Want to relocate to ecuador

Hi Snowflakes,

You are concerned about safety in Ecuador?  And you live in Stockton? Known as the most crime ridden city in CA, outside of Northeast LA that is.  We have a niece in your city on Shippee Lane and she is always complaining that it is unsafe to walk after dark alone.

We lived in CA for 20 years; Sacramento, San Jose, Fremont and Pismo Beach.  Oh and then later, in La Habra in Orange County.

We are moving to Cuenca in October. We spent about 11 days there and loved it. People are friendly, helpful and are eager to be your friend.  We looked at apartments (want to rent for 6 months before we buy; in order to know exactly where we wish to locate. A 4 bedroom, 4 bath, complete with maid's quarters; oh and a huge stainless steel kitchen..and overlooking the city is only $450/month.  You couldn't find that in CA, no matter where you go. Homes in nice neighborhoods run about $59,000 for 1800 sq feet of living space and all the amenities you want to have.
They are on the US Dollar so it makes it easy to figure out prices etc.  They are on the equator, so the temperature is 73 during the day and about 60 at night all year round. No more stifling 100 degrees like in Stockton or even here in FL.
We went to the Maxi-market to buy food for a week and the total bill came to $38.00.  The "Coopera"  (Co-op) where you can join for $15.00 a year to get a 10-15% discount on all of their fresh, (brought in each day by local farmers) veggies and fruits  is fantastic.  We found fresh asparagus for $.19 a lb.  We got a five pound bag of large juicy oranges for $.52. Potatoes are 10 cents a lb. Avocados..large and delectable are 5 for a dollar.  I refuse to pay the $2 they want here for ONE. !
Oh, and tomatoes !! Big and ripe for 10 cents each. You can eat very inexpensively and good there.

Breakfast..a three course meal is $1.50.  Lunch?  Soup, salad, chicken and rice and fresh veggies, dessert and coffee or a soft drink will cost you $2.00.

Most anywhere within the city you wish to go, you only pay $1.50 for a taxi..tip included. To the airport (UIO-Quito) from Cuenca is $4.00 total for the ride.

So, you see, you CAN live cheaply and it is somewhere you would want to live and feel safe. Cuenca is half a million people with roughly 1,000 ex-pats living there at this point in time. Cuenca is one of the safest cities in Ecuador.  Crime?  None, to speak of. I would feel much safer walking down a city street in Cuenca after dark, than I would here in Jacksonville.

If you want to know more and wish to keep in touch,

Carole

Hi Snowflakes,

Not sure if you have had much response to your question but I am living proof that it is safe to live here.  We recently moved here from the US, and are temporairly living in San Vicente (near Bahia), while our house is being built.
I absolutlely love it here, and actually feel safer than in the US.
Shoot me your questions about housing and homes and I will do my best to answer.

Thanks for the info given so far. I am wondering about the income. I understand the cost is less but what about the wages? Same as the U.S. or significantly less?? What is the comparison like? Thanks

The average Ecuadorian make about $350 a month. The cost of living in Ecuador in grossly underestamated by most blogs and international living mag. It is true you can rent here for $300 a month but no one in their right mind would want to live in the squalor. Food Prices are less until you try to buy imported goods, they cost more than it the US. Belive 1/2 of what you see and nothing you read. That being said it is a great country.

tmac

Um, I pay $200 a month in rent for my house and I'm NOT living in squalor! True, I don't have air conditioning or a dishwasher, but I wouldn't have moved to a third world country if I needed all the modern convienences. I work here (and be aware that you do need a visa that permits this as many do not allow you to work) I am an English teacher and make about $1200 a month. I also make extra money processing visas. I do highly agree that many things are exaggrated as far as life style. Crime is a serious issue here. I've been robbed several times since I moved here, compared to never inthe States. (And I'm from Detroit). I've been here about seven years, and although I live in Guayaquil, I know crime is increasing in other areas as well. Anything electroni, including a car will be much more expensive here. There are frequent power and water outages, including a period almost two years where the power was out eight hours a day for a couple months. Do you speak Spanish? If not it can be awfully isolating if you don't. I love Ecuador, but anyone moving here should do so with open eyes. No one should ever move here without making an extensive visit first. Its important to see if you can adapt. Many, many people don't stay. Inmy seven years here, I canthink of only three gringo friends who have been here as long as I have.

Thanks for your realistic responce. I would fully agree with your asessment. I think living in Cuenca may be a bit safer the the big cities, but one must always be careful.

tom

Hi!  I am thinking of moving to Ecuador on the recommendation of a relative.  I am in my late 50's, but my husband is 79.  I've been doing a bit of research, and Quito might be a bit too high in the Andes for his breathing problems.  We are not rich, and just make barely over the $800 minimum for a retirement visa, but we don't lead a flamboyant life and are very simple people. 

