Salinas at a glance
- Salinas ranks 6th of 11 priced cities in Ecuador on cost: $548 a month in essentials, 76% above Riobamba, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $437 covers that 0.8×.
- 97.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at parish level.
- PM2.5 averages 10.2 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 11 Ecuador cities we track, so every row says whether Salinas is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $548 | $548 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $274 | $274 | same |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $350 | $350 | same |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $98 | $98 | same |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $86 | $98 | $12 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $62 | $66 | $4 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $28 | $21 | 1.33× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $437 | $481 | $44 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $416 | $416 | same |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $507 | $592 | $84 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Salinas, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $3.08 | $3.50 | $0.42 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $26.40 | $30.00 | $3.60 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $7.04 | $7.04 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.26 | $2.57 | $0.31 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.76 | $2.00 | $0.24 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.08 | $3.50 | $0.42 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.69 | $0.78 | $0.09 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.58 | $0.66 | $0.08 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $0.91 | $1.03 | $0.12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.43 | $1.63 | $0.20 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.61 | $1.44 | $0.17 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.98 | $2.09 | $0.11 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $4.80 | $5.46 | $0.66 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $4.79 | $4.79 | same |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.67 | $1.67 | same |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $0.96 | $0.96 | same |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.17 | $1.10 | $0.07 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.39 | $1.25 | $0.14 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.92 | $0.95 | $0.03 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.99 | $0.99 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.33 | $0.35 | $0.02 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $28.20 | $22.00 | 1.28× as much |
| Taxi start | $0.94 | $1.50 | 1.60× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.05 | $1.50 | 1.43× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $0.78 | $0.83 | $0.05 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $36.62 | $38.96 | $2.34 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $25.50 | $26.11 | $0.61 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $11.48 | $12.21 | $0.73 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $26.95 | $30.31 | $3.36 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $6.16 | $6.80 | $0.64 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Salinas has 97.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (parish level). That is the highest of the 11 Ecuador cities we track. Ecuador's national figure is 102, so Salinas runs 5 below the country as a whole.
Every Ecuador region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Salinas ranks against every city we track
Salinas sits ahead of 79% of the 998 cities we track on cost of living. On city-centre rent it is ahead of 77% of 1010. Its weakest measure is safety, ahead of only 16% of 1016.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Salinas sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Salinas on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Salinas beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Salinas in the research deskOr unlock the Ecuador deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Crotopaxi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data updated