The negatives about retiring in Ecuador

Bob, I guess it depends on what you want to do in retirement. Cuenca has nice year round weather (no heat or humidity however rainy season can be depressing) and you will have time to explore and network with expats. Not speaking Spanish will be a hurdle so plan on picking up some basics (or live next to Nards).

I don’t see any negatives to retiring in Ecuador with the possible exception of missing the grandchildren which is more of an issue with women.

OMG I would not want to live in a place where I can not flush the toilette paper into the toilette! LOL
I flush paper all the time and I never had a problem.
Mugtech, you initiated a thread time ago about the reasons why you wouldnt come to live here. It is funny to still see you around. Must be because you like it, uh?

fdmcg, definitely. It is an issue women need to think seriously about before relocating: lots of grannies miss their families and grandchildren too much. I have met women that couldnt cope and they went back to the States. The importance of family and community over costs of living is always a serious factor to considerate before moving not only here, anywhere else away from family.

How often do you see a couple where one truly loves being in Ecuador and the other hates it just as much?  Do you ever a split up because of it?

I met couples where one loved it and the other one not so much. It is just one of the many reasons couples may or may not split.
Some people is simply not cut to adjust to a new culture.
In the case of grannies missing family and grandchildren, usually the other party compromised and they both went back home.

Being a pedestrian and crossing the streets is a negative.

Great question, I work at Murali Hostal in Guayaquil and can honestly tell you most the guests we have are couples moving to Ecuador and almost always one of the two hates Ecuador... and you know what, if they have a split they will often move back to the US before long... at least that is what ive seen.  Dom

i wrote about this topic recently where I covered 7 big negatives i experience as an expat in Ecuador ... heres the full story ecuadorrealestate.org/investing-in-ecuador/  Dom

A negative I'm tired of is people trying to take advantage of me.  I honestly don't know if this happens more frequently to non-Ecuadorian looking people, or if they do it to everyone.  Quite often people in stores/restaurants will try to charge more or make "mistakes" like short change or adding prices wrong (they always seem to add more and never less).  I call them out on charging me too much and they just look sheepish, like they got caught, and give me back my money.  Sometimes they don't even look guilty and just give back the money like it's normal and they'll try again next time.  This happened to me twice that I know of in the few days I visited Cuenca and happens several times a week in Quito.  It seems to happen less in places that don't see many tourists/foreigners.

I've found a few stores near my house that I know has honest owners, and I just stick to them when I have to buy something.

Thats why you come and visit first.  Check it out for a few monthes and by then you will know if you like it or not.  Not for everybody, but if not flushing your toilet paper is a big deal for you ill tell you now you wont like Ecuador.  here is a blog giving you some insight on our adventures throughout Ecuador. http://www.atruetalltale.wordpress.com  And Bob the biggest negative for me in Ecuador is all the gringos trying to sell you something.  From booklets to magazines to land its never ending....

OK, the toilet tissue issue--the plumbing in old buildings is definitely not set up to handle it. Even in more modern buildings the plumbers sometimes use smaller pipes to save money so you're taking a chance but usually there's no problem.

We moved here 3 years ago with no grandchildren and last week #3 was born. The good news is because we're no longer tied to j-o-b's and our cost of living has been lowered considerably we get to see them more often and for longer periods of time than if we were still in the States.

Part of the culture here, a holdover from the Spanish days, is to be "clever." This can take the form of the type of behavior described by the person who feels taken advantage of. You're not being singled out, but neither have I experienced the shenanigans you're so upset about.

The one liking it and the other not is the biggest mistake a couple can make. The old, "Come on, honey, you're gonna LOVE it!" pressure is almost sure to backfire. My advice is if both aren't all in, don't do it.

Edd, in Quito I have never heard of a similar concern regarding toilet paper and I have been in buildings over 80 years old. Also, smaller pipes that can't handle toilet paper have larger issues to deal with. Perhaps the limitation involved sanitary napkins vs toilet paper.

