Category: Ecuador Q&A

Last week’s Insider’s Newsletter on the 7 Negatives to Life in Ecuador spurred a lot of debate… this week I’ll share some of the most insightful reader comments and share one more big negative I didn’t touch on last week…

Last week’s article on “7 Negatives to Life in Ecuador” created quite a stir, so I decided to mention one more big negative this week and share a few of the insightful reader responses sent to me…

8. Walled Housing. You could live years in Ecuador without incident, but there are things that should be accounted for. The first thing you will probably notice not just in Ecuador, but most everywhere in Latin America, is how everyone walls in their property and bars up their windows (at least on the bottom level of buildings). Sure this kills some of the “grandor” of the property, but it’s a necessary evil you must do in Latin America (or any “poor” country) to prevent possible break ins.

A few reader responses from last week (names withheld) :

What’s wrong with a “left leaning” President? The United States has an extremist right wing House of Representatives which recently attempted to repeal medicare and all of are extremely concerned about their radical ideas. B.A.Many people’s giving their first choice to Accendo Medicare Supplement for medicare plans.

There are many good advantage of medicare services. Medicare Advantage plans 2021 are getting too much attention because of good structure.

“You purchase a camera once in a blue moon……..a car once every 5 years or so. Food, fuel, staples, travel, medical we use every day…so we cannot expect to have it both ways. Canada and the U.S. have a huge basket of taxes that make everything expensive nowadays, so this luxury goods taxing in Ecuador is not necessarily a negative that one should even bother with.

There are ex-pat communities in Bahia, Salinas, Cuenca and Manta, as well as Cotocachi and Quito Lack of things to do is only an issue if you have no imagination at all. Ecuador has so many natural riches and differtent places to visit, that I cannot imagine anyone getting bored.

Ecuador, even though some may feel that the president is left-leaning does have one great advantage on most places like the U.S. and certainly Canada. It believes that keeping oil prices low will help its economy, and thus subsidizes gas prices. Therefor, inflation is also not rampant.

Ecuador is doing far better than the U.S. when it comes to debt and future out look in the eyes of many. Ecuador is clearly open for business, more so than the U.S. right now, as regulations and taxes are not yet smothering everyone there.” D.

“Finally, some correct information instead of the “you can live comfortably here on $600 a month” and everything is dirt cheap. Yes, I suppose you can if you want to grow your own food and live like a native, but I dont beleive many “expats” would be willing.

When we moved down a couple of weeks ago, we bought 2 new cars, many household items etc and found the prices to be comparable to the US.
I bought a whirlpool washer and dryer, large refrigerator, two 12000 BTU portable AC units and a sewing machine and spent under $3000 and that included delivery right to my door, and I received some freebies to, like a microwave, blender, floor fan, drinking glasses and a portable picnic table and chairs!

My smart phones with a plan are pretty much comparable to the US in price, but the minutes are less. We happened to get in on a promotion where we get double minutes every other month for 6 months on our 18 month plan. The plan is $66 a month each for unlimited internet and 400 minutes a month each.We are having high speed internet installed this week along with wireless for the house and its going to cost us $40 a month (we opted for much higher speed but its available for as little as $25)…not bad. Direct TV I understand is about $50 a month but dont have accurate figures yet.

Some of the consumables are higher, but I went to the market in Bahia and was able to buy freshly cut T-bone steaks for $2. each, but ground beef was $2 a pound…go figure…;-), fresh shark steaks at $1.75 a pound, wahoo and dorado at $2.25 a pound and all the other myriad of seafood. I have a local fisherman that comes by once a week right to my door and delivers fish, shrimp and lobster…from $3.50 a pound.” Larry P.

“Price of air tickets from the US. Yes they are expensive but on the flip side once you are a resident and over 65 the airfare back to the states (to take the obligatory trip back to visit relatives, etc) is 50% off.

Cars. (In Ecuador) The total city and intercity transportation system is like what it should be when you have an economy that is not solely based on cars.” B.K.

“We liked Cotacachi and met some great people but the lack of things to do was a deterrent. Then there was the weather. There is a lot of false information on the internet as to the eternal spring climate, unless “spring” refers to continuous overcast and eternal refers to the rain.” R.G.

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If someone is delinquent for three straight months in Ecuador you can go to a lawyer with the receipts of the payments you’ve received from the tenant and the rental contract and file a legal order of eviction “una demanda legal”.

From there the local authorities take care of the rest but you may have to stay on top of them so they move with a little “umph” in their step.

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This article is continued from part 1…

Then, to get around, I recommend not buying a car, that way you don’t have to spend on parking, repairs, gas and insurance. Instead, learn to use the local bus system and the trolley, both of which charge a modest $.25 per ride.

For communicating, buy a cheap used phone on the street for $20, a sim card, and just go on the prepaid system. Buy cards to put credit on your phone and learn to communicate with people like the locals do in countries where cell phone calls are expensive, via text messages.

For internet, you could find free WIFI hot spots to get online with your laptop. Most luxury hotels offer a free signal in their lobby or up-scale restaurants and cafes often do too.

For calls home back to the States, learn to use Skype, teach your mother or father how to use it before leaving, then set times to be connected via email (remember to take a microphone from the States to plug into your laptop).

Following these tips you could live in Ecuador for under $1000 a month, even in 2011!

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Yes, Ecuador is cheap, but it depends a lot on how you play the game.

For someone who wants to move to Ecuador without a large pension or nest egg, here is what needs to be done.

First for your relocation, we suggest you to go for house removal service singapore, since they have a team of well trained surveyors to handle any moving case to offer assurance and peace of mind with the highest service standards.

Then, look for cheap flights to Ecuador, the cheapest are from Miami and New York. During the low seasons (May to November) you can find flights starting for around $350 round trip.

Next, know what to bring down.

Clothing and electronics are more expensive down here in Ecuador so bring down everything you will need in that regard…digital camera, laptop, dress clothes and shoes, etc.

Once in Ecuador, don’t spend a lot of time in hotels. But DONT look for long term rentals online either! Once you are there, hire the reliable best removalists sydney to help you with your things.

Come to Ecuador first, stay in a hotel, then once here on the ground, get to work on finding a place to rent.

You don’t want to agree to a long term rental (and even send a deposit) before you see the place and the surrounding area (I have been burned like this).

Then, once in Ecuador in a cheap hotel you found on hostelworld.com, buy the local paper (in Quito it is El Comercio). Check the classifieds for rentals, and solicit assistance from a local friend or the receptionist of your hotel when calling the ads in the paper (for language help).

Looking for rentals in this way, you could find a room in an apartment starting around $150/month or a small suite-apartment starting around $350/month. In the small towns it is even cheaper to rent. If you need extra space for your belongings consider looking into a self storage facility.

Then, once you find a place to stay, locate the nearest supermarket and grocery shop. Cooking can save you several hundred dollars a month on food and is healthier than always eating in the street.

If you don’t know how to cook or don’t want to, I recommend eating heavy during lunch, when you can buy a plate lunch in Ecuador for $2, and eat light snacks for breakfast and dinner.

Then, to get around… please see part 2 of this article when published in a couple days, thanks…

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