Which is the best area to live in?  I keep hearing about Cuenca.  Could someone tell me about that?  I've read Snowflake's posting, and it is rather exciting, if it's true, and crime is not rampant.  I would actually try to get Rosetta Stone's Spanish program to learn the language.

Any tips you could give us would be greatly appreciated!

Hello, everyone.  I am a transplant from Massachusetts to Costa Rica, where I have been living for the past two years.  I am living off of a very low social security check.  The people in "my" town, Atenas, are extremely friendly, but CR is not as cheap as I had hoped.  I'd like to find somewhere cheaper.  I speak Spanglish, which almost suffices for my small needs.  Translate.Google fills in what I lack. 

I do not expect a "social life" at my age -- 76 -- but I am always in front of my computer because I am now an attorney-turned-author, so friends and former clients either always email or SKYPE phone me.  As a result, I never feel lonely.  And they visit.  I would expect fewer visitors were I to move to Ecuador, but who knows . . . I have not compared airfares.

In CR, everyone is very security conscious.  Gates, fences, etc.  Not my house, though, which makes me fearful if I take a trip longer than a day.  Is it that way in Ecuador.

There are allegedly 27 weather patterns (climate zones) in CR.  How many in Ecuador?  I prefer 65-68 at night and up to 75 degrees. Anything comparable in Ecuador?  Where?

I'll stop here . . . despite a 100 more questions.
Ciao,
Barbara

Hi coteyankee and Barbara,

Welcome to Expat.com!

I hope other members will be able to help you with your queries. I would suggest you to start a new thread on the Ecuador forum as well for better visibility.

I wish you good luck
Christine

Hi!
I live in Quito. Have never been robbed, but I know the crime rate is increasing in this city. I've lived in Queens-NY and I was never robbed there either. I guess it is just a matter of being careful and not being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I don't know about other cities, so all the info below is about Quito:
As far as income, It is correct that the average Ecuadorian makes about $350 a month. I am head of imports at a small company, and sell fine jewelry and some sterling silver jewelry on the side and I come up with about $1600 a month. Together with my husband we are at about $4000. I know a lot of people that make way more than average, it is just a matter of finding the right job, which can be done.
For fresh produce I go to local markets instead to the chain supermarkets. I find it is fresher, I can barter and with about $60 a month I feed a family of 3 including fresh fruit juice for all meals.
For almost everything else I go to Supermaxi. I do buy some imported goods, however there are plenty of national products that are excellent. I come up with a $500 bill a month.

As far as housing rental and retail depend on the size of the place and its location (most places won't include appliances, so that is an expense you must be prepared to cover).
I own some real state and plan to keep buying, from my experience I can tell that retail price of  homes is increasing-if you purchase a new one be prepared to pay a little extra, you can also find great homes that are 15-20 years old and need a little renovation, those will be cheaper. I have purchased a lot (It's doubled in value in the past 1 1/2 year) and plan to build there soon since it will be more convenient for me costwise.

As far as cars, if you're looking at the pre-owned car market you must be careful and take any car in which you're potentially interested to a trusted mechanic (or the dealership)for check up.

I guess thats it from me. Let us know which city you end up moving to.

Victoria.

I will like to point out few things here which I believe are very important to take in consideration. Once a person decides to retire or live overseas, they are opening their minds to a complete new and different perspective in life, of course these underdeveloped countries or emerging economies, as I like to call them, have a whole different situation, may that be political or economical, but on the other hand, they do offer a great compensation by providing natural environments, health and a comfortable lifestyle under a small budget.. Most develop countries are saturated with environmental problems, and their economies are going under huge debt problems.
Saying this, I should also agree that few smart foreigners are taking advantage ahead of the game and overpricing local properties in this heavenly retirement option. One thing to be sure is that properties by the ocean in Ecuador are cheap, you should always buy from locals, anybody can buy properties here, you may need the assistance of a professional who is related to the local market, which will not jump the price to the American standards. I am even seeing that companies who have been in the business of promoting Latin America as a new found heaven for retirement, are also making money by offering tours and seminars, this is not fair at all, there is plenty of information on the net, and Ecuadorians are very friendly and open people to welcome business from other cultures.
DonŽt let anybody tell you differently, I wouldn't like to see Ecuador being merchandise by people who are just taking advantage of a timing opportunity. Please get informed, of course there are cases were you might find dishonest people, but by asking around a lot, youŽll be able to avoid that, take your time and travel to Ecuador for a visit, see it your self, even if they try to point out that the actual president is following Venezuela's foot steps.. I can tell you that Ecuadorians are a complete different story, they will never allow it…

Ecuadorians are very business oriented, and a very hard working society, they will always push their Politians to open the doors to the world. They had to go through a hall process of changes with their previous established politics to level the social standards.
I was born in Ecuador and raise in Canada, I have seeing both worlds, plus having worked in other countries, I am a citizen of the world, we should never undermine any place, I just think that there is a perfect place for every type of character in life and budget too….

Please take every thing said with a grain of salt . Come visit first.