Which place is cheaper, Quito or Mexico City?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Mexico City or Quito?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Mexico City or Quito? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Mexico City or Quito?
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. There are an estimated 26 million people living in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area. The area is about 60 kilometers by 40 kilometers and is surrounded by tall mountains and volcanoes on three sides. Mexico City proper has about 8.8 million people and is the capital of the country. More than a third of the country's economy is based here, making it the wealthiest city in all of Latin America.
Quito
Nestled between two mountain ranges lies the world's highest capital city, Quito, Ecuador. For history lovers, Quito is a very desirable destination as it's home to the Quito Historic Center – one of the largest and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas.
Even though Quito is full of people – in fact, it's the second most populous city in the country – very few of its inhabitants speak English. Luckily, however, the citizens of Quito tend to speak a slower and more clear Spanish than surrounding areas. This is the perfect place to practice what you read in your Intro to Spanish book.
Before visiting Quito, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, give yourself a few days to grow accustomed to the elevation. Staying 9,350 feet above sea level takes some getting used to. Second, don't be fooled into thinking that just because you're visiting a town on the equator that you'll need all your summer clothes. Because of the city's elevation, the area keeps a relatively cool climate year round.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico, The Best Adventure Tours to Ecuador, and The Best Eco Tours in Ecuador.
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Mexico City Prices
Mexico PricesQuito Prices
Ecuador Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMexico City $225Quito $66
The average daily cost (per person) in Mexico City is $225, while the average daily cost in Quito is $66. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Mexico City and Quito in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMexico City $41Quito $22
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMexico City $82Quito $44
Compare Hotels in Mexico City and Quito
Looking for a hotel in Mexico City or Quito? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Mexico City Hotel Prices and Quito Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Mexico City $13Quito $6.99
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.15
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Uber Ride$4.04
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Aguascalientes Airport (AGU) Aguascalientes - RoundTrip Transfer: $81
- Airport Transfer to Hotel in Mexico City: $58
- Airport Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Business Car: $92
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV: $103
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport NLU by Luxury SUV: $206
- Arrival Private Transfer Mexico City Airport MEX to Mexico by SUV: $130
- Arrival Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Luxury SUV: $103
- Balloon Flight in Teotihuacan Transfers and Breakfast Included: $233
- Balloon adventure: transfer+breakfast in the cave+guided pyramids: $236
- Departure Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport NLU by Luxury SUV: $206
- Ixtapan de La Sal to Mexico Airport (MEX)-Departure Transfer: $105
- Luxury Airport Transfer: $209
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Quito
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Quito:
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Taxi from Bus Terminal to Hotel$10
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quito
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Quito:
- Unique Quito Transfer Mariscal Sucre Airport to Hotel: $43
- Transfers Friends Airport Quito: $40
- Transfer from or to UIO Airport to any Hotel in Quito: $30
- Transfer from or to Airport Mariscal Sucre (one way): $75
- Transfer Quito → Papallacta (one way / round trip): $85
- Transfer Private Airport–Hotel in Quito: $39
- Transfer Out from Quito to the Airport: $30
- Transfer Airport Quito-Hotel or vice versa with bilingual driver-guide: $43
- Transfer Airport → Quito (one way / round trip): $50
- Shared Transfer from Quito hotels to Airport: $42
- Private Transfer from/to Airport: $35
- Private Transfer from the Airport to the city: $32
Is it cheaper to fly into Mexico City or Quito?
Prices for flights to both Quito and Mexico City change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayMexico City $46Quito $34
Typical Food Prices in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$13
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Coffee and Snacks$4.50
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Dinner for 2$26
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Mexico City Coyoacan Food Tour & Optional Frida Kahlo Museum: $20
- Private Street Food Tour Mexico City - Best rated: $35
- Cable Car, Cultural Spaces, and Traditional Food Tour: $40
- Coyoacan Market Food Tour Urban Eats & Local Legends: $54
- San Juan Market Food Tour Exotic Bites & Flavors: $54
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- Mexico : Best Street Food Tour With A Local Guide: $58
- CDMX Historic Center Food Tour: $58
- Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $63
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $64
- 3h Cooking Class in 8 Recipes & Drinks: $68
- Roma–Condesa: Haute Cuisine and Renowned Restaurants Food Tour: $70
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quito
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Quito.
