Essentials to live in Ecuador

Bring patience.

You don't need to buy property right away.  That would be a bad idea for many Expats.

Expect some bugs in the visa process.  If you get a residency visa after two or three months, you're ahead of the game.

If it takes you a full year to get a drivers license off your unexpired U.S. license after dealing with bureaucracies in both countries, you won't be the first to wait so long.  Better yet, use the time to find out if you really need to deal with the challenges of being a driver in Ecuador.  Along the way, some bureaucrat may (incorrectly) tell you that you don't have enough time before expiration of your old license to get an Ecuadorian one.  You may or may not need to get your U.S. drivers license apostilled depending on what state licensed you.

cccmedia in Quito

You may want to consider bringing the following....

If you love large, soft towels, bring a couple.  The ones in Ecuadorian stores are serviceable but not plush and delightful.

Bring Flents Ear Stopples ear-plugs.  They are moldable and inexpensive and a great thing for many Expats to bring to avoid international shipping.  I ordered hundreds of pairs from Amazon after my initial supply ran out -- these plugs don't last forever.  But you can use them for sleep .. for when a neighbor's dog forgets how to stop barking .. to shut out most of the noise from the neighbors' late-night party .. or to reduce the effect of the ubiquitous music or TV soccer audio being played in lower-end and middle-range restaurants.  They will extend the time you can spend in a nightclub or hostess bar if that's your thing by muffling the sound of the loud music.

cccmedia

Ecuador has just about any type of item, the issue is simply lack of variety and higher cost. Bring everything that you normally use that can fit inside suitcases. Here are somethings that I would recommend:

A good quality, breathable, non-wrinkle lightweight raincoat, preferable one that you can roll up to pouch size.

If you're coming from low altitude area and plan to stay here awhile, bring an oximeter. It'll help monitor progress in adapting to high altitude.

If you have kids, and they love peanut butter, bring several large jars of that, they have peanut butter here but it's a rip-off costing $9+ for a 16oz/500g jar. Also pens.

Wi-Fi extender for those planning on living in a house or large apartment, the brands and quality they have here are not good at all. Personal recommendation: Netgear

Bring all your gadgets, and upgrade your computer beforehand, for example upgrading from hdd to ssd, while labor is cheap here, the quality of hardware is lacking and if available highly priced. An example, Samsung SSD, it's more than double the cost for last generation hardware.

Comfortable clothing and footwear, easy on the pants, you'll probably slim down as the metabolism works harder.

A pair of good sunglasses and it's okay if they're name brand, just get a common style, as they'll probably be many people wearing imitations of the same style.

Minimalist/Superthin wallet

vsimple wrote:

If you're coming from low altitude area and plan to stay here awhile, bring an oximeter. It'll help monitor progress in adapting to high altitude.

As someone who has been dealing with the altitude and hills of Quito since 2013, I find the idea of the oximeter fascinating.

In fact, it's too interesting a concept to bury it in this obscure thread.

So I have created a new thread titled "Did You Bring an Oximeter to the Ecuador Highlands?"

Here is the link....

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 07#3108498

cccmedia

I lived in Guayaquil for 5 years and when I went to the USA to visit, I always packed my suitcases with Clausens Dill pickles, Kool-Ade, jalapeno peppers (although seeds grow very quickly there and you can have them fresh.  I also brought okra seeds and got my whole neighborhood hooked on fried okra.  Bacon is another thing to bring!  Ecuadorian bacon is awful!  You can freeze large packs of good thick cut pepper bacon and wrap it in foam wrap and newspaper and it travels quite well.  I had to argue once with TSA but bacon is not a liquid or a gel so they let it through in my carry on.
As far as larger items, I think a dishwasher is essential.  Good coolers are also nice.  I taught school and wanted a fish tank but the quality and price of ones available in Ecuador were out of my reach.  I bought a 10 gallon tank from Walmart, boxed it up, and it fit nicely in the overhead bin on the plane.  Fish supplies are very expensive but I got a nice set up from Walmart and my students were thrilled. The 2 week dissolving fish feeders cost almost 10$ in Guayaquil and 1.29$ at Walmart.   We netted many of our fish right from the creeks- for free!  A lot of tropical fish sold in the US are native to Ecuador.
It is very interesting to visit an Ecuadorian pet shop.

Mikieemerson wrote:

As far as larger items, I think a dishwasher is essential.

Bringing a big, bulky kitchen appliance such as a dishwasher to Ecuador is a dubious idea*.

One can be purchased here, albeit at twice the price .. but you'll get a new warranty .. you'll spare yourself the trouble and logistics of moving the thing from the airport or a port to wherever .. you'll know the electronics will be compatible with Ecuador's realities .. and you'll be able to get parts easily.

cccmedia

*The thrust of the OP's Report #1 related to what to bring to Ecuador.  Mikie did not specifically clarify whether the "essential" nature of a dishwasher involved buying it in Ecuador or bringing it along, so some readers might assume Mikie is suggesting the latter.

I do not think the rules for posting specified whether or not a person would be bringing down items in a container .  I took a 10 foot container when I first moved to Ecuador.  I did bring my own washer and dryer and a nice french door refrigerator but did not include a much desired dishwasher! Everything worked well with Ecuador's realities BUT I did invest in several regulatora de voltages (which are available cheaply there) to keep from burning out appliances due to fluctuating power. My neighbors scoffed at the electric clothes dryer but loved how soft my sheets and towels were because I did not hang them outside to dry.

