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Travel budget

How much does a trip to Quito cost?

What a trip to Quito costs, worked out for your days and your party, with every price traced to where it comes from. And then the part most budgets skip: how to actually pay once you are there.

Food, getting around and sights in Quito come to $38.00 – $50.00 per person per day. Accommodation, flights and the airport transfer are on top. Prices reviewed: October 2026.

Full Quito guide

Your trip

How much money you still need

Days, people and how you like to travel decide almost everything. Flights are left out: they depend on where you start.

6 nights

Counted at the child fares each operator publishes.

Travel style

Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.

Accommodation

We have no sample of hotel prices for this city yet, so we will not guess one. Type what you have seen and the lodging tax is worked out from it.

Adjust accommodation, food and the rest

In local currency. We do not estimate this: nobody knows what you will buy.

Already paid for

You still need, flights aside

$540 – $710

$39.00 – $51.00 per person per day · 7 days and 2 people

Expected
$540 – $710
Most trips land in here
Set aside
$710
With this you are unlikely to run short
Cushion, kept apart
$63.00
10% of the trip
  • Food$320 – $470
  • Getting around$20.00 – $38.00
  • Airport, both ways$8.00
  • Sights and activities$70 – $140
  • Nights out$42.00 – $84.00
  • Lodging tax and odds and ends$20.00 – $33.00

Of that, in cash: $160 – $320

The cash share is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement. Your own bank may charge on top; this page cannot know that.

  • Accommodation is not in this figure. Add your price per night to include it.
  • Flights are not included.
  • You probably will not spend the cushion. Having it to hand covers a night you had not planned, a taxi, or a changed ticket.
Styles

What a day in Quito costs, by how you travel

Per person per day, two travelling, without accommodation, flights or the airport transfer. A style is not a figure: it is a way of eating, getting around and seeing things, and each one is spelled out below.

Budget

$22.00 – $29.00 per person per day

Local food, public transport, the odd paid sight.

FoodLocal and cheap
$15.00 – $22.00
Getting aroundPublic transport
$1.40 – $2.70
Sights and activitiesThe odd paid sight
$2.50 – $5.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
$0.93 – $1.50

Mid-range

$38.00 – $50.00 per person per day

Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.

FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
$23.00 – $34.00
Getting aroundPublic transport
$1.40 – $2.70
Sights and activitiesOne paid sight a day
$5.00 – $10.00
Nights outNow and then
$3.00 – $6.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
$1.50 – $2.30

Comfort

$84 – $110 per person per day

The best food level we can price, public transport, two paid sights a day.

FoodRestaurants most of the time
$59.00 – $85.00
Getting aroundPublic transport
$1.40 – $2.70
Sights and activitiesTwo paid sights a day
$10.00 – $20.00
Nights outNow and then
$3.00 – $6.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
$3.50 – $5.40

A style's total is not the sum of the extremes of its lines: nobody has a trip where everything comes out cheap, or everything dear. “Sundries” is an assumption of ours, 5% of food, transport and sights, not a measurement.

By length of trip

How much money for 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days in Quito

Per person, two travelling together, without accommodation or flights. It is not the daily figure times the days: airport transfers are paid once, so they weigh less the longer you stay.

DaysBudgetMid-rangeComfort
3$69.00 – $90.00
$23.00 – $30.00 a day		$120 – $160
$40.00 – $53.00 a day		$260 – $340
$86 – $110 a day
5$110 – $150
$22.00 – $30.00 a day		$190 – $250
$38.00 – $50.00 a day		$420 – $550
$83 – $110 a day
7$150 – $210
$22.00 – $29.00 a day		$270 – $360
$39.00 – $51.00 a day		$590 – $780
$84 – $110 a day
10$220 – $290
$22.00 – $29.00 a day		$390 – $510
$39.00 – $51.00 a day		$850 – $1,100
$85 – $110 a day
14$310 – $410
$22.00 – $29.00 a day		$540 – $710
$38.00 – $51.00 a day		$1,200 – $1,600
$84 – $110 a day

Add your accommodation in the calculator above: it is the largest line and the one we cannot source yet.

Prices

What things cost in Quito

Eating and drinking: no official statistic measures what eating out costs here, so these are prices from the menu each place publishes on its own website, and each row says where it comes from. It is a sample, not an average: there are cheaper and dearer places, and tourist areas cost more.

