Cost of living: Quito vs. Denver
Thinking of moving to the US? Compare the cost of living in any city with your hometown.
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At a glance
Car-oriented, with easy access to the mountains and the outdoors. Sending money home? Ria makes it fast and secure.
Life in Denver
Denver sits exactly one mile above sea level, a height marked on the steps of the State Capitol, with the Rocky Mountain foothills about 12 miles from downtown. Its dry, semi-arid climate brings low humidity and plenty of sun. Jobs cluster in aerospace, energy, healthcare, and software, and nearly three in ten residents are Hispanic or Latino.
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The 'Mile High City' — exactly one mile above sea level.
Monthly breakdown
What everyday life costs in each city, side by side.
| Total |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | $300 | $1,570 |
| Healthcare | $60 | $351 |
| Groceries | $105 | $446 |
| Utilities | $45 | $261 |
| Transit | $20 | $88 |
| Other | $420 | $500 |
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.
Quito 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 Denver more expensive than Quito?
For one adult, Denver is 3.4× more expensive than Quito: about $3,216 a month, compared with about $950 in Quito.
What is the monthly cost difference between Quito and Denver?
About $2,266 a month for one adult: $3,216 in Denver versus $950 in Quito. Change the number of adults above to see your household's figures.
Which costs change the most between Quito and Denver?
Healthcare shows the biggest jump: it costs 5.9× as much in Denver as in Quito.
How does rent compare between Quito and Denver?
A one-bedroom apartment rents for about $1,570 a month in Denver and about $300 in Quito. Rents exclude utilities.
Can a minimum-wage job cover the costs in Denver?
A full-time minimum-wage job in Denver ($19.29 an hour) pays about $3,344 a month before taxes. Typical costs for one adult there are about $3,216 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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