Is Ecuador cheaper than the DR?
BTW, I agree with YANANDU's posts.
Yes it is !
Here's my figures.
360 a month - rent a 2 br apart (middle class neighborhood)
70 a week on average for food/cleaning products/personal hygiene - 280 to feed 2 adults and 2 yr old / I spend about 20/30 a week at the mercado where I can fill a shopping cart with vegetables, grains and fruits. Btw, 280 includes the cooking gas last about a month and half, and about 12 dollars a month for large bottles of water (2 a week at 1.50 each delivered to home)
50 month - diapers and other baby stuff
80 a month - 2 MB internet, tv cable and about 100 minutes for landline
.25 cents x 2 a day transportation = .50 x5 (days)=2.50 a week / 10 a month and taxis about 30 dollars = 40 transportation
entertainment = 150 a month - includes going out to have beer and wings, drinking at home ( for about 1 dollar a get a grande), arcades, ice cream, eating out on sundays ( normally spend about 8.50 to have a chaulafan and tallarin brought to us)
school maternal for my 2 yr old = 80 +15 (occasional snack on the way) = 95
credit cards = 100 a month (covers buying clothing, some other purchases usually from the US and brought to us by relatives)
medical consultas and occasional medicine = 30 a month
electricity - 40 a month
water - it's included in the rent
watchiman - 15 a month
life insurance - 30 a month
That's 1270 for the main expenses for a family of 3. I would say about 1370 to include any additional costs that might appear and there's the trips we do outside of Guayaquil - we spend less than 100 dollars occasionally. Transport is about 12.50 for 3 r/t. We go to my wife's family but contribute to food and other stuff.
The figures would be really lower if I didn't have a wife and 2 yr old, and I didn't have to rent.