In case you didn't already know or suspect this, according to an article in the on-line version of the Quito newspaper El Comercio :
http://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/ca … acion.html
Real estate prices per square meter are up in at least one area in Cuenca from $700 to $1200 in five years, and the cost of the basic "canasta" or food basket/cart items are around $660/month in Quito. As you might expect the three most expensive cities for food are Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, in that order according to the article (although further down they contradict this information and say that Cuenca is the most costly for the "canasta básica".
The article does point out that in Cuenca, foreigners living there are only one of several factors driving up costs. This is nothing new, over 50 years ago when I lived in Quito people were complaining that the gringos who lived there paid their help far too much and were upsetting the economy...
What's the take-away for gringos? Maybe learn to "regatear" (bargain, haggle) more like the locals? 
From another article at
http://www.metroecuador.com.ec/64596-ca … n-072.html
it's sobering to read:
"Por otra parte, el INEC destacó que el costo de la cesta básica de productos -con la que mide las variaciones de precio- se ubicó en enero en 628,27 dólares, mientras que el ingreso promedio familiar (familias con 1,6 perceptores de ingresos) llegó a 634,67 dólares."
...which is to say, the cost of the basic canasta is about the same as the average family income.
INEC (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos) has a website which may load slowly but is interesting reading:
www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/
Gringos drive up costs, especially in Cuenca!
Hello OsageArcher,
Kindly note that I have moved your discussion on the Cuenca forum for better views and interaction.
Regards,
Yuveshen
It's an fascinating topic of conversation. In Cuenca the expat population is estimated at 5,000-6,000 people and the city itself around 600,000. I find it interesting that (less than) one percent of the population could be driving the economy upward. I suppose you could argue the 1% theory of the rich holding 99% of the money.
I imagine it has more to do with the current federal administration. Statistics support Correa's success in improving the lives of the lower and middle classes during his tenure as president. With more income, comes more buying power. It's not all gringos shopping in Mall del Rio, or Mall de Mornay etc (there's actually very few). As a visible minority, we're an easy target. I'm sure the article also targets returning Ecuadorians that have built their wealth in Spain, the US and other countries around the world. Statistic like computer ownership, luxury items, such a colour TVs, smart phones, and sound systems also indicate that Cuenca houses well-to-do locals that are also driving prices up. I also think that the increased taxes on imported items is affecting the canasta basica, and that lies directly at the President's feet.
All that being said, haggling is an art form, but it's really hard to ask for a discount on 50 cents of tomatoes...if the locals take advantage of that and increase the prices, then we're both to blame.
About 6 months ago I read that 6 times as many returning citizens are coming to Ecuador than gringos, many of them from NYC. If you can afford to live in NYC, Ecuador is a breeze, expect prices to rise accordingly.
Articles to help you in your expat project in Cuenca
A few years back, an expat would just breeze into an Ecuadorian bank, flash their passport and a bank account ...
I've noticed that there's a lot of information on the Internet about how Americans access funds from ...
Ecuador is famous as a retirement haven. But you might not want to wait until retirement age to move there and ...
What kind of food will you find in restaurants, cafes, and private homes in Ecuador? Many restaurants in Ecuador ...
Family is everything to an Ecuadorian. The extended family unit is the most important aspect of life in Ecuador ...
Ecuador, as a fast-developing nation, has laws that are constantly evolving, but one thing is certain: the ongoing ...
