Travel Budget for Montanita Visit Montanita on a Budget or Travel in Style

Montanita, Provincia del Guayas, Ecuador

How much does it cost to travel to Montanita?

You should plan to spend around $96 per day on your vacation in Montanita. This is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors.

Past travelers have spent, on average for one day:

  • $28 on meals
  • $39 on local transportation
  • $83 on hotels

A one week trip to Montanita for two people costs, on average, $1,348. This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

All of these average travel prices have been collected from other travelers to help you plan your own travel budget.

  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    $96
  • One Week Per person
    $674
  • 2 Weeks Per person
    $1,348
  • One Month Per person
    $2,888
  • One Week For a couple
    $1,348
  • 2 Weeks For a couple
    $2,695
  • One Month For a couple
    $5,775
This data comes from the travel budgets of real travelers - How it works. Put these numbers on your website.


How much does a one week, two week, or one month trip to Montanita cost?

A one week trip to Montanita usually costs around $674 for one person and $1,348 for two people. This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

A two week trip to Montanita on average costs around $1,348 for one person and $2,695 for two people. This cost includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

Please note, prices can vary based on your travel style, speed, and other variables. If you're traveling as a family of three or four people, the price per person often goes down because kid's tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can be shared. If you travel slower over a longer period of time then your daily budget will also go down. Two people traveling together for one month in Montanita will often have a lower daily budget per person than one person traveling alone for one week.

A one month trip to Montanita on average costs around $2,888 for one person and $5,775 for two people. The more places you visit, the higher the daily price will become due to increased transportation costs.




Independent Travel

Traveling Independently to Montanita has many benefits including affordabilty, freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to control your own experiences.

All of the travel costs below are based on the experiences of other independent travelers.

Is Montanita expensive to visit?

Prices in Montanita are reasonable and comparable to your average travel destination. Hotels, food, and sightseeing are generally within normal price ranges.

Within South America, Montanita is a somewhat more expensive destination compared to other places. It is in the top 25% of cities in South America for its travel costs. While some cities in the region are more expensive, Montanita is generally more expensive than most.

For more details, and to find out if it's within your travel budget, see Is Montanita Expensive?

How much money do I need for a trip to Montanita?

The average Montanita trip cost is broken down by category here for independent travelers. All of these Montanita travel prices are calculated from the budgets of real travelers.


Category Cost
Accommodation 1 (Double Occupancy) $83
Local Transportation 1 $39
Food 2 $28
Entertainment 1 $31
Alcohol 2 $4 - 12
Accommodation Budget in Montanita
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

The average price paid for one person for accommodation in Montanita is $41. For two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room, the average price paid for a hotel room in Montanita is $83. This cost is from the reported spending of actual travelers.


  • Accommodation1 Hotel or hostel for one person
    $41
  • Accommodation1 Typical double-occupancy room
    $83

Hotel Prices in Montanita

Looking for a hotel in Montanita? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options.

Find the best hotel for your travel style.

 

Actual Hotel Prices
The average hotel room price in Montanita based on data provided by Kayak for actual hotel rooms is $50. (Prices in U.S. Dollars, before taxes & fees.)

Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world.


Recommended Properties


Transportation Budget in Montanita
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • The cost of a taxi ride in Montanita is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $39 per person, per day, on local transportation in Montanita.


  • Transportation1 Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    $39


Flights to Montanita
How much does it cost to go to Montanita? Naturally, it depends on the dates. We recommend Kayak because they can find the best deals across all airlines.

Rental Cars in Montanita
The price of renting a car in Montanita will depends on dates, the type of car, the location, and your age. We recommend Kayak because they can find the best deals across all car rental companies.



Food Budget in Montanita
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • While meal prices in Montanita can vary, the average cost of food in Montanita is $28 per day. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out an average meal in Montanita should cost around $11 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Montanita is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.


  • Food2 Meals for one day
    $28


Entertainment Budget in Montanita
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • Entertainment and activities in Montanita typically cost an average of $31 per person, per day based on the spending of previous travelers. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.


  • Entertainment1 Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    $31


Alcohol Budget in Montanita
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • The average person spends about $7.86 on alcoholic beverages in Montanita per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.


  • Alcohol2 Drinks for one day
    $7.86


Montanita On a Budget
Montanita Montanita, Ecuador
Montanita is a small village located on Manglaralto parish along the southern coast of Ecuador. The Pacific Coast of Ecuador is lined with beach towns, either small villages with local fisherman or larger towns more set up for foreign travellers like Montanita. With one of the best beaches in Ecuador, one of the best surf breaks in the region, and a great laid-back atmosphere Montanita is a great little getaway, especially for the hippies of the world. It has also become a popular weekend destination for English teachers and Spanish students coming from Guayaquil and Quito. The beachfront village of Montanita has a laid-back atmosphere and steady stream of cosmopolitan backpackers, with as many South Americans as gringos.
Sights
Go whale watching from May until September during the whale watching season in Ecuador. You can organize a boat trip in Montanita or another good place to go whale watching is Puerto Lopez. If you are lucky you can even see them leap into the air. Some tours also offer lunch on the boats and the possibility to go snorkeling. You can also head to Valdivia, a village 20 minutes south of Montanita and check out its famous aquarium. It is a great place to visit and see animals like blue footed boobies, penguins and sea turtles. The name of the town comes from the population that lived there more than 3000 years ago and you will find a lot of their artifacts in Valdivia. On the main square, there is a statue of a woman, made in the style as their artifacts. You can also find a little museum in town where you can see some of these objects. On the way from Montanita to Valdivia you will also pass by a town called Libertad, where you can find a lot of souvenirs here from artisans, usually cheaper than in touristy Montanita.

