Ecuador Trip Cost (with prices)

At first the thought of traveling to Ecuador was scary, as we didn’t know what to expect. Curious about Ecuador trip cost we began to research. We’ve now written some posts based on our travels, which will hopefully ease some anxiety for other travelers.

This post will cover how much we spent on our trip.  Check out our other posts to learn more about our travels in Ecuador to Quito and Banos.

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Ecuador Travel Guide

• Traveling to Ecuador?  What you need to know
• How much did our trip to Ecuador cost?
• Getting from the Quito Airport to Quito City Center
• Traveling from Quito to Banos, Ecuador
• Top 8 Things to do in Banos, Ecuador
• Bike Ride From Banos to Puyo and the Devil’s Cauldron Waterfall
• Hike from Banos to Casa del Arbol and the Swing of Death 
• Amazon Jungle Trek, First Day
• Amazon Jungle Trek, Second Day
• How to get from Quito to Mitad del Mundo – “The Center of the World”

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How much did our trip to  Ecuador cost?

A great reason to go to Ecuador is that, aside from the Galapagos, expenses in Ecuador are very reasonable. Here is what we spent on our week long trip to Banos.

Airfare to Quito

Fortunately we found round trip airfare from Austin, Texas to Quito, Ecuador for $349.49.

Lodging in Baños and Quito

Our plane arrived in Quito at 11:35 p.m., so we wanted to find a hotel near the airport.  The only chain hotel near the airport is the Wyndham, which was over $100.  We chose Quito Airport Suites for $44, including breakfast.  We payed online with Visa.  Airport pickup is usually $5, but I inquired and they offered to pick us up at no additional charge.

Quito Airport Suites Review (the novice traveler)

Outside view of the Quito Airport Suites Hotel

In Baños, we spent four nights at Hostal Princesa Maria, a quiet place a challenging five minute uphill walk from central Baños, for an average of $23.19 per night.  They accept only cash.  We booked via booking.com.

Street View of Princesa Maria Hostal

For our last night in Quito we stayed in the heart of the historic center at Friends Hostal, located only a four minute walk from Plaza Grande.  The cost for our room was $25.60.  They do take credit card, but they charge an extra fee for the use of the credit card, so we paid cash.

Street View of Friends Hostal in Ecuador

Every hostel we stayed in had private rooms with two beds and a bathroom, so our individual cost per night was under $13 each.

Our total lodging costs came to $161.50, which meant we spent $80.75 each on accommodations for the week.

Local Transportation in Quito and to Baños

From the Quito airport to the city center, you can take a taxi but the cost is about $35.  The cheapest way we found was taking a bus from the airport for $2.00 and then transferring to another bus at the Rio Coca bus terminal.  The second bus cost $0.25, for a total of $2.25.

How to get from Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport to Quito City Center by Bus

To get back to the airport, for another $2.25, just take the same busses.

How to get from Quito City Center to Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport by Bus

To get to Baños, we took the C3 Trole bus from the Plaza Chica bus station to the final stop at the Quitumbe bus terminal for only $0.25.  Then we took a bus from there to Baños for $4.50.

Traveling from Quito to Baños Ecuador

My total local transportation cost was $13.25

Food

I’ll admit, my dining habits may be a little different than everyone else’s.  For breakfast I would go to a market and get some fruit.  This usually cost me about $0.60 – $0.70 each morning.

Almuerzos.  Almuerzos. Almuerzos.

Street Sign for Almuerzos

For the most part I subsided on almuerzos every day.  Almeurzos is a “menu of the day” kind of thing and is often about $2.50 at most places.  For your $2.50 you get the soup of the day, a choice of a second which was usually chicken or fish served with rice and beans or potato and salad, and a beverage which was usually some kind of juice.

Almuerzos in Banos Ecuador

This was lunch and dinner most days.

My total food cost was $28.81

Entertainment

For a challenge we biked from Baños to Puyo.  Bikes from Wonderful Ecuador were $5 each.  Admission to Pailon del Diablo was $2.  To get back, we took a bus from the Puyo bus terminal for $2.50 each.  Total expenses: $9.50.

Bike Ride from Baños to Puyo, Ecuador

On another day we hiked from Baños to Casa del Arbol.  The admission fee to get into Casa del Arbol was $1.  We decided to take a bus back down, which cost us another $1/each.  Total expenses: $2 each.  If you don’t want to hike all the way, you can take a bus up for an additional $1, making your total expenses for this experience a whopping $3.

Casa del Arbol Tree Swing

Hike from Baños to Casa del Arbol

To round out our trip, we also did a two day Amazon jungle tour in Ecuador. We asked around (we were quoted prices between $60 and $120) and eventually booked our tour through Marberk Tours for $60 each.  The tour included transportation, activities, food for two days, and lodging for one night.

Amazon Jungle Tour, First Day

Entrance to the Village across this bridge

Amazon Jungle Tour, Second Day

Including tips, our total entertainment costs were $81.50 each.

Summary: Ecuador Trip Cost per person

Travel Item	Cost
Airfare	$349.49/per person
Lodging	$80.75/per person
Transport	$13.25/per person
Food	$28.81/per person
Entertainment	$81.50/per person
Total	$553.80/per person

We spent a total of 7 days in Ecuador (9 day trip but each end was a day of flying).

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Spend less; travel more