Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilcabamba and Portoviejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $879 a month against $944 in Vilcabamba, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vilcabamba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
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Portoviejo Living Index

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Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$944

/mo nomad

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vilcabamba and in Portoviejo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $944 in Vilcabamba versus $879 in Portoviejo.

Vilcabamba $944
Portoviejo $879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,411 in Vilcabamba versus $1,436 in Portoviejo.

Vilcabamba $1,411
Portoviejo $1,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,878 in Vilcabamba versus $1,992 in Portoviejo.

Vilcabamba $1,878
Portoviejo $1,992

Living in Vilcabamba is roughly 7% more expensive than in Portoviejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vilcabamba 30% lower, Portoviejo 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 $3.40

$4.06 $4.06

-16.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.51 $29.51

$52.0 $52.0

-43.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 $7.76

$9.17 $9.17

-15.38%

Cappuccino

$2.12 $2.12

$2.79 $2.79

-24.01%

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

$1.02 $1.02

$0.86 $0.86

18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.70 $0.70

47.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.06 $3.06

-33.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$4.31 $4.31

-17.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.20 $1.20

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.98 $1.98

-12.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.42 $1.42

7.75%

Eggs

$2.50 $2.50

$2.04 $2.04

22.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 $8.12

$7.06 $7.06

15.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$5.14 $5.14

2.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 $7.17

$8.93 $8.93

-19.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.47 $1.47

24.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.15 $1.15

-0.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.99 $0.99

29.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.97 $0.97

15.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.22 $1.22

-22.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$0.97 $0.97

10.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.88 $0.88

-10.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.96 $0.96

3.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 $5.10

$6.09 $6.09

-16.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 $10.97

$12.22 $12.22

-10.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.51 $1.51

5.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.19 $2.19

26.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.36 $0.36

-5.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 $1.42

$2.77 $2.77

-48.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.73 $1.73

-23.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.81 $9.81

$12.22 $12.22

-19.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 $0.66

$0.88 $0.88

-25.00%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$22.7K $22.7K

1.60%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$31.0K $31.0K

-3.08%

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

$34.74 $34.74

$34.52 $34.52

0.64%

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

$13.23 $13.23

$15.13 $15.13

-12.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.80 $35.80

$26.35 $26.35

35.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.33 $30.33

$29.67 $29.67

2.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.56 $16.56

$16.47 $16.47

0.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 $6.78

$7.44 $7.44

-8.87%

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

$301 $301

$369 $369

-18.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,659 $5,659

$5,664 $5,664

-0.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 $60.1

$64.5 $64.5

-6.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.32 $45.32

$41.20 $41.20

10.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$125 $125

-13.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 $72.5

$92.1 $92.1

-21.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 $384

$423 $423

-9.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 $378

$277 $277

36.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$628 $628

$811 $811

-22.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 $585

$502 $502

16.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,287 $1,287

$982 $982

31.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,093 $1,093

$787 $787

38.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$454 $454

$327 $327

38.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.09

10.05

0.40%

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

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 31, 2026

Last update for Portoviejo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vilcabamba

$378 40.1%

Portoviejo

$277 31.5% 26.8% $101

Groceries & Markets

Vilcabamba

$198 21%

Portoviejo

$199 22.7% 0.7% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Vilcabamba

$129 13.7%

Portoviejo

$145 16.5% 12.9% $17

Eating Out

Vilcabamba

$101 10.7%

Portoviejo

$124 14.1% 22.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilcabamba

$84 8.9%

Portoviejo

$76 8.7% 9.3% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Vilcabamba

$44 4.7%

Portoviejo

$45 5.1% 1.5% $0.7

Getting Around

Vilcabamba

$9.4 * 1%

Portoviejo

$13 * 1.5% 36% $3.4

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 $384 in Vilcabamba and $423 in Portoviejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilcabamba pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Vilcabamba vs $52 in Portoviejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $199 per month, with Vilcabamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

Same time as Vilcabamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,641

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Vilcabamba Portoviejo 380 km

From you

Vilcabamba
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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 Portoviejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portoviejo wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Vilcabamba. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Portoviejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Vilcabamba, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $384 in Vilcabamba versus $423 in Portoviejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $944 per month in Vilcabamba versus $879 in Portoviejo – Portoviejo is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Vilcabamba – a meal for two runs $30 versus $52 in Portoviejo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Portoviejo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

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