Bring good quality bed sheets. Most bedding here is of poor quality. Although there is the odd (and I mean odd) place you can buy quality sheets but they are expensive.

We love out electric blanket that we had brought to us from the US. It cost roughly $40. I did see one recently for $140 at TuVenta. We don't keep the blanket turned on all night but it is sure nice to hop into a cumfy warm bed on a cool night (if you live in the Andes as we do).

Although things can be shipped into the country it is costly and awkward to get delivered to your door.

The difference in cost in some electronics is not too bad, as opposed to prices in the US. It depends on the electronics. For some reason it is difficult to obtain AMD CPU's here (which tend to be less money for the same amount of horsepower). They really like to sell Intel CPU's here. And these are more costly than in the US.

We have a cat who likes Temptations Cat Treats and of course these are non-existent here. We have visitors bring them in because shipping them would double the price. Incidentally, cat food is of poor quality here. I buy homemade cat food made by an expat that lives here (Daisey's Pet Food for dogs and cats).

Cars are really expensive but do hold their value here quite well. I have heard of people buying a car and selling it after 5 years for almost the same as what they bought it for.

They do not have whisks here. I wish I had known before I came here. I would have brought one. They are very handy for those small jobs.

They do have an abundance of tools here and the costs don't seem to be out of this world. I did not bring any and it has not been that costly to buy the few things I needed. Although a good quality rubber garden hose will run you $100. There are cheaper quality hoses for less money.

If you like good quality cookware, I would bring a set of good quality pots and pans. They do have them here but they are expensive.

Vacuum cleaners are available for a reasonable price.

Your list:
Towels, dry sheets for the dryer, blue/black/red pants, jeans, sport shoes, boots, sports exercising clothes (work out, biking, hiking), kitchen utensils, stickers, coconut oil, 3liter of your favorite alcohol (super expensive in EC), black tea (e.g. English breakfast), horseradish (nonexistent), I bring Victoria Secret underwear, pj, and lotions, make up, spices e.g. dry dill (not existent!), I bring chicken curry spice, apple cider vinegar....bed sheets....Thank me later...lol...Jaga

A price for a "return" air ticket was stated on this thread as being over $1,000 between Ecuador and Costa Rica.

The price of a less-expensive roundtrip ticket, Quito to San Jose, Costa Rica, is $654 including tax.

Source:  www.cheapoair.com based on an April round-trip on Avianca airlines for one-stop flights leaving at approximately 11 a.m. and returning a week later at 3:30 p.m.

cccmedia

Thanks, nice to know.

We are leaving behind a 500 gallon designer fish tank with all the pumps and filters. We gave the whole system (including exotic fish)  to the neighbor (their kids) for Christmas.

We have looked at fish tank options and nothing compares so what we had. Thanks for the "heads up."

jrytych wrote:

Towels, dry sheets for the dryer, blue/black/red pants, jeans, sport shoes, boots, sports exercising clothes, kitchen utensils, stickers, coconut oil, 3liter of your favorite alcohol, black tea, horseradish... Victoria Secret underwear, pj, and lotions, make up, spices e.g. dry dill, I bring chicken curry spice, apple cider vinegar....bed sheets....Thank me later...lol...Jaga

And sauerkraut !

cccmedia wrote:

A price for a "return" air ticket was stated on this thread as being over $1,000 between Ecuador and Costa Rica.

The price of a less-expensive roundtrip ticket, Quito to San Jose, Costa Rica, is $654 including tax.

I should have mentioned that was in January and the prices were obtained by comparing United Airlines, Avianca, CheapoAir and other websites.  Possibly April is viewed as an off-season time. Hence the difference in price. But what I was trying to point out is the difference in price between Ecuador and Columbia and the US. That was the point.

I since extracted that part of my post because I viewed it as not applicable to this thread.

Computer and electrical equipment, camera, toothpaste without fluorite, TOMS, stockings, baking soda.

winner888 wrote:

Computer and electrical equipment, camera, toothpaste without fluorite, TOMS, stockings, baking soda.

TOMS shoes?  Tums antacids?

Be more specific with questions. Coast is hot, humid. Amazonia more humid. Mountain valleys perfect. Bring $2 bills. I've gotten more smiles and discounts with them. Obtain at bank.Electronics are more expensive. Gotta go.

This is as specific as we get.

Dickson's preferred mountain valley -- aka the Valley of Longevity in the Vilcabamba area -- is at about 5,000 feet elevation.  Plentiful rain provides a green environment.  This close to the Equator, the elevation .. being thousands of feet lower than Cuenca or Quito .. provides a warm climate year-round, yet milder than the coast or the Amazon region.

cccmedia

I brought good jeans, socks, shoes, bras, and my favorite icebreaker t shirts and fleeces.
   I also camp and hike so I brought my own packs, sleeping bags, rock climbing shoes, etc. Gear for camping and for rock climbing is available, but costs the earth.
   I am a believer in adapting to local foods, so I didn't bother with bringing food items down.
    If you do your own interior painting and use painter's tape, bring it; the Ecuadorian stuff is really costly and it sucks. Otherwise, learn to paint without it.
    If you use dental floss ( available, but expensive), and/ or dentek interdental brushes, bring lots. Even my dentist in Quito can't find the dentek brushes.