{"id":38833,"date":"2013-08-11T02:58:36","date_gmt":"2013-08-11T06:58:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=38833"},"modified":"2020-08-11T03:01:34","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T07:01:34","slug":"food-costs-in-ecuador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/food-costs-in-ecuador\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Costs in Ecuador"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Daily Brief – The Price you Pay<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ecuador\u2019s quality value pricing for an array of products, always seems to garner a great deal of media coverage.\u00a0 Whether we are talking real estate values, low taxes, economical healthcare, or inexpensive business start-up costs, Ecuador shines in terms of relative value.\u00a0 However, one has to wonder if Ecuador\u2019s value pricing transcends beyond major economic items, to more common, routine, every day items.\u00a0 With that in mind, we take on the often controversial topic of \u201cfood pricing\u201d and will examine food costs in Ecuador.<\/p>\n

I am sure by now many are wondering why do I use the word \u201ccontroversial\u201d to define the more mundane topic of \u201cfood pricing\u201d?\u00a0 Frequent readers might presume it is just more of that tongue-in-cheek commentary, of which I am occasionally guilty.\u00a0 In this case, I am wholly serious.<\/p>\n

For the purposes of food prices, I will compare USA pricing with that of Ecuador.\u00a0 Simple enough, right? Not so fast!\u00a0 The USA is a big country.\u00a0 Prices in one region of the country, for food item \u201cA\u201d, can vary quite dramatically from the price of the same food item \u201cA\u201d in another region of the country.\u00a0 Other factors, like regional economic realities, unemployment rates and the cost of gasoline can heavily impact food pricing, on a regional basis.\u00a0 In short, someone in Los Angeles can shop for the exact same \u201cgrocery basket\u201d as someone in Pittsburgh and the cost can vary…perhaps dramatically.<\/p>\n

Now, let us consider Ecuador.\u00a0 Not a huge country.\u00a0 Geographically about the size of the state of Nevada. So, easy to conclude that the radical variances in pricing would not be prevalent in Ecuador. Again, not so fast!\u00a0 Where are you doing your shopping in Ecuador?\u00a0 The refined, so-called First World supermarket of MegaMaxi, in the commercial capitol of Guayaquil, or the local town market of Cotacachi, a much smaller, more rustic locale? Big difference in pricing!\u00a0 Likewise, do you seek mostly imported items, or will you settle for the Ecuadorian variant?\u00a0 Again, big difference in pricing.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, no matter what data we present or the precise conclusion we reach, it can be – and will be – debated extensively.\u00a0 Candidly, some of that debate will have merit, for reasons already cited.\u00a0 Some, will likely not. Our objective is to strike the best possible balance.<\/p>\n

In effort to reach the aforementioned balance, we will try to compare like-for-like products, where possible, on a national average basis.\u00a0 For example, if we are comparing a box of Frosted Flakes, we will not utilize the Ecuadorian equivalent, but the actual Kellog\u2019s brand…again, where possible.\u00a0 However, we may provide additional commentary to consider alternative options.\u00a0 With that all in mind, let us look at some side-by-side pricing comparison for common grocery purchase costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Food \/ Household Item<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

USA<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Ecuador<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\n

Dozen Eggs<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$3.16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$1.84<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Liter of Milk<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$3.18<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$1.04<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Dozen Bananas<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$2.40<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$0.72<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

2 Avocados<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$0.68<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$0.50<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

3 Heads of Organic Lettuce<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$5.12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$1.56<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Yogurt 30 oz.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$3.97<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$2.72<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Round of Cheese 16 oz.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$5.98<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$2.02<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Rice 5 lb<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$2.72<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$0.88<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

2 Loaves Fresh Bread<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$4.19<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$2.48<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Ground Organic Coffee 1 lb<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$9.28<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$4.56<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Rotisserie Chicken<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$7.99<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$12.89<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

1 lb Filet Mignon Steak<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$13.99<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$4.97<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

1 lb Pork<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$8.59<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$2.86<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

1 lb Seabass<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$13.52<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$7.19<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Box of Cereal<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$4.39<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$5.89<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Laundry Detergent 3 lb<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$5.45<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$1.99<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Bar of Soap<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$1.19<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$0.82<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Dozen Roses<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$19.97<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

$1.00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Grocery Shopping Total:<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 $115.77<\/td>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0$55.93<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As can be seen, food costs in Ecuador can represent a significant costs savings, assuming you shop wisely and not merely for convenience.\u00a0 Those savings can approach 50% and even slightly beyond, depending on the item mix. However, this does not mean, as illustrated in the basket of groceries example above, that all grocery food items will be less expensive in Ecuador.\u00a0 Your particular diet and preferences could impact, perhaps significantly, the variances illustrated in our example.<\/p>\n

However, on the other hand, if you are willing to shop for local brands and eschew imported items, the savings illustrated and more can readily be attained.\u00a0 This is significantly true for a wide array of varying products.\u00a0 Additionally, there exists the quality of items analysis.\u00a0 For example, not only is organic coffee in Ecuador cheaper, but the locally grown quality seems to exceed the freshness and taste of many USA brands.\u00a0 Counter-balancing that, the price of filet-mignon in Ecuador is considerably less expensive, but you will seldom find equivalent finer cuts, like you do in the USA.<\/p>\n

Still, looking at the side-by-side comparison \u201cbasket of groceries\u201d example, it is hard to ignore the value advantage offered by Ecuador.\u00a0 With some smart shopping, you can eat as well or better and keep some extra cash in your wallet or purse.\u00a0 If it is important to stretch your retirement dollars, or you are just a frugal expat, looking to set aside as much money as possible to partake of some of the many wonderful investment opportunities that Ecuador offers, then you might be comforted to know that Ecuador\u2019s value pricing also extends to the simple, every day, basic items you will likely purchase.\u00a0 Come on down and learn a bit more about living economically in Ecuador!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Daily Brief – The Price you Pay Ecuador\u2019s quality value pricing for an array of products, always seems to garner a great deal of media coverage.\u00a0 Whether we are talking real estate values, low taxes, economical healthcare, or inexpensive business start-up costs, Ecuador shines in terms of relative value.\u00a0 However, one has to wonder […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":308,"featured_media":38840,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[32049,32042,5366,32048,7731,32050,32043,2491,7767,32041,32046,32052,32051,23066,32044,32047,32040,12773,3919,32045],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Food-Costs-In-Ecuador.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38833"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/308"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38833"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38841,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38833\/revisions\/38841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38833"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=38833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}