WhatPriceSource
Eating and drinking
Humita (savoury steamed corn cake), eaten in, Heladería San Agustín$1.50From the source Oct 2026
Set lunch, Tuesday to Friday: soup, main, small dessert and iced tea, Heladería San Agustín$4.85From the source Oct 2026
Menestra (beans or lentils) with rice, fried plantain and grilled chicken, Las Menestras de la Almagro$6.50From the source Oct 2026
Menestra (beans or lentils) with rice, fried plantain and grilled beef tenderloin, Las Menestras de la Almagro$8.50From the source Oct 2026
Guatita (tripe in peanut sauce), half a litre, with rice, plantain, egg and avocado, Heladería San Agustín$8.75From the source Oct 2026
Humita (savoury steamed corn cake), Café Mosaico$3.00From the source Oct 2026
Grilled chicken breast with chips and salad, Café Mosaico$14.00From the source Oct 2026
Churrapingacho: steak or chicken, rice, two fried eggs, chorizo, potato patty and avocado, Café Mosaico$16.50From the source Oct 2026
Encocado de camarón (prawns in coconut sauce) with rice and plantain, Café Mosaico$17.50From the source Oct 2026
Braised leg of lamb with naranjilla, rice, plantain and avocado, Café Mosaico$22.00From the source Oct 2026
Orito brûlée (rice pudding with caramelised baby banana), Casa Gangotena$12.00From the source Oct 2026
Locro quiteño (potato soup with cheese and avocado), Casa Gangotena$17.00From the source Oct 2026
Rainbow trout, Casa Gangotena$25.00From the source Oct 2026
Rib-eye steak, Casa Gangotena$38.00From the source Oct 2026
Filter coffee (café pasado), Heladería San Agustín$1.50From the source Oct 2026
Cappuccino, Heladería San Agustín$2.50From the source Oct 2026
Americano, Café Mosaico$3.00From the source Oct 2026
Cappuccino, Café Mosaico$4.00From the source Oct 2026
Coca-Cola, 500 ml, Las Menestras de la Almagro$1.75From the source Oct 2026
Fresh fruit juice (passion fruit, blackberry, tamarind or naranjilla), Las Menestras de la Almagro$1.95From the source Oct 2026
Lemonade, Café Mosaico$2.50From the source Oct 2026
Fresh juice, Café Mosaico$3.50From the source Oct 2026
Pilsener beer, 330 ml bottle, Las Menestras de la Almagro$2.50From the source Oct 2026
Pilsener beer, 330 ml, Café Mosaico$3.50From the source Oct 2026
Glass of house wine, Café Mosaico$7.00From the source Oct 2026
Getting around
Trolebús or Ecovía bus rapid transit, one trip, standard fare$0.35From the source Oct 2026
Quito Metro, one trip, standard fare$0.45From the source Oct 2026
Bus to the airport from the Quitumbe or Río Coca terminals, one way$2.00Reported Oct 2026
Sights
Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (the equator monument), adults$5.00From the source Oct 2026
Church of La Compañía de Jesús, foreign adults$6.00From the source Oct 2026
TelefériQo cable car up Pichincha, adults$9.00From the source Oct 2026
Casa del Alabado pre-Columbian art museum, adults$10.00From the source Oct 2026

From the source means we read it where it is set: the operator, the bank, the city or the statistics office. Reported means a guide or the press says so and we have not seen the original. Where sources disagree we show both figures and leave the price out of every sum.

What each food level is made of

A food level is not a number we chose. It is two lists of dishes from the table above, a cheap day and a dear one, and the price is the sum.

