Life in Ecuador

Larryx73 wrote:

Hi, I am Larry, I am from the us and am new to Ecuador, I would just like to find out more about Ecuador.
I am not sure how long I will stay, I am in Quito now and am looking for a reasonable place to rent here or some place in Ecuador.
I just want to find out more about Ecuador and see if I would like to move here.

My experiences are somewhat limited but may be useful to you. I found Quito to be a very upscale city more like living in some North American city. I have been to Guayaquil and the areas I have visited were very run-down and it is very humid during the day. Not sure about the night. I have heard there are some very upscale areas but I did not have the opportunity to see them. I live in Cuenca and find it a very nice city. The population is smaller than both Guayaquil and Quito (roughly 350,000 and/or some 4,000 or 5,000 expats). The climate is very comfortable for me (having come from Canada). I have been here for 7 months and so far there were only two months that were a little colder at night and more rainy (Sept & Oct & the very beginning of Nov). During the day the climate is usually summer-like and sometimes spring-like. There is good cheap medical care here but I have heard that some medications are not available and unfortunately cannot be shipped into Ecuador forcing some people to leave. It is possible you could find the same medications but just under different names. The Ecuadorians seem to have no problem surviving here so I don't see why we expats can't do the same. I have heard of people living on $800/mth (including rent) and then I have heard of people living on $1500/mth. I would suspect that the $1500 figure would more likely provide a very comfortable lifestyle (lots of opportunity for eating out and entertainment plus living in very comfortable accommodations). You can rent unfurnished and very nice places for as low as $350/mth, but more typically $400-$450/mth. Furnished places run from about $500/mth up-words of $1200/mth. These include both houses and apartments. I have seen some places advertised at $700/mth unfurnished. This kind of cost is exorbitant and is definitely aimed at Gringos. A very nice and comfortable furnished 2 bedroom place with beautiful views and a reasonable sized balcony can be had for $700/mth and ins some cases including all utilities and alliquot (building fees). You can get by knowing very little Spanish here but it is recommended that you learn as much as you can. You will certainly enjoy your life here more so if you do. That should give you a general idea.

Mike,
Read your reply to Larry. Thank you for the info. Wasn't even thinking about humidity.

Hello Larryx73,

A new thread has been created with your message on the forum of Ecuador for a better interaction with the other members.

Shaazia
Expat.com Team