Market Day in Loja

People commonly ask about the cost of living in Loja, Ecuador. How much does food cost there? Going to the market each week was a treasure hunt for both of us—a constant discovery of new foods and affordable prices. Today I’ll share a few weeks of typical expenses at the local weekly open-air market, where Keith and I always loaded up on as much food as the two of us could carry.

This was usually enough to feed us for the week with the occasional trip to the store during the week to fill in a few gaps in ingredients for things I wanted to make. Here are what a few of our market days looked like:

February 8, 2014

Papayas – 2/$1
Guavas – 5/$1
Avocados – 4/$1
Bag of cinnamon sticks – $0.50
Naranjillas – 15/$1
Babaco – 2/$1.50
Blackberries – 1 lb./$1
Huge broccoli – $1
Fresh peas, shelled – 1 lb./$1.50
Fresh fava beans – 1 lb./$0.80
Fresh organic eggs – 5/$1
Humitas (similar to tamales) – 5/$2
Quimbolitos (sort of like sweet tamales) – 2/$1
Two bouquets of flowers – $2.50
TOTAL $16.80

Here are the two bouquets of flowers I picked up for $2.50:

February 15, 2014

Fresh cheese – 2 lbs/$3.60
Onions – 2 lbs/$1
Strawberries – 2 lbs/$1.50
Lettuce – 1 head/$0.50
Cilantro – 1 huge bunch/$0.25
Bananas – 18/$0.90
Plantains – 17/$1
Tomatoes – 4 lbs/$1
Avocados – 4/$1
Quimbolitos – 4/$2
Milk – 1 liter/$0.80
Flowers – 1 bouquet/$1
Green beans – 2 lbs/$2
Spinach – 1 bag/$0.25
Cucumber – 1/$0.20
Bell peppers – 3/$0.30
Sugar cane (chopped up to snack on) – 1 bag/$0.50
TOTAL $17.80

March 15, 2014

Cilantro – Big bunch/$0.25
Milk – 2-3 liters?/$2.20
Tomatoes – 4 lbs/$1
Avocados – 4/$1
Papaya – 1/$0.50
Babaco – 1/$1
Mangos – 10/$1
Strawberries – 2 lbs./$1.50
Yuca – 3 lbs/$1
Achotillos – 15/$1
Romanesco Cauliflower – 1/$0.75
Yogurt – 2 liters/$2.90
Flowers – 2 bouquets/$2
Quinoa – 1 lb/$2.50
Lentils – 1 lb/$1
Oatmeal – 1 lb./$0.80
Sango (toasted cornmeal) – 1 lb./$0.85
Tortillas (the Ecuadorian kind) – 2/$1
Bag of humitas & quimbolitos – $3
Bunch of bananas – $0.20
Peppers – 5/$0.50
TOTAL $25.95

(Note: Keith and I are vegetarians, so I am not sure what meat costs down there or how it compares to prices in the U.S.)

So that’s what three random market days looked like for us! Even with trips to the store to pick up things during the week and our occasional meals out, our food costs were a fraction of what they are in the States. Plus, grocery shopping is a lot less boring!