Local and cheap
From Filter coffee (café pasado), Heladería San Agustín + Set lunch, Tuesday to Friday: soup, main, small dessert and iced tea, Heladería San Agustín + Menestra (beans or lentils) with rice, fried plantain and grilled chicken, Las Menestras de la Almagro + Fresh fruit juice (passion fruit, blackberry, tamarind or naranjilla), Las Menestras de la Almagro ($14.80) to Cappuccino, Heladería San Agustín + Guatita (tripe in peanut sauce), half a litre, with rice, plantain, egg and avocado, Heladería San Agustín + Menestra (beans or lentils) with rice, fried plantain and grilled beef tenderloin, Las Menestras de la Almagro + Coca-Cola, 500 ml, Las Menestras de la Almagro ($21.50).
Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
From Filter coffee (café pasado), Heladería San Agustín + Set lunch, Tuesday to Friday: soup, main, small dessert and iced tea, Heladería San Agustín + Grilled chicken breast with chips and salad, Café Mosaico + Lemonade, Café Mosaico ($22.85) to Cappuccino, Café Mosaico + Guatita (tripe in peanut sauce), half a litre, with rice, plantain, egg and avocado, Heladería San Agustín + Encocado de camarón (prawns in coconut sauce) with rice and plantain, Café Mosaico + Fresh juice, Café Mosaico ($33.75).
Restaurants most of the time
From Americano, Café Mosaico + Churrapingacho: steak or chicken, rice, two fried eggs, chorizo, potato patty and avocado, Café Mosaico + Lemonade, Café Mosaico + Rainbow trout, Casa Gangotena + Orito brûlée (rice pudding with caramelised baby banana), Casa Gangotena ($59.00) to Cappuccino, Café Mosaico + Braised leg of lamb with naranjilla, rice, plantain and avocado, Café Mosaico + Fresh juice, Café Mosaico + Locro quiteño (potato soup with cheese and avocado), Casa Gangotena + Rib-eye steak, Casa Gangotena ($84.50).
Accommodation

What the night costs, and the tax on top

There is no open source of hotel prices, and we have not sampled this city yet. So the calculator asks you for the price you have seen instead of printing one that looks plausible.

Lodging tax

    • Five stars: $2.75 per room per night
    • Four stars: $1.50 per room per night
    • Three-star hostal (a small hotel, not a hostel): $1.50 per room per night
    • B&B or guest house: $5.00 per room per night
    • Non-hotel tourist accommodation (single category): $5.00 per room per night
    • Three-star hotels and below, one- and two-star hostales, hostels and the rest: no charge

It is charged per room, not per person. The calculator doesn't ask how many rooms you book: it counts one for every two people, and that is an assumption of ours.

Which area to stay in Quito: the neighbourhood comparison

Saving

What saves money in Quito

Each line is a subtraction done with the prices on this page. No tricks: just the sum.

What saves

  • Eating “Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner” instead of “Restaurants most of the time”: $36.00 – $51.00 less per person per day.
  • Eating “Local and cheap” instead of “Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner”: $8.10 – $12.00 less per person per day.
  • “Humita (savoury steamed corn cake), eaten in, Heladería San Agustín” ($1.50) instead of “Humita (savoury steamed corn cake), Café Mosaico” ($3.00): $1.50 less each time.
  • “Pilsener beer, 330 ml bottle, Las Menestras de la Almagro” ($2.50) instead of “Pilsener beer, 330 ml, Café Mosaico” ($3.50): $1.00 less each time.
Questions

Questions about money in Quito

How much money do you need for a week in Quito?

For seven days, $270 – $360 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included. The airport transfer, there and back, is included.

How much money do you need for 3 days in Quito?

For 3 days, $120 – $160 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included. The airport transfer, there and back, is included.

What is a realistic daily budget in Quito?

Per person per day, without accommodation or flights: $22.00 – $29.00 on the “Budget” style, $38.00 – $50.00 on the “Mid-range” style, and $84 – $110 on the “Comfort” style.

Can you travel to Quito on a budget?

The cheapest style we work out is “Budget”: $22.00 – $29.00 per person per day, without accommodation or flights. Local food, public transport, the odd paid sight.

How much does food cost in Quito?

From $15.00 per person per day (“Local and cheap”) to $85.00 (“Restaurants most of the time”). The price table has what each dish costs.

How much does transport cost in Quito?

A ride on public transport costs $0.35 – $0.45.

Is there a lodging tax in Quito?

Only in some categories of accommodation: up to $5.00 per room per night; the others pay nothing.

How much cash should you carry in Quito?

For a week on the “Mid-range” style, about $80 – $160 per person, two travelling. It is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement.

Sources

Where every figure comes from

Each price on this page carries its source. These are all of them. Prices reviewed: October 2026.

The rest of Quito

In the app

This page tells you how much to take. The app keeps count of what you spend.

Joru works out the budget of your itinerary day by day and sets it against what you actually spend, by category and with the exchange rate. On your phone, with no account.

Google PlayApp Store

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