Cost of living in Cuenca

In Cuenca, Ecuador, a single person typically needs around $770 per month including rent. A family of four may spend about $1956 monthly.

How expensive is Cuenca compared to other cities?

Compared to the European benchmark, Cuenca is 13% cheaper overall.

How does Cuenca compare to your city?

Cuenca is 37% cheaper than Columbus, without rent.

Rent in Cuenca is, on average, 75% lower than in Columbus.

What drives the cost of living in Cuenca?

Who is Cuenca a good fit for?

Cuenca tends to fit higher-income residents who can comfortably absorb housing costs. It can be challenging on a moderate budget, mainly due to rent and utilities.

FAQ

Why is Cuenca so expensive?

Housing costs, particularly rent and utilities, can be a significant factor for residents. This can make it feel expensive for those on a tighter budget.

Is food expensive in Cuenca?

Food is 14% lower than the European benchmark, making it relatively affordable for residents. This allows for a diverse range of dining options.

Is public transport affordable in Cuenca?

Public transport is 48% lower than the European benchmark, providing an economical way to navigate the city. This affordability makes it accessible for many residents.

Cost of living breakdown

Cost of Living, one person, including rent
770 $
Without Rent
431 $
Rent & Utilities
339 $
Food
294 $
Transport
46 $
Monthly Salary, after tax
493 $
GDP per Capita
6,533 $
Freedom Index
7.03
Lifespan
78 years
Speak English
2%
Population
362.0K

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Update Prices

Restaurants

Lunch menu, inexpensive restaurant 3.49 $
Dinner 30.3 $
Fast food, McDonalds or KFC 8.04 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 3.02 $
Capuccino 2.39 $
Coke, 330ml 1.04 $

Compare Cuenca with:

Markets

Milk, 1 L or 1 qt 1.14 $
Bread, 0.5 kg or 1 lb 1.48 $
Rice, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.37 $
Eggs, 12 pack 1.92 $
Cheese, 1 kg or 2 lb 4.66 $
Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2 lb 6.36 $
Round Steak, 1 kg or 2 lb 5.55 $
Apples, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.83 $
Banana, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.11 $
Oranges, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.53 $
Tomato, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.13 $
Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.17 $
Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.09 $
Water, 1 L or 1 qt 0.7 $
Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz 2.2 $
Wine, 750 mL bottle 9.55 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.79 $
Cigarette pack 6.01 $

Transportation

One-way Ticket 0.35 $
Monthly Pass 25.8 $
Gas or Petrol, 1l or 0.26 gal 0.62 $
Taxi, 8 km 9.69 $

Personal Care

Doctor Visit, private clinic 28.9 $
Cold medicine, for 1 week 10.4 $
Hair Shampoo, 400 ml or 12 oz. 5.63 $
Toilet paper, 4 rolls 1.69 $
Toothpaste, 1 tube 1.85 $

Utilities per Month

1 person, electricity, heating, water & garbage 24 $
Family of 4, electricity, heating, water & garbage 36 $
Internet plan, +60 Mbps 32.6 $

Rent per Month

1 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 40 sq.m 278 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 85 sq.m 546 $
1 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 40 sq.m 303 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 85 sq.m 613 $

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment, in city center 1,306 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy House, in suburbs 1,316 $

Salaries and Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary, after tax 493 $
Mortgage Interest Rate, for 20 years fixed-rate 11.23%

Sports and Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 30.6 $
Cinema, 1 seat 6.26 $
Haircut 7.25 $

Clothing and Shoes

Brand Sneakers, mid-range, Nike or similar 104 $
Brand Jeans, Levis 501 64.5 $

Childcare

Preschool, full day, monthly for 1 child 253 $
International Primary School, yearly for 1 child 5,640 $