Regarding being "cleaver" ( I believe locals refer to as "vivo") we saw initially in Miami so it appears to be a Latin trait. They do not consider short changing a customer, a maid taking home food, caregivers steeling from patients, trades taking things while working in a house, filing fictitious insurance claims, etc as being dishonest and they don't feel embarrassed when caught. They are actually proud that they recognized and took advantage of an opportunity. And this even occurs between family members, friends and neighbors.

You learn to be less trusting of others and take reasonable precautions.

Moving to a foreign country and trying to "copy and paste" your cultural standards on your new home and its people is a surefire way to guarantee frustration and disappointment. Your examples are a gross oversimplification of complicated social practices that have been in place for hundreds of years. We live in a world filled with varying shades of gray, and the inconsistencies all of us demonstrate in daily life is part of what makes us human. Expats who attempt to embrace and assimilate into their new culture
generally enjoy a successful experience; those who cling to the notion of being outsiders and "targets" do not.

A septic tank is made to use anerobic (without air) bacteria to disolve the number 1 & number 2 things (get it?) that go in it. These bacteria don't disolve any kind of paper. Eventually tp will clog the tank or worse the drain tile field from where the water exits the tank. The "no tp" people are trying to avoid having the tank dug open and pumped clean.

Not speaking spanish is a handicap.  This shows you are a gringo and therefore, rich.  This will result in certain tradesmen raising their prices.  Even with some spanish, if you look like a gringo, prices go up.  One way to avoid this problem is to shop where prices are posted or learn to bargain with every sales person you meet.  That is fun.  Just remember, no means walk away.  Get a price up front and try to have that exact amount available.
TP.....in hotels and rentals you will see signs saying do not throw tp down the drain (See posts above).
You need to be aware of where you are traveling, especially after dark.  Anywhere in Ecuador but especially in large cities.  In our six months, we had one incident when we walked through the wrong section of the city (not Cuenca), in broad daylight. 
Road signs or the lack thereof.
Maps, especially for travel between cities.
Gringoes trying to sell you everything, everywhere, always.
The rain in Cuenca, almost daily.
Altitude sickness on first arriving in the Andes.
But these are all mostly minor and no worse than home.  So come and enjoy!

We went to Quito to a Live and Invest conference in February. I am blond and very fair skinned.  After retrieving our luggage we went to the desk to hire a taxi to take us to our hotel.  The lady spoke English and told me that it would be $6. I gave her a $10 and then asked for my change.  She said "I told you $10". My husband and I argued with her for a few minutes then decided that it was futile.
In Cuenca we took a tour that included lunch. We who were from Canada and USA were given minus and told that if we ordered anything over $5 it would come out of our pockets. (I'm giving you a greatly condensed version of these stories). We ordered and in about 10 minutes the Spanish speaking people were served the typical Ecuadorian meal. We asked why we weren't served the same meal and the answer was that they didn't think we'd like the meal.  In short we found out that the tour owner got a percentage of our tab.  After waiting almost an hour we still didn't have our food, so we collectively got up and walked to the bus. In the pouring rain with no umbrellas,with no lunch and no refund but we let them know that we did not like being discriminated against. We all told our respective hotel managers about the ordeal and each said they would not use the tour company again.  I also informed Kathleen and Leaf at our Live and Invest conference about the ordeal.(I cannot remember the name of the tour company, but it was very long and difficult to pronounce.) NOT SPEAKING SPANISH IS A HANDICAP!!

