Cost of Living in Ecuador in 2020

I rent a nice apt fully furnished   2 bath   2 bedrooms   beautiful views of the mountains
            300  a month     Our food bill for two of us is about  300 a month  We eat out at least one meal every day  .  we eat a ton of fresh fruit   ..    Bus fair  to  Loja from Vilca is 1.65   that's the only public transports I take regularly.   My electric and water bill come to about 25 dollars but I use more electric than most people because I make medicinal
products that need to be stirred for 2 weeks  .  But living is cheap in Equador  800USD  a month  probably covers our expenses quite well

Landfar, my experience in 2019 was similar. About half as much cost as U.S. I missed some things--mail service, Amazon. More things I didn't miss--crime, U.S. politics, frenetic pace of life, rat race. The local markets and beauty of the Andes, and the friendly  people make it a great place to retire. I look forward to returning in May.

The average cost of living in Ecuador is about three times cheaper compared to the cost of living in the United Kingdom. Therefore anybody on a fixed income, such as a pension, benefits greatly by moving from the UK to Ecuador. No doubt it is similar for US based people.

Costs,
Rent 4 bedroom 3 bath out of the city 500.00  it just got a notice they want 600.  We have been here for three years and have stayed another year at 500.00 because the landlord didn't give us any 90 day notice.
So,,,,
Possibly we will argue that no improvements were made and we will agree to 550.?  Here's hoping.
Food costs here for two people for one month is 400.00.
We have electricity of 49.00
Bottled gas is 12.00 depending on the season we have two gas heaters we use heavily during the rainy cold summer. 
Water is normally 28.00
We have a land line at 3.00
We have three claro plans,,, about 24.00 per plan
We have internet 50 megas 67.00 it works great and we don't buffer.
We have gold direct TV, full package,,, we are retired! 89.00
We have a regular driver we pay 10.00 an hour for days we run around. 
Yes we also take the bus, but we don't go out often and running around is more time consuming without driving. We get it done once a month, paying the bills and grocery shopping.
Our health insurance is 72.00 IESS
We see ballet at the university 18.00 approx
We go to movies 6.00
We eat out dinner once a week,, about 10.00 each approx.
You can buy reasonable white wine 4-9.00 a bottle..good for cooking or drinking while you cook.  There are places where you can buy great wine for 49.00 to 80.00 a bottle it's what your wallet can bear....its imported.
We buy dog food 15 kgs for 21.00 it was recommended by our vet.
An emergency vet here is 25.00 to get in the door, they have x-rays and sonograms and are wonderful.  We just paid 85.00 for our 10 year old standard poodle who hurt her back to be cared for,, they medicated her to sleep while they did the work, took a test for brucellosis, x-rays, pain meds while there,, meds home. Follow up visit,, included. She's better.
Peanut butter here,  Jif is 10.00 a bottle for the little one... so Schuler has it a little less expensive but it is natural and a little more oily.
They have a copy of Nutella, because hazelnuts are hazelnuts,, and it's 7.00 compared to 12.00
We get spaghetti sauce in a squeezable bag for 1.25 you will need two.
I went to a physician that speaks perfect English, he was 20.00 He specialized in thyroid.
I had a full blood panel including urine and feces,, it was 113.00 the same test in America was 1000.00
Dentists are reasonable, but shop around.  There are lots of Ecuadorian dentists here that charge Ecuadorian government allowed prices,, much lower than a lot advertising to Americans and they are wonderful too. 
I needed a tooth pulled,, it was 35.00 with meds.. he drove us home.
I hope this helps.  You can ask questions...

I live in Tonsupa, Esmeraldas; I find cost of living is a bit more expensive on the coast  than in other areas.
Own a small Villa, bought 5 yrs. ago for $68,000, prices have remain the same.
Property taxes $58,00 (discount applied for Seniors)
Local buses running along the beach towns $0.15 cents (for seniors)
Fresh fish $ 1,50 / lb.
Shrimps (medium size) $4.00 / lb.
Oranges : 20 units  for $1,00
Plantain, Bananas … ask for One dollar and you'll gel 12, 14 units.
Propane : $3,00  We use it only for cooking and a dryer. it lasts more than a month.

I agree with the comment, Cost of living is about one third than in Canada. Even with the exchange rate to US. dollars, it is still feasible to live comfortably with a "regular" pension.

Property (purchased three years ago): 1 hectare w/ 3 single bedroom brick houses=$130k

Car/SUV takes ~$20 per half tank and do that once a month.