Compare Cuenca with other top cities

Curacao
Cuenca vs Willemstad (Willemstad is 81% more expensive) Cuenca vs Barber (Barber is 81% more expensive)
Uruguay
Cuenca vs Montevideo (Montevideo is 73% more expensive) Cuenca vs Salto (Salto is 28% more expensive) Cuenca vs Ciudad de la Costa (Ciudad de la Costa is 52% more expensive) Cuenca vs Rivera (Rivera is 2% less expensive) Cuenca vs Maldonado (Maldonado is 26% more expensive) Cuenca vs Paysandu (Paysandu has similar costs) Cuenca vs Tacuarembo (Tacuarembo is 8% more expensive) Cuenca vs Melo (Melo is 5% less expensive) Cuenca vs Mercedes (Mercedes is 33% more expensive) Cuenca vs Artigas (Artigas is 14% more expensive)
Trinidad And Tobago
Cuenca vs Chaguanas (Chaguanas is 39% more expensive) Cuenca vs Port of Spain (Port of Spain is 52% more expensive) Cuenca vs San Fernando (San Fernando is 25% more expensive) Cuenca vs Scarborough (Scarborough is 43% more expensive) Cuenca vs San Juan (San Juan is 51% more expensive)
Chile
Cuenca vs Santiago (Santiago is 56% more expensive) Cuenca vs Puente Alto (Puente Alto is 24% more expensive) Cuenca vs Antofagasta (Antofagasta is 37% more expensive) Cuenca vs Vina del Mar (Vina del Mar is 21% more expensive) Cuenca vs San Bernardo (San Bernardo is 11% more expensive) Cuenca vs Valparaiso (Valparaiso is 25% more expensive) Cuenca vs Temuco (Temuco is 14% more expensive) Cuenca vs Rancagua (Rancagua is 10% more expensive) Cuenca vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 20% more expensive) Cuenca vs Talca (Talca is 10% more expensive)
Guyana
Cuenca vs Georgetown (Georgetown is 28% more expensive) Cuenca vs Linden (Linden is 32% more expensive) Cuenca vs New Amsterdam (New Amsterdam is 32% more expensive)
Mexico
Cuenca vs Mexico City (Mexico City is 55% more expensive) Cuenca vs Tijuana (Tijuana is 36% more expensive) Cuenca vs Ecatepec de Morelos (Ecatepec de Morelos is 5% less expensive) Cuenca vs Leon (Leon is 7% less expensive) Cuenca vs Zapopan (Zapopan is 31% more expensive) Cuenca vs Guadalajara (Guadalajara is 28% more expensive) Cuenca vs Puebla (Puebla is 22% more expensive) Cuenca vs Ciudad Juarez (Ciudad Juarez is 26% more expensive) Cuenca vs Monterrey (Monterrey is 63% more expensive) Cuenca vs Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl (Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl is 6% less expensive)
Suriname
Cuenca vs Paramaribo (Paramaribo is 13% more expensive) Cuenca vs Nieuw Nickerie (Nieuw Nickerie is 9% more expensive)
Ecuador
Cuenca vs Guayaquil (Guayaquil is 18% more expensive) Cuenca vs Quito (Quito is 17% more expensive) Cuenca vs Cuenca (Cuenca has similar costs) Cuenca vs Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo is 23% less expensive) Cuenca vs Duran (Duran is 5% more expensive) Cuenca vs Machala (Machala is 23% less expensive) Cuenca vs Manta (Manta is 13% more expensive) Cuenca vs Portoviejo (Portoviejo is 1% less expensive) Cuenca vs Loja (Loja is 20% less expensive) Cuenca vs Quevedo (Quevedo is 15% less expensive)
Peru
Cuenca vs Lima (Lima is 28% more expensive) Cuenca vs Arequipa (Arequipa is 27% less expensive) Cuenca vs Trujillo (Trujillo is 9% less expensive) Cuenca vs Chiclayo (Chiclayo is 33% less expensive) Cuenca vs Callao (Callao is 1% more expensive) Cuenca vs Piura (Piura is 27% less expensive) Cuenca vs Cusco (Cusco is 16% less expensive) Cuenca vs Chimbote (Chimbote is 36% less expensive) Cuenca vs Huancayo (Huancayo is 23% less expensive) Cuenca vs Iquitos (Iquitos is 12% less expensive)
