Cost of living: Guayaquil vs. Dallas
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At a glance
Texas has no state income tax, but the metro is spread out — plan on a car. Sending money home? Ria makes it fast and secure.
Life in Dallas
Dallas grew up at a crossing of the Trinity River and now anchors the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-most populous metro area in the US. Summers are hot, with July and August highs averaging 96°F. Defense, finance, tech, telecom and transportation drive jobs, supported by DFW Airport, the main hub of American Airlines. In 2020, 42.3% of the city's residents were Hispanic or Latino.
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A booming jobs market with no state income tax.
Monthly breakdown
What everyday life costs in each city, side by side.
| Total |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | $400 | $1,458 |
| Healthcare | $60 | $352 |
| Groceries | $105 | $454 |
| Utilities | $100 | $267 |
| Transit | $20 | $126 |
| Other | $415 | $503 |
Estimated monthly costs for one adult: typical rent across the metro area, USDA's moderate-cost food plan and U.S. government spending data — a typical budget, not a minimum.
Sources, updated September 2026: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (Regional Price Parities, 2024); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2024; Consumer Price Index); U.S. Department of Agriculture (Food Plans, July 2026); Federal Communications Commission (Urban Rate Survey, 2026); U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Fair Market Rents, FY2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (weekly retail gasoline prices); official fare pages of each city's transit agency; Latin America: crowdsourced cost-of-living platforms, used for reference.
Guayaquil figures are collected from online sources.
Cost of living by US city
15 cities, ranked by monthly cost for one person
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Frequently asked questions
Is Dallas more expensive than Guayaquil?
For one adult, Dallas is 2.9× more expensive than Guayaquil: about $3,160 a month, compared with about $1,100 in Guayaquil.
What is the monthly cost difference between Guayaquil and Dallas?
About $2,060 a month for one adult: $3,160 in Dallas versus $1,100 in Guayaquil. Change the number of adults above to see your household's figures.
Which costs change the most between Guayaquil and Dallas?
Transit shows the biggest jump: it costs 6.3× as much in Dallas as in Guayaquil.
How does rent compare between Guayaquil and Dallas?
A one-bedroom apartment rents for about $1,458 a month in Dallas and about $400 in Guayaquil. Rents exclude utilities.
Can a minimum-wage job cover the costs in Dallas?
A full-time minimum-wage job in Dallas ($7.25 an hour) pays about $1,257 a month before taxes. Typical costs for one adult there are about $3,160 a month. Add your income above to see what would be left each month.
How is the cost of living measured?
We add up typical monthly costs for one adult in six categories: housing, healthcare, groceries, utilities, transit and other everyday spending. U.S. figures are calculated from government data (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, HUD and the Energy Information Administration) plus transit agencies' published fares. Latin American figures come from crowdsourced cost-of-living platforms, and their healthcare costs are a modeled estimate. Minimum wages are each city's local rate where it has one, otherwise the state rate published by the U.S. Department of Labor. Both cities' figures were last updated in 2026.
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