Hello everyone,
I am a 35 year old male living in New York, NY and am currently considering the thought of retiring and moving overseas. I've determined that I will have approx. $100K to buy a house and will have approximately $1200 of after-tax income to survive on during the remainder of time on this lovely planet.
I am particularly interested in the cost of living in Ecuador, the type of house I can buy for approx. $100k, and the prospects of meeting a nice girl and starting a family in Ecuador.
I know costs vary throughout Ecuador, but I know I'd like to live in the mountains for weather purposes. I've heard great things about Cuenca, Cotacacchi, and Loja. I've looked at numerous real estate websites in Ecuador to determine how "much" (sq. footage, amenities) of a house I can purchase with 100K, but I wonder if there is any inflation of the prices on these websites that are written all in English and appear to cater to Expats. Some of the houses listed on these websites are not all that much cheaper than what I can purchase in upstate New York.
I plan to rent an apartment for a considerable amount of time prior to purchasing a house and I'm also considering not purchasing a house at all and just renting for the very long term, although I would leave myself vulnerable to inflating rental prices over time.
Can anyone comment on how Americans are perceived by locals in Ecuador? I imagine that we are a minority in dramatic fashion in some of these cities. I do speak some "basic" Spanish, but wonder how difficult it would be to meet a nice girl in Ecuador, knowing that I have some communication limitations.
Anyhow, I encourage any all to comment as I hope this doesn't become a post with few responses. Any comments on anything including housing prices, cost of living, and romance in Ecuador is highly welcome and appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Bill