Quito, rent included.

Santo Domingo $1,190
Quito $1,636

A family of three spends $1,657 per month in Santo Domingo vs $2,258 in Quito, rent included.

Santo Domingo $1,657
Quito $2,258

Santo Domingo is about 29% cheaper than Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Santo Domingo and Quito are more affordable than the global median – Santo Domingo 47% lower, Quito 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 $3.96

$5.41 $5.41

-26.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.5 $51.5

$55.2 $55.2

-6.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$7.66 $7.66

19.45%

Cappuccino

$1.98 $1.98

$3.31 $3.31

-40.18%

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

$0.88 $0.88

$1.36 $1.36

-35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.09 $1.09

-33.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.46 $3.46

-42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$5.85 $5.85

-28.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.09 $1.09

-6.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.55 $1.55

24.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.56 $1.56

-16.03%

Eggs

$2.01 $2.01

$2.16 $2.16

-6.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$6.45 $6.45

-32.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$5.22 $5.22

-42.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$7.66 $7.66

-53.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.34 $2.34

-35.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.20 $1.20

-18.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.27 $1.27

-20.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.12 $1.12

-17.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.19 $1.19

-17.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.02 $1.02

-9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 $0.82

$0.90 $0.90

-8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.00 $1.00

-1.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$6.14 $6.14

-4.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.04 $5.04

$8.62 $8.62

-41.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.58 $1.58

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.10 $3.10

-31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.36 $0.36

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 $21.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.46 $1.46

93.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.54 $1.54

16.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.11 $12.11

$10.07 $10.07

20.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$0.86 $0.86

4.65%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$23.3K $23.3K

-1.10%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

0.05%

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

$34.76 $34.76

$28.33 $28.33

22.70%

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

$9.83 $9.83

$18.08 $18.08

-45.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.21 $23.21

$28.84 $28.84

-19.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.57 $32.57

$42.86 $42.86

-24.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 $17.80

$17.92 $17.92

-0.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 $7.55

$6.75 $6.75

11.85%

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

$379 $379

$750 $750

-49.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,642 $5,642

$8,967 $8,967

-37.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.97 $19.97

$69.7 $69.7

-71.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.92 $29.92

$49.06 $49.06

-39.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.4 $50.4

$112 $112

-55.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.26 $49.26

$110 $110

-55.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 $422

$548 $548

-23.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$362 $362

-24.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$1,126 $1,126

-26.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 $499

$637 $637

-21.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,654 $1,654

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$664 $664

1434.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$401 $401

$606 $606

-33.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

10.12

-0.69%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$274 37.9%

Quito

$362 35.6% 31.8% $87

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$145 20.1%

Quito

$192 18.9% 32% $47

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$108 14.9%

Quito

$145 14.3% 34.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$68 9.4%

Quito

$75 7.4% 11% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$67 9.3%

Quito

$153 15.1% 128% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$48 6.6%

Quito

$56 5.6% 18.2% $8.7

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$13 * 1.8%

Quito

$32 3.2% 143% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Santo Domingo versus $548 in Quito. 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 51% higher in Quito. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Santo Domingo versus $55 in Quito. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $145 vs $192 – making Santo Domingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,875

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Quito 73 km

From you

Santo Domingo
Quito

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

Santo Domingo vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Quito is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,085 per month in Santo Domingo and $1,522 in Quito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santo Domingo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $548 in Quito.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $723 in Santo Domingo and $1,015 in Quito. That makes Santo Domingo about 29% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $379 per month in Santo Domingo and $750 in Quito. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santo Domingo, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Quito at $1,015. In Santo Domingo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Quito it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santo Domingo – 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 Santo Domingo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Quito makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.