Cost of Living Information for families moving to Quito, Ecuador

Earlier this year, my family and I moved to Quito, Ecuador from the USA to serve at Alliance Academy International and to work in the surrounding community. While doing due diligence in trying to estimate the cost of living here, we were surprised at the lack of information out there on the internet. So, we contacted several people with families at the school and surveyed others serving in metropolitan areas in countries nearby. Overall, the estimation that we made was ok, but could have been better had we been able locate some “hard data.”

The purpose of this posting is to provide the information that we wish that we could have had prior to coming. Some of you reading this are in the process of raising financial support to come down here to serve as well. It is our hope that you will find this information useful. All in all, the net cost of living here is the same as living in most areas of the USA. While cheaper than living in the metropolitan areas of the Northeastern states (mainly New England), most of California, Western Oregon and Washington, you will see that the net cost of living is about the same as other parts of the USA. If you are coming from more rural or less expensive areas of the USA like parts of the Southeast (MS, LA, S AL, and S GA), the Midwest, and parts of Texas, you will find it more expensive down here by about 10%.

For a family of four living on support without a stipend, I would recommend that you should raise about $3200-$3700 in monthly support. This cost does not include having a vehicle. If you have a monthly stipend from a source like AAI of around $1000 per month, I would recommend $2200-$2500 in monthly support. Our family of 5 has raised slightly less than that, but we have been able to cut corners by being creative…like walking everywhere and taking taxis. If you are coming down and are single, I would recommend coming with no less than $1800 per month in support. If you are receiving a stipend, then $800 should suffice. For couples coming down with no children, a good estimate would be about $2000 per month without a stipend. If one spouse has a stipend, then $1000 per month in financial support should do. If both spouses have a stipend, then I would recommend raising about $500 in monthly support.

In addition to raising financial support, we found the start-up costs to be about $6000 for our family. This included two months prepayment for rent-which is customary, furniture, and appliances. The least expensive and best way to get furniture for your home is to have it made locally. It is also the best way. WIFI service is about $40 per month. Cell phone service is substantially less and depends upon the plan. There are no contracts. We brought our Samsung phones down here with us and were unable to get them unlocked. Our carrier, Verizon, somehow made it impossible for us to do it.

So, how do the costs break down? Rent here is generally between $550-$750 per month, which is good. Electricity is about $35-$45 per month. Water is about the same as electricity. The water from the faucets here is mostly not drinkable, so it would be a good idea to bring down a water filtration system that utilizes UV light and filtration. That works well. We use one have are able to drink from a dispenser at our kitchen sink.

 Since we don’t have a car, we don’t have to worry about gas prices, which are actually good down here and are fixed at $1.50 per gallon. Taxi rides for us generally cost around $1-$2 each way to places within about 2 miles of here. Some taxi drivers will attempt to give Gringo pricing which is a couple of dollars more. Don’t fall for it. Always prenegotiate prices with them before getting into the taxi, and you will be fine. If you can find a metered taxi, they are generally even cheaper. A used vehicle costs about $9000 for a local, older vehicle that is more than 10 years old. The government does not allow for vehicles older than 1 year old to be imported. Vehicles that are imported, along with all imports, have a 39% import tax put on them. So, if you are interested in purchasing a vehicle here, you will be able to resell it for almost the same price that you purchased it for. 

The markup for imported goods also extends to imported groceries which have obscene prices. (A Hershey bar costs $1.77 for the standard small size.) Excluding produce, groceries are generally about 10-20% more expensive here. Produce is generally much less. If you can find and buy imported items, expect to pay double of what you pay in the USA. Beef is generally cheaper, much leaner, but not as good of quality as the States. There is no GMO food here. Chicken is about 25-50% more than in the states. Eggs are about the same price, but much fresher and better. Good cheese is nonexistent here. Bread is about 25% less in the stores. To be honest, it is much better and much cheaper to purchase it from a local panaderia (bread store) each day. There are a gazillion of them around. All of them are good. Toiletries cost a good bit more down here. TP is about 25% more. Paper towels are double of what they are in the states. Canned goods are about double the price (or more than that even) than what your see in the states. For example, a regular size can of refried beans costs around $1.70 here. Rice and dried beans are really cheap here. Tuna is about $1.10 per small can.

Medical care here is what it should be, not what it is in the USA. One of our children caught pneumonia just after arriving and was hospitalized for 4 days. The total cost of staying, everything included, was just over $700. Medicines are generally cheaper by about 50%-90%, though Ibuprofen is about the same cost as in the states.

Local restaurants are generally very inexpensive if you eat at the mom and pops-type restaurants. You can generally get a meal for about $3-$5. More upscale restaurants are similar to what you pay in the states.

The last thing that I probably need to mention for you is that there is a 12% sales tax on nearly everything. That will also make a difference on the grocery bill. The good news is that foreign taxes paid are deductible on the US Federal Tax Return.

That is all that I can think of right now. I really hope that you will find this information useful. If you do, please leave us a note on our blog. Thanks.