Cost of living comparison

compared to

Chapala vs. Quito Cost of Living Summary

Chapala is 10.3% more expensive than Quito.

Restaurants
pay 35.7% more in Chapala
Groceries
pay 22.2% more in Chapala
Transportation
pay 45.2% more in Chapala
Housing
pay 36.9% more in Chapala
Childcare
pay 69.0% less in Chapala
Entertainment and Sports
pay 38.4% less in Chapala
Clothing
pay 44.4% less in Chapala

The cost of transportation, housing, restaurants, and groceries in Chapala are more expensive than in Quito. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Chapala.

Chapala vs. Quito Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Chapala instead of Quito, you would:

pay 35.7% more for restaurants

 
Quito
Chapala
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.00
 
$11.67
MX$215.86
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.67
 
$7.23
MX$133.74
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.40
 
$1.67
MX$30.86

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pay 22.2% more for groceries

 
Quito
Chapala
Bread
1 loaf
$1.57
 
$2.24
MX$41.46
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.21
 
$4.06
MX$75.10
Milk (1 gallon) $4.29
 
$5.62
MX$103.85

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pay 45.2% more for transportation

 
Quito
Chapala
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.17
 
$5.60
MX$103.63
Monthly public transit pass $21.00
 
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,000.00
 
$21,528.95
MX$398K

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pay 36.9% more for housing

 
Quito
Chapala
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.45
 
$24.93
MX$461.07
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $482.78
 
$584.13
MX$10,802.33
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $313.44
 
$472.87
MX$8,744.74

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pay 69.0% less for childcare

 
Quito
Chapala
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $743.00
 
$216.96
MX$4,012.29
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,951.43
 
$2,948.48
MX$54,526.03

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pay 38.4% less for entertainment and sports

 
Quito
Chapala
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.50
 
$2.23
MX$41.15
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.38
 
$3.36
MX$62.22
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.00
 
$4.21
MX$77.88

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pay 44.4% less for clothing

 
Quito
Chapala
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$70.10
 
$55.63
MX$1,028.79
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$49.62
 
$38.94
MX$720.16
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$115.66
 
$52.85
MX$977.35

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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