Early retirement possible here?

I initially wrote this post about Panama but in doing my research I realized that the world is big and I might be casting my net a little small. There is a lot of conflicting information on the Net, but this site seems to have quality people and info. I appreciate it all greatly.




I'm a Singaporean national who doesn't like his country of origin and is looking for a fresh start somewhere else. I'm also openly bisexual and polyamorous, in my early 40s.




I can prove about 1k+ income a month from private investment income.




a) What are the real costs of living there? I'm single and just need a basic room. Don't care about location as long as basic needs are met, but fast internet is a necessity as I WFH.




I cook for myself and don't eat out much, so I can keep that down. I also am not big on entertainment and don't watch movies.




I do need some place to exercise, preferably a park or similar.




What is healthcare like?




b) What are the visas like? Are retirement visas easy to obtain?




c) What is the LGBT situation like? While I'm not militant about my orientation, it is who I am. In my experience there is always some queer community in all countries, even the conservative ones.




d) I'm assuming the infrastructure is relatively decent? When I moved to the USA I had to get used to where the barbers where, dentists etc.




e) Is the bureaucracy as horrible as they say? In my experience it's been bad everywhere. (I've lived in many countries)

Dear tai an Zhou,


Welcome to the forums of Expat.com ...


It is definitely possible for an Expat with a

monthly income of 1,000 USD to make it

ongoingly in a modest set-up in El Centro,

Quito, or many other places in Ecuador.


You could get a one-bedroom apartment

for $350/mo. in El Centro .. or pay less than

half that amount for a private room with

kitchen privileges.


Your food will primarily come from the

local mercados  or the two-dollar

menú del día.


Health care will be covered by IESS for about

$75 a month plus the cost of any prescriptions

which IESS is unable to fill.


Travel will be restricted to, say, Baños or

Cotacachi with rare exception.


Public transit costs 35 cents or centavos

per ride or 17 cents if you qualify for

tercera edad o como discapacitado.


You may have saved enough by the end of

the month to buy a new shirt, some towels

and hire someone to clean your apartment.


cccmedia, resident of El Centro, Quito

Bureaucracy.


The trámites of Ecuador are such that

95 percent of arriving Expats are advised

to hire a visa specialist or immigration attorney

to guide you through the process. The other

five percent are geeks who love the challenge

of navigating a foreign set of rules and bureaucracy.


Ecuador has advantages over Colombia

in terms of territorial (not worldwide) taxation

of income .. and other arcane requirements

specific to Colombia.


In general, the visa rules have gotten stiffer

in the past decade, but that is not usually

a dealbreaker.


Visa visits to government buildings and

passport renewals are easier if you live in

Quito than most other places in Ecuador

since the bureaucracy is located in the capital.


cccmedia

Wifi.


I have had WiFi via CNT and NetLife during

different portions of my ten years as a

resident of Quito.


The speed and quality provided by both

companies has been sufficient for my

layman's needs.


However, NetLife has provided consistent

service, whereas CNT cut off my service

every time I went out of town, six or seven

straight times.  Usually it involved some type

of billing problem.  This has not been an issue

with NetLife.


CNT required me to maintain an (unused

and obsolete) phone landline.


Go with NetLife if it's a choice between that

company and CNT.


cccmedia