Activities
It goes without saying that people come to Montanita for the beach. However, if you're looking for more of an adventure you can find that here as well. Montanita has a couple of really good surfing spots. The beginners will find a nice easy beach break along the entire beach. Those looking for a longer more exciting wave will head to the north end of the beach. If you want to rent a board the going rate is about USD$5 an hour or USD$20 for a full day. You can also rent a bodyboard for USD$3. There are a number of places in town offering lessons as well. You can also go surfing in Ayampe, a small town about 40 minutes by bus from Montanita. The town is just some dirt roads with some hotels and a small supermarket next to a nature reserve. The beach is really quiet and the waves are really great. Because the town is so small there are usually only a few surfers in the water and some pelicans diving in the water next to you on their search for fish. A few other towns in that area with good waves are Las Tunas and Rio Chico. Just outside of town there is a zipline, where you can organise canopy tours through your hotel. The going rate is about USD$20 per person. A couple companies in town also offer tours on ATVs out in the countryside. They are valued at about USD$45-60 depending on the tour you would like to do. Horseback riding around the town of Montanita is also available. There are a couple of different rides, including one to a beautiful waterfall, which costs about USD$15. Paragliding can be done in a town just south of Montanita where there is a cliff and some thermals for a coastal ride. If the winds are in your favour, the paragliding here is supposed to be excellent and will only cost you about USD$30 for a 15 minutes ride.

Outside of Montanita, you can also venture to Isla de la Plata. This island is called the poor man's Galapagos because it is a lot cheaper to visit than the Galapagos but you can also find birds in the wild that are common in the Galapagos as well; the blue-footed boobies, red-footed booby, Nazca booby, frigatebird, and occasionally albatross. Around the island you can find a coral reef which inhabits Manta-rays, tropical fish and sea turtles. The island itself is beautiful and you will find a lot of animals in their natural habitat. The island is part of the Machalilla national park and to protect the area you are obligated to take a guided tour, so you don't just wander around the island and disturb the birds and their nests. You can combine visiting the island with whale watching tours. Another beautiful place to visit in the Machalilla national park is the beach of Los Frailes. It is a crescent shaped beach with rocks on both sides protecting it from the wind and it is often considered "the most beautiful beach of Ecuador". The water is a beautiful shade of blue-ish green and the sand is white. It is a tranquil place where you can sunbathe and go snorkeling or diving. There is a fun hiking trail to the top of the northern cliff to several look out spots where you see the whales during whale watching season. Agua Blanca is a small village just north of Puerto Lopez, where you can find a sulfur pool, get an overview of the forest and find pre-Columbian art in a nicely done museum. You will see impressive flora and fauna, especially birds, ruins, remains of temples, burial sites and local farms if you decide to take a tour in Agua Blanca. If you want to know more about local communities, visit Dos Mangas, located in a peaceful forest close to Montanita. This is a community of 950 inhabitants who live of cultivating the land and making artifacts. You can either go hiking here or take a horse riding tour into the forest. You can find numerous species of birds and plants and even some howler monkeys. In the commune you can hire a guide who will tell you all about the flora and fauna found in the forest.
Food and Dining
The food selection in Montanita is actually very good. If you enjoy good food there are lots of great restaurants, although it is a bit on the expensive side. If you are on a budget, try to prioritize the street vendors selling USD$1.50 hamburgers and empanadas. Ecuador may be a tiny country, but the regional cuisine is impressively diverse. You have to take advantage of your time on the coast for ceviche straight from the sea.

Transportation
The usual way to reach Montanita and the other villages in Manglaralto Parish is overland via the Ruta del Sol, a beautiful coastal highway running along the Ecuadorian coast. Direct lines from Guayaquil to Montanita costs USD$6 and lasts about 3 hours. You can also very easily take a CLP bus to Santa Elena or Libertad and transfer to the Citup bus which will take you to Montanita. CLP buses to Santa Elena and Libertad start operating around 3am and once you are at Santa Elena or Libertad, it is extremely easy to transfer, just look for the blue and white bus called Citup that goes to Montanita. From Cuenca, Machala, Loja or other cities in the southwestern and southern part of Ecuador, you can take a bus directly to Guayaquil and then follow the same directions above. From Quito, Esmeraldas or other north and northeastern cities of Ecuador, you can also take a direct bus to Guayaquil or transfer at Jipijapa or Portoviejo. From there you can get a bus directly to Montanita, or by changing in Puerto Lopez. From Peru, you can cross into Ecuador at the International Bridge over the Zarumilla river, near Huaquillas. From Huaquillas you can get a bus to Guayaquil and then follow the directions above to Montanita. From Guayaquil or Santa Elena, you can also take a taxi to Montanita, either for greater comfort or when the busses aren't running, generally after 21h00. Walking is the best way to get around town in Montanita, as it is a very small village and the streets are typically too crowded for cars. It only takes about 10 minutes to walk from one end of the town to the other along the beach. However, taxis and buses are available and make it possible to consider staying also in the less crowded, more serene and safe villages of Manglaralto and Olon only 5 minutes away, south and north respectively from downtown Montanita.

We've been gathering travel costs from tens of thousands of actual travelers since 2010, and we use the data to calculate average daily travel costs for destinations around the world. We also systematically analyze the prices of hotels, hostels, and tours from travel providers such as Kayak, HostelWorld, TourRadar, Viator, and others. This combination of expenses from actual travelers, combined with pricing data from major travel companies, gives us a uniqe insight into the overall cost of travel for thousands of cities in countries around the world. You can see more here: How it Works.



1 Categories averaged on a per-item basis.
2 Categories averaged on a per-day basis.
For example, the Food2 daily average is for all meals for an entire day, while Entertainment1 is for each individual purchase. Thus, the overall daily average cost is not a summation of the individual categories.