The Ashton School
AmericanInternational
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inSanto Domingo, Ecuador
Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador459KUpper middle income
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 2.34x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Ecuador: $14,319/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 69% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Overall
3.2x further
Prices are 69% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
13x further
Prices are 92% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
3.0x further
Prices are 66% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
3.6x further
Prices are 73% 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
459K
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 Santo Domingo.
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
- American1
- British1
St. George School
BritishInternational
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
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Ecuador.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$525-$775
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$950-$1,350
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Santo Domingo is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
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.
146 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 6 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
LimitedSelf-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
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: 90Hospital: 27Clinic: 24Doctor: 2Dentist: 2Laboratory: 1
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
City-level perceived-crime data is not sourced for Santo Domingo yet. Showing Ecuador national safety and governance signals until a matched city row lands.
Street Safety
Safety Index44/100
Crime Index56/100
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 Santo Domingo, Ecuador · Source: INEC (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
bread 500g
$1.82Estimated46% cheaper
budget hotel
$9.60Estimated74% cheaper
childcare preschool
$410.22Estimated74% cheaper
eggs dozen
$2.51Estimated48% cheaper
gasoline liter
$1.11Estimated8% more
inexpensive meal
$6.84Estimated68% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$31.74Estimated53% cheaper
luxury hotel
$146.00Estimated69% cheaper
milk liter
$1.19Estimated2% cheaper
monthly pass
$423.50Estimated510% more
rent 1br
$685.79Estimated62% cheaper
rent 3br
$1207.50Estimated62% cheaper
taxi km
$1.63Estimated13% cheaper
utilities basic
$88.68Estimated59% 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 Santo Domingo compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.3x further in Santo Domingo than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Ecuador here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Santo Domingo cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Santo Domingo is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 69% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Santo Domingo. We are using the country-level cost index for Ecuador here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Santo Domingo compare with New York City?
Rent in Santo Domingo is about 92% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Ecuador here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Santo Domingo?
Groceries in Santo Domingo are about 66% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 73% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Ecuador here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, in the central Ecuadorian province of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, sits in the Andean western foothills at roughly 550 meters elevation and functions as the principal commercial hub linking the highland sierra around Quito with the Pacific coastal lowlands. The local economy is built on agriculture and agro-processing, particularly palm oil, cocoa, bananas and cattle, plus a major wholesale and logistics role thanks to the road junction position. Spanish is essential. Relocators should weigh a tropical rainforest climate with high year-round rainfall, infrastructure that is Tier 2 with paved highway links to Quito and to Manta and Guayaquil on the coast but no commercial airport in the city itself, and a security context that has deteriorated nationally since 2022 with rising gang-related violence affecting parts of the country.
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