Retiree Requesting Info on Cities to Live in Ecuador

The most popular spot for expats, Cuenca, is 8,400 feet above sea level and the capital, Quito, even higher.  Your choices will be limited.  Good luck.

The fourth most populated city in Ecuador is Santo Domingo, with 300,000+ people - numbers 1, 2 and 3 are Guayaquil, Quito and Cuenca, in that order.  Guayaquil has few expats, it's low-lying, hot and humid, and it's more dangerous than Quito or Cuenca.  Only Cuenca and Quito have much of an expat population.  Outside of those two if you don't speak Spanish you will have a much harder time doing everything - and the smaller cities are limited in everything that they have, especially from the point of view of a person from a developed country.  Many expats seem to like the Vilcabamba area which is about 5000 feet in elevation and which has more expats than many other small cities its size (but the population is only about 4000).

You can look here on Locanto for apartments for Santo Domingo, which is at an altitude of about 2000 feet and which has most amenities but not in the abundance of the bigger cities.  Note there are not nearly as many apartment choices as there are for the three bigger cities in Ecuador, but things are cheaper:

https://santodomingo.locanto.com.ec/Dep … iendo/301/

Most people in Ecuador do not own a car so they use taxis and buses and the cities are organized around public transportation and things being closer in a neighborhood, not so much private transportation.  But there is nowhere in Ecuador nor in most Latin countries, that would be considered amenable to those whose mobility is limited for one reason or another.

Locanto for Vilcabamba apartments is here:

https://santodomingo.locanto.com.ec/Dep … mp;dist=15

As you can see not only are there only several choices but all are priced much higher than Santo Domingo.  Some say this is due to the influx of expats driving prices up.

I would put Manta and Salinas on your list, both on the coast, have hospitals, and are fairly flat. Manta is the larger of the two. There are several hundred apartment listings under $1000 on OLX and MercadoLibre as well

Hi, we have lived in Cuenca nine months and love it!
Here is a blog post I wrote about expat life here. You will see two more about Cuenca.
Hope this helps!
https://travelbagsandbones.com/expat-li … n-ecuador/

Hi There Travel Bags,

Could you provide me a link to your site?

Thanks,

John W.

Hi Osage,

Good info... Appreciate the help

Would it be possible to talk to you some more by phone if possible?
My phone number is 469-597-0595. Just let me know a convenient time
and if this is convenient for you.

Cheers,

John W.

jwhalen55 wrote:

...by phone...if this is convenient for you.

Respectfully, the purpose of this forum is to make information public so it is convenient for everyone, at anytime they happen to read it.  Questions and answers can then benefit everyone, rather than keeping the information private as it would be in a phone call.

Understood and thanks. Will post more questions as they come up
and Thanks again.

John W.

The one post on expat life and Cuenca is : https://travelbagsandbones.com/expat-li … n-ecuador/
Hope this helps!
There are two more you will see, first impressions and moving our dog to Ecuador.

Hola John!

We posted a video comparing Cuenca, Salinas and Montañita yesterday that might help: https://youtu.be/mJ4IeZGN09o

Cuenca is probably the best place to start for a variety of reasons that we talked about in this video: https://youtu.be/8LioYBl2yPI

However, if you have issues with altitude or prefer warmer weather, the coast may be a better option. I have arthritis in my back and the cold, damp weather in Cuenca aggravates it, but the doctors and hospitals in Cuenca are very good if you have health issues.

Buena suerte!
JP

Hi Amelia and JP,

Thanks for this information and to all above that have helped with my initial query at the top of this forum chain. I have a couple of more questions..

(1) In the cities mentioned (Salinas, Manta etc), are there apartments available in about $1000/mo range? Is there a good reliable website for apartment rental in these cities?

(2) My wife has had both knees replaced and requires opiod based prescriptions for both knee pain and lower back pain for arthritis-the dawning of age. Are there any issues with getting pain medications for arthritis and other ailments in Ecuador in general. Back here in the "States", its increasingly more difficult (doctors being restricted etc) due to the current opiod addiction in this country.

Thanks again all,

John W.
Dallas,Texas

Ecuador does not prescribe opiods for pain relief anywhere near the levels in the US. I've known many people who were prescribed opiodsin the US but were refused them here when went to the Dr for them. They are very heavily restricted. Tramadol is available, but stronger, I have not heard of anyone getting - not saying they don't, but I have never heard of it.

That said I did read something this year / last saying that they were going to be made more easierly available, but whether that happened I don't know

You can get at least some synthetic opioids easily in Ecuador:

https://cuencahighlife.com/opioids-are- … emic-here/

There may be further easing soon for at least some cannabinoid, medicinal cannabis and opioid drugs as discussed in this link, with the questions and answers about opioids starting at #25:

https://pharmaboardroom.com/legal-artic … s-ecuador/

Thanks User159 and Osage,

This is good info. My wife does take Tramadol here in the US and that she finds that helpful.
Is Tramadol over the counter or by prescription in Ecuador? Also, in general, how much does a prescription typically cost at the drug store? Thanks again.

John W.

If you do an internet search for

ecuador tramadol

...you will get a number of hits, including one that says Tramadol hydrochloride is found as an ingredient in the brand names Zafin, Zaracet and Zamadol, and one that says that although it's a prescription drug, many smaller pharmacies in Ecuador may sell it OTC (Over The Counter), and many other links.

On fybeca.com you can find a price of $1.12 for a box of 10 capsules of Tramadol, 50mg dosage.  If you click on the "Directorio farmacias" link at the top right of the page you will get a map of pharmacies.

https://www.fybeca.com/FybecaWeb/pages/ … MADOL+50MG

jwhalen55 wrote:

(1) In the cities mentioned (Salinas, Manta etc), are there apartments available in about $1000/mo range? Is there a good reliable website for apartment rental in these cities?

You can find condos/houses in that range or even less, but they likely won't have an ocean view. A lot of the cheaper properties are closer to La Libertad/La Playa Canela and are not very walkable.

Here's a website we've used to look for properties in Salinas. We can also recommend a real estate agent who is from the States who can also help find rental properties in the Salinas area. We don't know anyone in Manta yet. http://ieiecuador.net/