Moving to Ecuador April 2012 - Some hot tips please!

Welcome to Expat.com Neale & Christine!

Harmonie.

Hi Harmonie - Thank you for your email and welcome. We are looking forward to being a part of Expat.com and hope we can help others as well.

Neale & Christine

hi Neale and Christine,i am from greece but i live in cotacachi,quito,equador one year now but i was 6 terrible months in quito......try to visit cotacachi,which is near and the prices are extremely low,of course with out traffic,pollution,violence etc.....ha ha ha,well here the majority of foreigners r  U.S.citizens,as my best friends r,one thing is sure,cotacachi instead of the rest places in equador is the most relaxed place to live your life,i hope u ll enjoy....one more thing,the ticket bus to quito cost 2 usd!!! ha ha ha ha,chao,leo

Hi Leo - Thank you so much for your reply and the great tips you have on Cotacachi. That is another place we have looked at, it looks like a truly lovely town. You say that the prices/costs of things a are very low. For example do you have any idea what a nice 2 or 3 bedroom apartment costs per month or is there any websites you can direct us too. That would be great if you could. Who knows we might be seeing you there next April, we hope so.
Thanks again - Neale & Christine

heeeey U reply very fast.....ha ha ha,well,about the house U asked me,where ever U ll decide to rent the prices are between 150-600 usd per month,it depends on what U r looking 4,the majority of the renthals is near to 200-250 per month,my best friend Joe from arizona just left his flat yesterday (3 rooms)in the central park & the rent was 250,but the real good stuff is that the daily expenses r so small,such as:lunch at the local market 1,75 which contains,your meat,potatoes,salad,1 fried egg & a glass of coke or juice....generally all the foreigners here we making an effort to keep the market with low prices,we dont like cotacachi to be like cuenca or vilcabamba....ha ha ha,U c, i am coming from greece which is already destroyed,pls feel free to ask all your queries,greetings leo.

Hello again Leo - Sounds like you really love Cotacachi and have settled down very nicely. US and Eurpoe are facing some real problems with finance and it doesn't look like getting much better real soon. The tips you gave us about rentals is fantastic, wow to think you can get somewhere to rent (similar to what your used too) for less than $600 a month and the meal/food prices are insanely cheap. Can't wait to get there and test it out. Another thing you might be able to help with are some rental sites there that would be helpful for research purposes. This Saturday we have our Unit at home here up for sale and going to Auction, wish us luck. Keep in touch both me and my wife love hearing from you, it really does sound like paradise. You better get down and get some of those bacon and eggs at 1.75 man that must be something. Talk soon - Neale & Christine

Neale & Christine!!!! good luck for your home!!!!!!

second and less important ha ha ha,dont worry about to rent a house there are enough houses and flats here to rent or to buy,i dont think....i am sure that i ll find for U the best,dont U ever think to give more than 250 for a very very good flat or house,actually where ever and whenever U use a taxi the normal rate is 1 usd,the transportation around here cost 0,25 usd,also we have here a big local market where U buy all the grosseries at extremely low prices,24 roses cost 2 usd,1 small bread with cheese=0,18 usd,a sweet bread=0,25usd and.......the electricity bill....ha ha ha,i pay every month 3,5 usd....please send me your mail to send U fotos!!!!its a real nice and cheap village and the majority of the foreigners r U.S.citizens,more than 250 of them live here,also cotacachi is so famous about the leather market,jackets for 50 and 60 usd,its really cheap,of course it depends on what is the level of your life there in U.S.about fuels,1 gallon diesel costs 1 usd and the gas for the hot water,every bottle at home costs2,5 or if u take it from the shop costs 1,60 and it contains 15 kgr of gas enough for one month....ok,i spoke a lot...ha ha ha,any way i am always available to answer your questions,just ask me!!!!greetings from cota!!!

Nealefk,

Here are some great websites with information about prices. I'm not advocating for Cuenca, but that's where my research has been focused.

http://livingfrugalandhappy.blogspot.co … th-in.html They also have posts about furniture prices, prices for appliances, etc.

http://www.gringosabroad.com/cost-of-li … fall-2010/http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co … ntries.jsp


There are also many helpful videos on YouTube about Ecuador (at least Cuenca). I haven't looked at other places, but I'm sure they have those too. You can search by HMFamilyLife Cuenca; they have about 45 videos. Here are 2 about things they DON'T like about Ecuador. A balanced perspective!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrmcb8qNt4ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpVi3GpVwR8

I received an email from someone who moved to Cuenca last month. They said:

"We're renting in a brand new housing development just on the outskirts of Cuenca. Beautiful and friendly.  We have a 3 bedroom townhouse, with a grassy area in the back, a huge sunny kitchen and lots of living space. 2200 sq feet of it, in fact.  A security guard at the gate so no one gets to see you unless you want them to.  All for $400/month plus $30 Home Association  Fee.  Came unfurnished, but things are so cheap here including furniture that it was a deal. We are living like kings on $1000 a month. Cost of housekeeper is 2.50 an hour".

During my research for moving, I found this information to be helpful.

Hi Miss Denver - Hey thanks ever so much for your tips, that is brilliant news for us. Being so far away in Australia it is a daunting task, but we are more than happy with our decision to give Ecuador a chance to have our company for a while. Who knows we might bump into one another next year when we relocate. All the best, Neale & Christine.

HEY Miss Denver! I'm travelling from Nova Scotia, arriving in Cuenca January 10th, will be there for eight weeks, looking forward to researching the possibility of permanently retiring there. I would be SO pleased to be able to meet with you while I'm there, perhaps to learn from your experiences, and to explore new friendships...

DeborahM, Sorry, but I don't yet live in Cuenca; I'm still making arrangements. In my post I referred to the research I've done. Just passing it along to someone who had questions I found helpful information about. I plan to arrive the end of March. You can send me messages in my private inbox if you want to correspond directly and I can send you my email address. I'll keep you posted about my plans and if I get there sooner, I'll let you know, or if you decide to move there permanently after your 8 week exploration trip let me know. We single gals have to stick together!

We'll keep in touch on the forums here...I agree, we single old broads need to stick together ...will post more once I'm there.

Hello Neale and Christine,
My husband and I are pushing 70, but looking to live in Ecuador sometime soon.  We will be visiting there for 2 weeks early in January 2012 to see how we like it.  Maybe Cotacachi?  We're heard only positive comments from friends who recently visited there or have relatives living there.  Here is a link to the website of a developer who sells and rents properties throughout Ecuador: garyascott.com/2008/12/11/3160.html
I am not associated with him other than having come across his websites.  Here is the website of another developer: retirement-in-ecuador.com/?gclid=CIGsrojZvKwCFYhdTAodjUehIQ
I also know websites for day to day weather conditions in most towns and for the distances between various towns in Ecuador if that information might be helpful to you.
Sometime recently, the mayor of Cotacachi (first indigenous person elected there) invited "foreigners" (that's us) to an event where he gave a speech expressing his goal to help create a cooperative, friendly mixture of the cultures who live there - mestizo, indigenous, Afro-ecuadorian, and "foreigners."  A nice sized crowd of foreigners were there.  At the end of his speech, the mayor declared them all "Cotachachians."
Regards, Alta