Alliance Academy International
AmericanInternational
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inQuito, Ecuador
Pichincha, Ecuador2.8MCapitalUpper middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: David Adam Kess
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 2.3x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Ecuador: $14,319/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 66% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
2.9x further
Prices are 66% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
9.9x further
Prices are 90% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.7x further
Prices are 63% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
2.9x further
Prices are 66% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Upper Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$14,319
PPP, International $
City Population
2.8M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$486/mo
1BR Outside Center$336/mo
3BR City Center$844/mo
3BR Outside Center$550/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$5.00
Mid-Range (2 people)$43
Milk (1L)$1.12
Bread (500g)$1.82
Eggs (12)$2.18
Transport
Monthly Pass$21
Taxi per km$1.50
Gasoline (1L)$0.78
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$31/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$27/mo
Education
Preschool$576/mo
Intl Primary School$8,458/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Ecuador as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Quito.
Quality
Below-average public schools
Assessment snapshot: 2022
Expat access
Resident families can use it
conditionalInstruction
Spanish
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
383
Well below OECD avg
PISA 2022 · OECD avg ~480
Why this quality rating
Ecuador has below-average PISA outcomes with significant urban-rural quality gaps. The public system is Spanish-medium. Major improvements have been attempted but outcomes remain weak.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident expat families can technically use public schools. In practice, quality concerns and Spanish-medium instruction push most expat families in Quito and Cuenca toward private or bilingual schools.
📋 Homeschooling
Legal with registrationRegistration requiredCurriculum approvalPeriodic assessment
Ecuador recognizes homeschooling under its "educación en casa" framework. Families must register with the Ministry of Education and follow a structured program. Assessments are required.
Homeschool legality in Ecuador — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
2 confirmed schools
1 more suggested by AI, not verified
- American2
Academia Cotopaxi
AmericanInternational
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Quito, Ecuador.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$525-$775
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$950-$1,350
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Quito: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 75/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
75/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
International airport
Quito is served by Mariscal Sucre International Airport, the city’s main domestic and international air gateway.
Urban transit
Metro and bus
metrobus
Metro de Quito gives the city a real rail spine, with bus routes covering trips beyond the metro corridor.
Rideshare
Uber available
Uber operates in Quito and is a practical first/last-mile fallback alongside the metro and buses.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Ecuador.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
1,708 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
GoodGood national coverage help, but hospital capacity looks tighter.
Public care
GoodA visible public hospital footprint support this rating.
Private care
MixedA large tracked hospital and clinic network help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
78/100
2023
Physicians
2.31/1k
2020
Hospital beds
1.32/1k
2023
Out of pocket
31%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
77.6 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
55/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
7.0/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedMultiple facilities have websites and there is visible specialty depth help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Pharmacy: 609Dentist: 376Clinic: 354Doctor: 237Hospital: 115Laboratory: 15Physiotherapy: 2
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Ecuador yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index37/100
Crime Index63/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-0.09
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2025 annual wages in Quito, Ecuador · Source: INEC (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
bread 500g
$1.82Estimated46% cheaper
budget hotel
$149.94Survey-verified313% more
childcare preschool
$576.07Estimated63% cheaper
eggs dozen
$2.18Estimated55% cheaper
gasoline liter
$17.44Survey-verified1593% more
inexpensive meal
$16.06Survey-verified24% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$27.15Estimated60% cheaper
luxury hotel
$149.94Survey-verified69% cheaper
milk liter
$1.12Estimated8% cheaper
monthly pass
$17.44Survey-verified75% cheaper
rent 1br
$429.13Survey-verified76% cheaper
rent 3br
$843.69Estimated74% cheaper
taxi km
$1.50Estimated20% cheaper
utilities basic
$31.38Estimated85% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa freeUp to 90 days
US passport holders can stay up to 90 days without a visa.
Long-Term Visa Programs
digital nomad
Digital Nomad Visa
24 monthsRenewableMin. $1,350/mo income
Migrated from legacy digital_nomad_visas row 23
retirement
Jubilado Visa EcuadorDuration variesMin. $1,350/mo income
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Quito compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.3x further in Quito than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Quito cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Quito is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 66% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Quito.
How does rent in Quito compare with New York City?
Rent in Quito is about 90% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Quito?
Groceries in Quito are about 63% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 66% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Quito
Quito is the capital of Ecuador, sitting in a narrow Andean valley at roughly 2,850 meters elevation, one of the highest capital cities in the world. The altitude is the defining relocator consideration: arrival fatigue lasts days, sustained exertion takes weeks of acclimatization, and some chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions are genuinely contraindicated. The climate is mild year-round with cool nights and a defined wet season. Ecuador's dollarized economy since 2000 makes USD-earner cost planning predictable, and Quito's rents and food costs run well below Andean Lima or Bogotá. The metro line opened in 2023, supplementing extensive bus coverage. Spanish is essential. The historic center is a UNESCO site and the colonial-period civic core remains a working residential neighborhood, not a tourist museum.
Spring-like climate year-round (60-75°F) due to 9,350ft elevationReliable fiber internet in expat zones; mobile networks variableGrowing expat/digital nomad community with coworking spaces downtownColonial Quito UNESCO site highly walkable; outer areas car-dependentMichelin-starred restaurants and fusion food culture at affordable pricesActive nightlife in La Mariscal; varies by neighborhood safetyCoworking hubs in Centro and north; around $150-300/monthSafety varies by neighborhood; avoid certain areas after dark
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