Cost of living 2018 in Ecuador

Ok, agreed....especially in the capital.......I like cool, but I dont like cold, nor super windy.......And Quito definately has its charms, and I was well treated there.....I like Ecuadorians in general and they were very receptive and cordial there too......But the prices I see quoted on these forums just seem rediculous......Medellin is considered to be the most beautiful city in Latin America, and its way better priced....(for the meantime) Cuz that can all change with dollar fluctuations.......There are many nice places in both Colombia and Ecuador and I like them both.....But neither Quito nor Guayaquil would be among my candidates.....I wouldnt even live in Medellin..as nice as it is....too crowded, crazy traffic, too many motos, and bad air.......But you dont have to get too far outside of Medellin before it gets real nice.......Cities are places to visit and shop and enjoy a dash of culture and art/museums etc......But to live anymore in this high priced era of autos and noise pollution, no way.........Give me the country any day..........but not too far outside of a major center.........

Quito does get cold, that's a fact. Restaurants that have outdoor seating have ceiling heaters that they turn on at night. It's also more autumn like than spring like between January and May. For me that's my favorite time of the year as it's chilly during the day as well with many overcast days.

As for comparing Colombia and Ecuador price wise. There really isn't any comparison as Colombia is much cheaper. Here are comparison stats between Medellin and Quito taken from Numbeo to illustrate this point. 

Consumer Prices in Quito are 48.49% higher than in Medellin
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Quito are 45.19% higher than in Medellin
Rent Prices in Quito are 34.11% higher than in Medellin
Restaurant Prices in Quito are 44.12% higher than in Medellin
Groceries Prices in Quito are 60.84% higher than in Medellin

It's more expensive across the board.

We've got a dollarized economy here, and having an ordinary lunch can easily cost around $8 per person, for example:

-Pollo Naranja which is leg & thigh with rice and tiny salad ($3.99)
-Sancocho (soup) $1.99
-Large fresh lemonade $1.60.
= Total $7.58

This is my usual lunch, are there cheaper almuerzo options, yup for about $3.00-$3.50. But it'll be 1 piece of chicken; the rice will be inferior quality, inferior salad, and the drink artificial. The soup is often hit or miss, especially when its cream of anything.

With a strong dollar, Ecuador's neighbors do look cheap. And alluring. I wonder how long this new normal of 2800-3000 COP to the dollar will last? It started in late 2015, and I lost a few clients then because of it.  The weaker dollar range  of 1800-2000 lasted pretty long, from 2007-14.

I'm very curious about Colombia. I suppose if I didn't have romantic ties to Ecuador, I'd be checking out Medellin for sure.

If the cost of living in Ecuador's major cities started to truly approach that of similar sized cities in the USA, I wouldn't stay in Ecuador. I'd bring girlfriend with me to whichever new destination, probably back in the USA, unless we could figure out how to find my girlfriend a teaching job in Colombia

With regard to the USD/COP, and based solely on a historical chart, my guess is that current levels remain until 2024. One thing that that's favorable about Colombia is that all indicators support that the dollar goes a long way there regardless of exchange. So even if the USD weakens, it's still a great destination for people wishing to stretch their dollar. The only difference now is that people with USD are especially spoiled.

Cost of living Quito, September 2018

------Supermarket--------
Rotisserie chicken  1.2 kilograms $8

Kellogg's Müsli, 300 grams $4.00

Montañés ground coffee (Loja product) 340 grams $4

I wanted Juan Valdez but they didn't have any so I just chose this brand. It's not to my liking probably because I got used to the superior quality of Juan Valdez. Oh well, it's just $4. BTW for the same quantity, JV costs twice as much. You get what you pay for.

Maybe this will be okay for lattes but definitely not for the first morning coffee that I like black.

6-pack Coca-Cola 500ml bottles without Sugar $3.10 (anyone know the difference between sin azúcar and ligero (light)?

6-pack Stella Artois bottles $10.29

2 AAA Eveready gold batteries, weak but good for remotes $1.49

French Baguette $1.39

Tomatoes $1.40 a kilogram

Carrots $0.40 a kilogram

Corn $2.50 kilogram

Garlic 250 grams $0.75

Jalapeño organic 150 grams $0.55

------Asian Mart-------
Shin Ramyun Noodles $2

20 sets of disposable wooden chopsticks $2

Coke Ligero vs Coke Sin Azúcar - Both have no calories and only contain 30mg of sodium; but, the taste recipe used is different.  As per the company, one is supposed to taste more like the original and the other has a slightly different taste.  I greatly prefer the Sin Azúcar version, to me it tastes more like Diet Coke, my favorite in the States, and Coke ligero tastes more like Coke Zero.

Quito, Oct 2018
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Trucha (trout, whole clean) $7.54 kilogram
Cowboy steak $8.62 kg
Chicken wings $6.97 kg
Kraft macaroni & cheese $2.06 7 oz box

Cost of living, Quito Nov 2018

Loaf of white bread, moderna artesanal, 560 grams $2.75
Hamburger buns, bimbo, (4) $0.89
Special K cereal, vanilla almond, 400g $4.19
Smucker's Goober, 510g $6.73
Heinz ketchup, 397g $2.06
Sunflower seeds 20g $0.25
President cheddar cheese, 10 slices, $3.59
Milk, semi-skimmed, tetra pak (Nutri) 500ml $0.65
Barilla, Spaghetti no.7, 500 g $2.50
Turkey drumsticks (2), 1 kg $5.49
Santa Priscila tilapia (1), clean and w/o head, 360-420g $2.75
Tomato 1 kg $1.72
Onion, mixed red/white 550g $1.50
Baby potatoes 400g $1.09
Cilantro organic $0.85

Kimchi (400-500g) $4.50
McDonald's pancakes & coffee $3.50


*Groceries are Supermaxi prices