Hola all.
I spent the month of April keeping track of every cent we spent and here are the results with a bit of details and explanation to help those of you trying to figure out what the cost of living might be for you here in Cuenca.
$400.00 Rent/800' 2 bdrm furnished apartment w yard & study/ten min. to downtown/2blocks to bus & river
45.00 Claro service/phone and Internet at home and on the road
2.50 Propane for water heating and stove
4.50 water including baths and laundry for two
5.30 Electric
7.50 Bus fare for two going out and about 3-5 times a week on average
24.50 Cab fare home after our days in town/town centre to our apt. Is $2.00
15.00 Clothing
368.50 Food/see below for diet and shopping details
103.50 Supplements
60.50 Meals out/mostly lunches while out and about in town
94.50 Misc./sewing & craft supplies/fresh flowers weekly/odds and ends for the apartment etc.
145.00 Spa day for two inc. massage, meal, cab there and back
$1276.30 TOTAL
Our apartment is absolutely lovely. The same space in Ontario or BC would cost about 1400.00 plus bills that would be far more than the bills here.
We run a laptop, iPhone and iPad on the Claro service. We take the phone with us when out and about and use it to map and translate. We pay to have Internet where ever we go so we have these apps to help us.
The propane heats our water for showers, bathing, dishes, laundry as well as cooking. We use one tank a month so far.
A total of $32.00 for transportation just can't be beat. Bus is 25 cents and cab fares average 2-3 dollars.
Clearly I am not much of a clothing hog and neither is my partner. I did purchase a sweater at the open market in town. The price started at $22.00 and while I was trying to decide if the colour was what I needed the price continued to go down until it reached $15.00. However if one is into brand names and higher end clothing be preparred to pay far more.
Our food expenses really surprised me. I was certain we were spending more. We eat really well here. Meats to include fish, chicken and beef are eaten about five times a week. We purchase plenty of fruits and vegetables from the open markets here. We do a bit of dairy, a wee bit of of junk food and no pop or juices. Back inCanada we were spending about 30-40 a week more and not eating nearly as well or as much. Fresh coconuts, gorgeous pinapples, oranges, apples, avocados, tomatoes, spinach, onions and so on.
Due to a chronic illness I require a lot of vitamin support. The prices here are just a wee bit more than back home. Also it was challenging to find everything but there is one shop in town who has realized that special orders for gringos pays and is willing to order what you want or need.
Our eating out amount is the result of grabbing lunch while running errands or exploring. I would imagine that evening dining would be more.
The spa day is not something I have ever been able to do but the prices here are quite reasonable and this was a top notch facility. They also have two for one specials almost daily during slower times. We did the whole circuit for that price including Turkish bath, massage, two different mud baths, hot and cold thermal pools, steam boxes and finishing with hot spring pool. We also had a kick butt dinner there.
I did not see any doctors this month but the specialists here seem to average $70.00 a visit and that price often includes follow up visits.
A dentist has given me an unbelievable quote of just over 1K to repair eight cavities and veneer four front teeth that were damaged in an accident several years ago. Back home I was quoted about five times that amount.
Anyways with regards to the monthly expenditures I know people who spend more than 1300.00 a month for their car insurance or three times that amount to rent a one bedroom apartment in a big city.
Hope this has helped and please do not hesitate to write if you have any questions.