Rice: $1/kg
Flour: $7/9 kg
Milk: $0.80/L
Butter: $8/kg
Potatoes: 4 lbs/$
Onions: 4 lbs/$
Tomatoes: 4 lbs/$
Broccoli: $0.75/head
Eggs:$1.80/dozen
Ground beef: $3.50/kg
Mozzarella: $7/kg

Electricity: $35/month (two houses)
Gas: $2.50/month (two houses)
Potable Water $3/month (two houses) (plus $15-30 in fees/year)
Canal Water: $30/year (plus $20-40 in fees/year)
Internet: $40/month
Cell/Phone: $40/year

Vehicle Taxes: $300/year
Property Taxes: $50/year

Monthly Budget
-----------------------
Food: $100-150 ($50-75pp)
Car: $45
Utilities: $90
Property Tax: $4

----TOTAL (for two): ~$250-300/month----

Nice to hear of people living well on a retirement budget.

I am exploring the possibility of living in Ecuador while I'm still working, and renting.  I work from home full time as a software engineer and need good internet.  So my questions are:

1. Is good internet available? If so where?  In rentals?  And how much does it cost?  Are there alternatives or options?

2.  What's the best way to find a long term rental?

Thanks!!

I pay $550 ( water, internet included) fora beautiful, modern, furnished 2nd floor apt that is 2 1/2 bedroom, 2 bath, and a private enclosed garden accessed via a walkway & stairs from my 1/2 bedroom (study). Views front & back.  Taxi is $1.25 around town.  $12 from the largest shopping city @ half an hour to 40 minutes away.  Bus to that city is .55 cents. We have a gringo initiated market once a week where I buy organic lettuce ($1), fresh baguette locally Made ($1.50), and locally produced meat. (The meat is now being sold in much of Ecuador!)  oh, and the best coffee ever organically grown and sold locally for $7.50.
I have a 62 #dog.  Last week she got her six-in-one vaccine and dewormed for $15. It costs $10 for her bath and an exam with medicine included at the time of her last bath was $10.  ( haircut + bath is $20)
I do pay a premium For an oral flea/tick medicine that the vet says is less toxic than the external  dose.  Monthly it's $20 for the oral; $10 for the external.   And the best vet ever!  Trained in Cuba~ he is fantastic.  Dog food is expensive: canned is $2.50 each and the best available dry food runs close to $30 for 7.5 kg.
I've lived in Ecuador  for six years this coming June. 🔆

I can't wait to get to Ecuador in 2023! After beginning my research 4 years ago, searching out where to live comfortably in retirement, Ecuador quickly emerged the winner. For me, the primary consideration is cooler temperatures, and the northern region suits nicely. I think I'm in love with Ibarra and will soon begin reaching out to those who have made Ibarra home. So many questions! Thanks to everyone for sharing your Ecuador-life experiences! I'm so excited to get there!

There is a law regulating amount landlord can increase rent~ I can't remember what the percentage is, but I'm sure you can find it.   I'm sure it's not 20% !

All of you who are not bothering to post where you live in Ecuador are not helping me to figure out what to do.   Different cities and rural areas are not comparable.  Please tell us where you are, in which larger city in which part of Ecuador, or in which small town or rural area.

People said to not sign a lease before you had visited Ecuador and actually looked. You can get a good sense of the environment (safety, noise, utilities, location in the city) by briefly walking around the block. Look for signs, "Se renta," they usually have a number to call. Ask local peeps. I found an apartment in Vilcabamba once by asking a restaurant owner on the ground floor.

Good Luck. Happy apartment hunting.
Emigrayo68 (Buster)

susanilla wrote:

All of you who are not bothering to post where you live in Ecuador are not helping me to figure out what to do.   Different cities and rural areas are not comparable.  Please tell us where you are, in which larger city in which part of Ecuador, or in which small town or rural area.

Our location isn't in the post itself, but is displayed for all the people actually providing info on the cost of living  For example, if you look near my username, you'll see "Malacatus, Loja"(pretty sure it's officially "Malacatos", but apparently expat.com prefers to call it Malacatus).

It would be really nice if those answering would simply state where they are in which town in relation to a somewhat larger city!  Then we do not have to research where the poster is living.

Actually, during the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, cost of living is probably one of the lesser problems for me anyway.

susanilla wrote:

It would be really nice if those answering would simply state where they are... Then we do not have to research where the poster is living.

Often a simple key stroke or mouse click is all that is needed to decipher the location of another poster, provided they included the location in their profile.

Just click on the picture icon next to the name atop the post .. and you will be e-whisked away to the profile info.

cccmedia

I am compiling a Google Sheet (spreadsheet) on cost of living in Ecuador. If anyone is interested, I could share it (I'd need to clean it up more first though).

Denise in Denver wrote:

Our health insurance is 72.00 IESS

Is your health insurance US$72 per person? Or is that the total for the two of you?