The negatives are that the travel magazines and many expat websites (this one is the exception) are run by Gringos with something to sell you.  The average wage in Ecuador is around $480 per month which means that the average Ecuadorian shouldn't pay more than $144 per month for housing. Unfortunately we were never able to find anything in that price range.  Ecuadorian landlords prefer to rent to Gringos because we are clean and we pay on time.  This is making it difficult (if not impossible) for the average Ecuadorian to find affordable housing and this is causing a lot of animosity.  The Gringos are the worst for charging Gringo prices to other Gringos.  They will leave an apartment or house empty for months at a time rather than lower their prices.  They don't care because there are roughly 1,000 planes per month arriving in Quito and 90% of the passengers are expats looking for a place to retire.  These folks think that renting a condo for $600+ a month is a good deal compared to what they are paying back home.  If you don't mind a diet of rice, beans, vegetables and local fruit, then you can live reasonably.  However if you want some peanut butter, cheddar cheese or even kleenex tissue, you will pay an arm and a leg for it.  Chicken is expensive (about the same as what you would pay in the U.S.) and the beef is pretty awful. We do not live on a pension, luckily, because we cannot live here on $1500 per month which is what we tried to budget.  We don't have TV, Internet is $60 per month, gas is $3.00 per bottle and we need 3 at a time to run all of the appliances and they have to be replaced every two weeks, hydro is expensive but water is fairly reasonable.  We paid $1.00 each for fresh pineapple which is what we pay at home when they are on sale. A small bag of black beans is $1.00 which I think is expensive.  There are many things that you cannot buy in the grocery stores.  Butter is very difficult to find and it costs a little over $5.00 for a half pound.  Gas is cheap but vehicles are VERY expensive.  You cannot bring your own car over unless it is the current year's model and has less than 6,000 km on it.  Taxis are cheap, around $1 to $2 per trip for in town travel but if you have to use a cab more than once a day, it adds up.  Many expats are heading back home because they have been mislead by many Internet sites.  We are one of them.

WiseWoman,
Firstly, let me admit that you are not the first ex pat I have heard that said they were returning to the states because they found the cost of living to be higher than what they thought it would be.
You mentioned the cost of taxis, and that the cost adds up if one has to take them once or twice a day. I understand that, but... AAA  puts the cost of operating a car in the US at 8,946.00 per annum. That's a lot of taxi rides.
My property taxes on a brand new, 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath Condo, with all the modern convienences, in a very favorable area, are in the 150.00 dollar a year range. My taxes in the US are very close to 4000.00 per annum. I do not have health care in the US, as it is cost prohibitive. Primary reason I chose to leave the US. In Ecuador, I can get a very comprehensive health care package in the 60.00 dollar a month range. My water and sewer run in the 65.00 dollar area in the US.  Water at the new Condo is at about 8.00 a month. Internet is about the same for high speed as in the US. Cell phone waaay cheaper than in the US, and if I chose to get a wired phone at 65 years old, it'll be free in Ecuador. First class beef is more expensive in Ecuador, but it can be had. Seafood is waaay cheaper, and waaay better than in the US., same with vegetables. I have heard complaints about the exhorbenant cost of appliances, yet found new ones at about the same as in the US.
Please, don't get me wrong. I'm not in any way trying to be argumenitive, I just honestly can not understand a dollar to dollar comparitive and come away thinking it's cheaper to live in the US. As I mentioned, I don't have health care in the US. Last year my wife spent one night in the hospital. She was given some tests, and was given a clean bill of health. ( she had fainted ) The cost was $7,500.00. Luckily, there was nothing seriously wrong. I got a discount, because I paid cash. You can buy a diabetes test strip, as an individual, through Amazon at 50 cents a piece in bulk. The hospital charged my sister 18.00 for the same name brand strip. ( which she actually had in her purse at the hospital ) There are many Americans that are one illness away from bankruptcy. These are people like me that played by the rules. I didn't overspend, had zero credit card debt, owned my own home, saved money, invested, and lived under my means. Yet, in the end, it will all be forefitted if I have one illness? Or, I can live to pay the majority of my nest egg and retirement funds for a crappy health care package, with a HUGE annual deductable.
Hmmmmm? To me Ecuador sounds better and better.
I honestly wish you the best, and I do agree, Ecuador lacks in many areas and ammenities that we Americans take for granite, but, all things considered, it's the right choice for me.
Best Wishes

My wife and I, and hundreds of people we know feel blessed to live in Ecuador. Good luck with your journey.

Very well said Neil.

Thank you for that.
It all comes down to individual wants and needs I guess. Some people like to rough it and camp out, some folks have to stay in a Hilton.
I just know from my personal perspective that I will be sacrificing some of the wonderful things that the US has to offer. I had to weigh out many things, and see if I could accept this new lifestyle. I guess we never know until we've lived the life as WiseWoman has done. She made a decision it wasn't right for her, and I respect that. It all comes down to the individual.

