Ecuador, Quito

Country Full Name: Republic of Ecuador.

Location: Ecuador is in Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru.

Country Climate: Tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands.

Country Terrain: Coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente).

Major Languages: Spanish, indigenous languages.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Population: 13.9 million (2008 est.) 14.1 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Ecuador is dominated by natural resources which include petroleum, fish, shrimp, timber and gold. In addition, it has rich agriculture: bananas, flowers, coffee, cacao, sugar, tropical fruits, palm oil, palm hearts, rice, roses, and corn. The country´s greatest national export is crude oil.

Currency: US Dollar.

Inflation: 5.4% (2011 est.).

City: Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador.

City Economy: Quito is the second-highest administrative capital city in the world (after La Paz, Bolivia), and the highest legal capital (ahead of Sucre, also in Bolivia, and Bogota, Colombia).

The cost of living in Quito in Ecuador is very low compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Quito in Ecuador is currently ranked 897 overall out of 950 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 950 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are high compared to other places for items such as alcoholic beverages, alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine (where alcohol is legally sold) as well as for tobacco products such as cigarettes. There are 198 places that are more expensive, and 751 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are low compared to other places for items such as clothing and footwear products, business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear. There are 721 places that are more expensive, and 228 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very low compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract, data, and calls. There are 812 places that are more expensive, and 137 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees. There are 916 places that are more expensive, and 33 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are very high compared to other places for items such as furniture, household equipment and appliances, DVD player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine. There are 148 places that are more expensive, and 801 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very low compared to other places for items such as food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs . There are 830 places that are more expensive, and 119 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance, general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions. There are 868 places that are more expensive, and 81 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are low compared to other places for items such as housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes, mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies. There are 588 places that are more expensive, and 361 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as stationery, linen, general goods and services, domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps. There are 839 places that are more expensive, and 110 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as personal care products and services, cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner. There are 798 places that are more expensive, and 151 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, camera film, cinema tickets, DVDs and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets. There are 550 places that are more expensive, and 399 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food). There are 830 places that are more expensive, and 119 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very low compared to other places for items such as public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance, hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase. There are 867 places that are more expensive, and 82 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Quito in Ecuador are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Quito in Ecuador is ranked as high degree of hardship with a hardship index of 30%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Quito in Ecuador are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is at at 1 January 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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