We were excited to be in Quito after visiting the Galapagos. Mainly to slow down the rate we were burning through cash. We knew that our lodging was going to be significantly cheaper, and that we had very minimal transport expenses. Is Ecuador expensive? This all depends on where you go.
When we were in the Galapagos, I would have answered yes, Ecuador is expensive to visit. However, Quito is a whole other world. Especially when comparing lodging and transportation.
We were curious to see how our day-to-day spending would compare though, and how the touristy excursions would stack up. This was our second month of traveling full time and we weren’t exactly sure how it was going to go.
Below are our financials from our month in Quito and some of the conclusions we drew about the cost of visiting Quito, Ecuador. Take note that we are a family of four.
Curious about how much we spent in the Galapagos? Hop on over to this post: Costs In The Galapagos: How To Budget Your Trip
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Lodging Expenses In Quito
Total: $1,182
- Airbnb for 29 nights (average of $40.76/night) 2 bedroom 2 baths with an incredible view of Carolina Park
Round-Trip Transportation
Total: $321
- $ 29 – Uber from the Quito Airport to Airbnb
- $ 16 – Uber to the Bus Terminal
- $276 – Bus from Quito to Popayan
Day-to-Day Quito Costs
Total: $1,493 ($51 a day)
- Groceries, supplies, and meals out
Touristy Excursions
Total: $1,152
- $283 – Private historic downtour tour, tip, chocolate purchase, and lunch
- $308 – Quilotoa Tour, tip, lunch, souvenir
- $173 – Mitad del Mundo, transport to and from, entrance fees to both locations, lunch
- $271 – Cotopaxi Tour, tip, lunch, snacks
- $117 – TelefériQo, transport to and from, snacks, amusement park
Total Cost To Visit Quito
We surprisingly spent only $4,148 for one month in Quito as a family of 4. So if you ask me if Ecuador is expensive, and you are taking about Quito, I would say no! It is quite cheap actually!
Read below our thoughts on why we ended up only spending this much on a month long trip in Quito, Ecuador.
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Quito Travel Costs Takeaways
The cost of visiting Quito is pretty cheap! The costs in Ecuador in general are low. The only area that we found much more expensive is the Galapagos.
Lodging Expenses
Our Airbnb in Quito was amazing! So much nicer than our place in the Galapagos, and it was roughly $35/night cheaper. That saved us almost $1,000 in comparison.
Transportation Fees
Transportation to and from Quito was very minimal. The flight down to Ecuador was accounted for last month, but based on using points, it would have only added $100 if we’d included that in the Quito portion of the trip.
Again, the expense to get out to the Galapagos from the mainland is what adds up quickly. Overall, it was $2,000 less expensive to get to/from Quito than the Galapagos!
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Day-To-Day Quito Costs
Day-to-day costs in Quito were nearly identical to what we spent in the Galapagos. This accounts for all of our food, supplies for our accommodations, getting around the city, etc.
When you consider that we splurged on a couple delicious $150+ meals, it is pretty dang reasonable to visit a major city for about $1,500 a month.
Touristy Excursions
Aside from the fact that the Galapagos is a touristy excursion in itself, we did about the same number of guided or paid excursions in Quito as we did in the Galapagos. The cost of what we did in Quito was $2,000 less than the Galapagos though. Huge difference!
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Summary – Is Ecuador Expensive?
All in all, we spent over $5,500 less in Quito than the Galapagos!!! A large drop in spending had been needed and expected, but this still felt significant to us.
Strip out the touristy stuff we did, as well as the transportation to and from the city. We learned that we could enjoy a very comfortable and privileged lifestyle in Quito for less than $3,000/month!
This got our creative juices flowing. While Quito may or may not be a place we end up visiting down the road, it has shown us what could be possible on a very manageable budget.
So, in conclusion, is Ecuador expensive? Galapagos, yes. Quito, no! If you are traveling on a budget, I would definitely consider Quito.
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Interested in visiting Colombia. You can now see how much we spent in Medellin and Cartagena. Teaser… the strength of the US Dollar in comparison to the Colombian Peso has been eye opening!
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