Me??? Well, I'm NOT a tent guy, but I'm certainly not a Hiton guy either. Hope I'll be happy in between! < grin >
Stay Well,
Neil

Thanks for the positive words. My 83 year old husband and I will be down to check out the beaches in June and I will be dragging him kicking and screaming.
I'm 66 and he's the healthy one.  I have severe allergies,diabetes and fibromyalgia so I am going to see if what I learned with all of my research will come to fruition and I can live a "normal" life.  We tried Cuenca last February and the pollution made me sick and it was too cold and damp. It makes me wonder what winter is like there!

"We went to Quito to a Live and Invest conference in February", not to pick on you, Joy, but it seems THIS is the problem for many expats wanting to move to Ecuador.  There are a lot of expats making a living off of people wanting someone to hold their hand.  It's kind of like Hollywood.  The industry uses and abuses people because there is a bus full of fresh victims coming in daily. 

I have been reading the forums here for months, and am very much looking forward to coming down.  After looking at about a dozen countries, Ecuador sounds like the best place to land. 

I do have a few questions for those who live there already, please.  We are looking at living outside of town, preferably on a few acres so we can grow our own food.  We also enjoy being to ourselves.  Is it relatively safe in the country?  Hablo un poco de español pero estudio todos los días y que desean hablar fluidamente.  I am very concerned about climate.  I prefer no more than 80 degrees, and saw that Cuenca is about 70 year round, and has little rain, however, I have heard from some here that this is not true. Where in Ecuador is the weather about 70 year round with little rain, but doesn't have mosquitos as big as choppers?

How difficult is it to get building materials if I decide to build my own home?  If I put in a proper septic tank (so we can flush tp), are there pumping companies? 

I’ll stop here for now.  Thank you so much to everyone who participates in this forum.  It is truly a pleasure to read, and get some insight from all of your experiences.

its cold there. constant fall wether. and yes you need to take a few lessens befor you come to get a basic understanding of spanish(i didnt understand anything when i got here but i maried an ecuidorian) for me i prefrer ambato close to banyos. its a bit wormer and close to many turist atractions. so when your friends visit they have something to do.

bryon, tony form seattle now living in guayaquil. give me a call on skipe ill give you all the ins and outs about building in ecuador and just about anything else. i own an auto shop here but am a contractor also. anthonydserrano on skipe only one in ecuador. anyone else feel free to add me on skipe been here almost 4 years in busness all that time.

SawMan from cowtown, thank you.  I am so grateful for this site, as websites vary so much.  The one you linked states Loja averages about 76f and 60f, while wikipedia has it from 73 to 44.  60 and 44 are pretty different.  76-60, with little rain sounds like heaven to me. 

Sparticous, as soon as I get skype going, I will ring you.  Thank you!

Hey Byron!  We've only been here a short time but hope our insights help.

You should be able to grow your own food just about anywhere except perhaps the beach but you won't be going there if you like cooler temps anyways.  The mountain areas sound more like what you are looking for.  Cooler temps and good soil.

Like yourself I did a ton of research before coming here and frankly I was more than a bit concerned about safety.  Truth is I had more issues with safety in Panama than here in Ecuador.  We did stay a month in Guayaquil with many warnings about our safety.  We did ok but I will tell you I was more than on guard and grew eyes in the back of my head. 

We stayed a month in Loja as well and I felt safe enough there to go out alone etc.  I am a 53 year old female.  To be clear I felt as safe there as I did in my homeland Canada.  In either location I am aware of my surroundings but without being paranoid.

We are now in Cuenca and I feel safe enough here to go out alone as well.  Again just staying aware of my surroundings and taking the same precautions I would take back home.

As for climate I beleive you would fair better in the mountains.  I too prefer cooler temps.  However there will be rain.  Some days there will be a lot of rain and other days it may spit for a few minutes.  Some months will have more rain than others.  With global warming everything is changing but it's not a question of IF there will be rain but when it will rain.  Then again you can't have rainbows without rain. 

Now with all that being said we have only been here in Ecuador for a few months.  We are committed to Cuenca for six months so ask me again then! 