- 3 Hours Local Food Tour in Quito: $38
- Quito Eats Food Tour with 14+ Tastings: $55
- From Cayambe Traditional Cooking Class with Transfers: $60
- The Delicious Side of Quito Food Tour: $70
- Food Tour in quaint old town with tastings and lunch: $71
- Street Food Tour with Private Transport: $79
- Hidden Gems Food Tour with Cacao Tasting and Culture: $87
- Cooking Class with Chef, Market Tour & Transportation: $88
- Cooking Class in Quito with Chef, Market Tour and Transportation: $88
- Cooking Class with a chef and local market including hotel pickup: $89
- Private Famous Food Tour of Historic Old Town in Quito: $95
- Ecuadorian Cooking Class with a chef and Local Market: $100
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Mexico City $15Quito $16
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Mexico City Self-Guided Tour: Historic Center & Beyond: $1.14
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.65
- Mexico City Coyoacán, Frida Kahlo Exploration Game and Tour: $4.96
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $5.00
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $5.00
- Flavors of the past: A Pre-Hispanic drink tour in Mexico city.: $5.83
- Mexico City Self-Guided Audio Experience: $6.00
- Mexico City Walking Tour 2h40 and 24 audio reviews: $7.06
- Mexico City Jewish History Smartphone Guided Audio Walking Tour: $7.75
- Night Tour of Mexico City Panoramic Ride on a Double-Decker Bus: $10
- Night City Tour in a Double Decker Bus: $10
- KidZania Cuicuilco Entrance Ticket: $12
Typical Entertainment Prices in Quito
Here are a few typical costs in Quito for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Entrance to Guyasimine Museum for Two$8.00
Tours and Activities in Quito
Here are a few actual costs in Quito for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 2 day 1 night tour to Cotopaxi Volcano and Quilotoa Lagoon all included: $280
- 3-Day Adventure: Quito, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Baños, Jungle: $897
- 3-Day Andes Adventure Visiting Cotopaxi, Quilotoa and Baños: $239
- 3-Day Antisana & Amazon comunities, Caves, Baños Guided Tour: $734
- 6-Day Ecuador Heritage Tour: Art, Culture and Otavalo: $1,847
- All-Inclusive Private Mindo Cloud Forest Tour from Quito: $220
- Amazon Adventure: 4 Days of Nature & Culture from Quito: $1,770
- Andean Adventure : Riding and Cotopaxi Refuge: $140
- Antisana Volcano Condor Birdwatching Private Experience: $90
- Antisana Volcano Private Day Tour from Quito: $266
- Antisana volcano private tour; birding and hike in the Andes: $130
- Authentic Cloud Forest Experience: $299
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMexico City $20Quito $17
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- CDMX Pub Crawl: Guided Pub Crawl with Party Games: $24
- Mexico City Pub Crawl: $26
- The Mexico City Pub Crawl: A real chilango night: $33
- THE MEXICO CITY PUB CRAWL: A real chilango night: $35
- Zona Rosa Pub Crawl Experience: $100
- Distillery Tour and Lucha Libre Spirits and Showdown: $125
- The Mexican Wine Tasting and Pairing: $125
- Mexican Wine Tasting with Food Pairing: $126
- Private Cheese and Wine Tour to Queretaro: $511
Typical Alcohol Prices in Quito
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Quito from other travelers:
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Beers for Two$9.00
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Mexico City and Quito, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Quito much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Mexico City is in North America and Quito is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Quito would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Quito and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Mexico City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mexico City than you might in Quito.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Mexico City Expensive? and Is Quito Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Mexico City or Quito?
Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of Quito. When comparing the sizes of Mexico City and Quito, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.