Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilcabamba and La Libertad

For one person, living is cheaper in La Libertad: $794 a month against $943 in Vilcabamba, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in La Libertad
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La Libertad Living Index

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Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$943

/mo nomad

La Libertad

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vilcabamba and in La Libertad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $943 in Vilcabamba versus $794 in La Libertad.

Vilcabamba $943
La Libertad $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Vilcabamba versus $1,328 in La Libertad.

Vilcabamba $1,400
La Libertad $1,328

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,857 in Vilcabamba versus $1,863 in La Libertad.

Vilcabamba $1,857
La Libertad $1,863

Living in Vilcabamba is roughly 19% more expensive than in La Libertad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vilcabamba 31% lower, La Libertad 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 $3.53

$3.21 $3.21

9.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.95 $29.95

$47.15 $47.15

-36.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.64 $5.64

42.91%

Cappuccino

$2.20 $2.20

$2.65 $2.65

-16.98%

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

$0.97 $0.97

$0.86 $0.86

12.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$0.74 $0.74

44.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.31 $2.31

-12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$4.24 $4.24

-18.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.08 $1.08

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.63 $1.63

9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.56 $1.56

-5.77%

Eggs

$2.48 $2.48

$2.07 $2.07

19.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 $8.29

$6.47 $6.47

28.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$5.24 $5.24

-1.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 $7.24

$7.42 $7.42

-2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.13 $1.13

-2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.13 $1.13

7.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.97 $0.97

16.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.06 $1.06

-12.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.92 $0.92

18.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.75 $0.75

8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.11 $1.11

-8.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 $5.22

$5.72 $5.72

-8.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 $11.20

$7.51 $7.51

49.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.51 $1.51

8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.90 $2.90

-4.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.36 $0.36

-5.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.34 $1.34

4.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.18 $1.18

4.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 $10.09

$11.36 $11.36

-11.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 $0.68

$0.79 $0.79

-13.92%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$22.0K $22.0K

4.17%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$33.9K $33.9K

-12.20%

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

$34.34 $34.34

$34.39 $34.39

-0.15%

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

$13.49 $13.49

$12.80 $12.80

5.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.53 $36.53

$25.45 $25.45

43.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.19 $30.19

$33.93 $33.93

-11.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 $16.60

$14.33 $14.33

15.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$5.99 $5.99

5.84%

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

$341 $341

$287 $287

18.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,293 $6,293

$6,343 $6,343

-0.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$55.0 $55.0

11.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 $44.77

$42.85 $42.85

4.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$104 $104

-11.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 $72.6

$76.0 $76.0

-4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 $383

$376 $376

1.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 $381

$256 $256

49.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 $618

$837 $837

-26.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 $572

$527 $527

8.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,295 $1,295

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 $1,087

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$448 $448

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.09

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

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 26, 2026

Last update for La Libertad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vilcabamba

$381 40.4%

La Libertad

$256 32.2% 32.9% $126

Groceries & Markets

Vilcabamba

$200 21.2%

La Libertad

$185 23.3% 7.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Vilcabamba

$122 12.9%

La Libertad

$125 15.8% 2.6% $3.2

Eating Out

Vilcabamba

$104 11%

La Libertad

$101 12.7% 3.2% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilcabamba

$84 9%

La Libertad

$73 9.2% 13.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Vilcabamba

$43 4.6%

La Libertad

$46 5.8% 7.1% $3.1

Getting Around

Vilcabamba

$8.9 * 0.9%

La Libertad

$8.7 * 1.1% 2.6% $0.2

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 $383 in Vilcabamba and $376 in La Libertad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Vilcabamba vs $47 in La Libertad. Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $185, with La Libertad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 La Libertad

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

Same time as Vilcabamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,881

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vilcabamba La Libertad 290 km

From you

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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

Vilcabamba vs La Libertad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Libertad is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,414 in Vilcabamba and $1,190 in La Libertad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $383 in Vilcabamba versus $376 in La Libertad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $341 in Vilcabamba versus $287 in La Libertad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Vilcabamba – a meal for two runs $30 versus $47 in La Libertad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.