Venezuela
Cuenca vs Caracas (Caracas is 36% more expensive) Cuenca vs Maracaibo (Maracaibo is 8% less expensive) Cuenca vs Valencia (Valencia is 2% more expensive) Cuenca vs Maracay (Maracay is 6% less expensive) Cuenca vs Barquisimeto (Barquisimeto is 7% less expensive) Cuenca vs Barinas (Barinas is 4% more expensive) Cuenca vs Ciudad Guayana (Ciudad Guayana is 16% more expensive) Cuenca vs Catia La Mar (Catia La Mar is 23% more expensive) Cuenca vs Ciudad Bolivar (Ciudad Bolivar is 13% more expensive) Cuenca vs Santa Teresa del Tuy (Santa Teresa del Tuy is 18% more expensive)
Colombia
Cuenca vs Bogota (Bogota is 13% more expensive) Cuenca vs Medellin (Medellin is 13% more expensive) Cuenca vs Cali (Cali is 5% less expensive) Cuenca vs Barranquilla (Barranquilla is 2% more expensive) Cuenca vs Cartagena (Cartagena is 3% less expensive) Cuenca vs Cucuta (Cucuta is 28% less expensive) Cuenca vs Soacha (Soacha is 3% less expensive) Cuenca vs Soledad (Soledad is 9% more expensive) Cuenca vs Villavicencio (Villavicencio is 38% less expensive) Cuenca vs Bucaramanga (Bucaramanga is 17% less expensive)
Brazil
Cuenca vs Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo is 31% more expensive) Cuenca vs Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro is 24% more expensive) Cuenca vs Brasilia (Brasilia is 5% more expensive) Cuenca vs Fortaleza (Fortaleza is 7% less expensive) Cuenca vs Salvador (Salvador is 4% less expensive) Cuenca vs Belo Horizonte (Belo Horizonte is 2% more expensive) Cuenca vs Manaus (Manaus is 4% more expensive) Cuenca vs Curitiba (Curitiba is 1% less expensive) Cuenca vs Recife (Recife is 1% more expensive) Cuenca vs Goiania (Goiania is 15% less expensive)
Argentina
Cuenca vs Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires is 18% more expensive) Cuenca vs Cordoba (Cordoba is 20% more expensive) Cuenca vs Rosario (Rosario is 18% less expensive) Cuenca vs San Miguel de Tucuman (San Miguel de Tucuman is 10% less expensive) Cuenca vs Mar del Plata (Mar del Plata is 3% less expensive) Cuenca vs Salta (Salta is 5% less expensive) Cuenca vs San Juan (San Juan is 15% less expensive) Cuenca vs Lanus (Lanus is 5% more expensive) Cuenca vs Santiago del Estero (Santiago del Estero is 50% less expensive) Cuenca vs Santa Fe (Santa Fe is 8% less expensive)
Bolivia
Cuenca vs Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Santa Cruz de la Sierra is 1% less expensive) Cuenca vs La Paz (La Paz is 13% less expensive) Cuenca vs El Alto (El Alto is 17% less expensive) Cuenca vs Cochabamba (Cochabamba is 30% less expensive) Cuenca vs Sucre (Sucre is 14% less expensive) Cuenca vs Oruro (Oruro is 22% less expensive) Cuenca vs Potosi (Potosi is 35% less expensive) Cuenca vs Tarija (Tarija is 19% less expensive) Cuenca vs Sacaba (Sacaba is 31% less expensive) Cuenca vs Trinidad (Trinidad is 0% more expensive)
Paraguay
Cuenca vs Asuncion (Asuncion is 14% less expensive) Cuenca vs Ciudad del Este (Ciudad del Este is 31% less expensive) Cuenca vs Luque (Luque is 22% less expensive) Cuenca vs San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo is 19% less expensive) Cuenca vs Pedro Juan Caballero (Pedro Juan Caballero is 32% less expensive) Cuenca vs Caaguazu (Caaguazu is 47% less expensive) Cuenca vs Encarnacion (Encarnacion is 33% less expensive) Cuenca vs Coronel Oviedo (Coronel Oviedo is 31% less expensive) Cuenca vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 30% less expensive)