Everyone has their own take on things.  Someone from Florida might find the mountains cold.  Frankly I am finding it far better than the coast where the heat was oppressive.  Then again I come from a cold and wet climate.  Rain I can handle.....heat over 80 degrees I can't.  No place will have perfect weather.  You may have to ask yourself what is the least of the two evils.....rain or heat?

Best thing is to just get yoursef out here and have a look around.  Cuenca is a good place to start IMO. 

Hope this helps! 

I'm really new to the retiring in Ecuador idea, still doing lots of research and plan to visit real soon. I've lived and worked around the world including the top VERY hostel countries we all know about. The only thing that me and the wife see that we will really need to get used to is not being able to bring the high performance type cars from the states into Ecuador. If we want to own something like that down there, we will basically have to pay about 2 to 3 times the cost of that vehicle would cost in the US. Other than that, we are good

The wife and I are truly considering moving to Ecuador or Panama in a few years when I finally retire.  We want to visit Ecuador before making any decisions but I have a question.  Since location and housing are primary factors would it be wise to tour on our own or should we take one of those real estate tours?

Good grief!  Stay right away from those real estate tours and real estate agents.  They are a complete rip off.  Come yourself first and get to know as many expats as you can who will give you excellent advice.  Find a good taxi driver that the expats recommend and tell him what you are looking for.  The drivers know exactly what is going on.  Learn Spanish...it has costs us thousands of dollars by not being able to speak the language.  For what it is worth, after seven months we are returning  home.  Ecuador is not for us.  No...not homesick.  We have a decent pension and have choices and do not have to live like we are camping or at a rustic cottage.  If you have poor health or mobility issues, then Ecuador is not the place for you. Public buildings do not have washrooms, even in the modern shopping centres you often have to buy or bring your own toilet paper.  Nothing is wheelchair accessible.  If you find a place with an elevator, chances are it does not work.  The crime rate is increasing in all cities and is becoming more violent.  There are many straw dogs in the streets and they are starving.  It is an awful thing to see.  At least in Cuenca, the Gringos have banded together to help these dogs.  Many are trying to help in other cities but there are so many dogs and so few homes.  Sorry to sound like such a wet blanket but I believe in being real.  I have nothing to promote or sell and do not have a website to supplement my income.

That might not be far off.  It doesn't rain every day but when it does, it would not surprise me to have 12 to 18 inches.  There is often a lot of flooding because of the amount of water in a short period of time.  We are in Cotacachi.

Can anyone tell me about the beach side fo Ecuador. Is it always overcast. Are there swarms of mosquitos in Salinas. I have fibromyalgia and am looking for a stable climate, not much rain, temps not over 85 degrees or under 65 degrees.  No, I've already tried Hawaii and it didn't help.  I'm desperate for some releif.  I live in Texas and it can be 96 one day and 32 the next

Someone needs to let wisewoman write an article about Ecuador for one of those travel magazines/websites that Mugtech is always talking about.

I believe in being real as well. You must have just up and moved to Ecuador without an exploratory trip. Otherwise you would have quickly realized all these deal breaker issues you apparently discovered the hard way after you got here. Forget "ripoff" real estate agents (which many aren't, by the way)--you seem to have done a fine job of wasting your own money by not doing your homework.

Not too wise-------.

When I read what Wisewoman say's regarding all Realtors in Ecuador, I'm pretty much insulted. The reason I'm insulted is because I dealt with a Realtor in Cuenca. She was honest, hardworking, and represented me to my best interest. On top of that, the builder I dealt with was very professional, and made every effort to satisfy me. So, I'm insulted because it is by default insinuated that I was duped by the dishonest professionals in Ecuador.
As in all things in life, no matter where we are, we are responsible for our own decisions and choices. If you are so dissatisfied with your experience, and felt you wasted 1000's of dollars, because you couldn't speak the language, then shame on you. Did you never reach out to anyone for support? I have experienced nothing but positive support from the people I dealt with.
I think you do a disservice to many that are interested in getting info on Ecuador.
Just my opinion, and worth every penny you paid for it.
Good Luck

Wisewoman, you are so far off base on so many issues. It is obvious that you simply moved to Cuenca without due diligence. Buying toilet paper at public restrooms is common in many countries. That's just nitpicking. You cannot take America with you, nor should you want to when moving to another country.