Cost of living in Ecuador – 2015

We live in Cuenca with our family of 6 (4 children)
We spend about $1500/ month
We rent an unfurnished 3 bedroom 2 bath apartment for $300/month
Our utilities (electric $20, gas $15, internet $30) per month
Food $1000/month (for 6 people)
Cell phones (2 phones $35/ month)
Average typical/ local meal out $3 per person
Average American style meal out $7 per person
Education (uniforms $50/ child at beginning of school year; school supplies $25 / child twice per school year)
Education public school misc expenses (avg of $5/ month per child)
Fuel for vehicle ($25/ month)
Vehicle annual registration ($50)
Vehicle maintenance parts and labor ($500/year)
Bus fare .25 adults .12 children and seniors
Avg taxi fare $3

Very roughly, the cost of living in Ecuador is less than half the cost of living in Europe or the USA. If you choose to live cheaply in Ecuador (by avoiding expensive restaurants, by avoiding servants, by avoiding imported goods, and by avoiding the elevated prices of shopping malls), then you can quite easily live for about a third of the cost of Europe or the USA. Incidentally, Ecuador has a very good free health service that is not means tested. If you need medical attention you can go to your nearest 'centro de salud' and get free medical attention (but you will have to pay for any prescribed medicines). If the centro de salud cannot treat you they will refer you to a main hospital and the medical attention is still free at the hospital. I'm very impressed. However, it helps to have an Ecuadorian cedula (ID card). Any foreigner legally living in Ecuador can obtain an Ecuadorian cedula, which is a must for your daily life.
Russell Eaton, DeliveredOnline.com

If medical care is free to you Russell, why would an expat need IESS insurance @ $73 a month?  The way you describe it,  we aren‛t talking emergency room?

Rent $500, two bedroom two bath, huge patio. In Cuenca, Ecuador
$100 hoa dues, $60, for water gas n electric
cleaning lady $15. eow
no cars, so maybe $50 for taxis
$600 groceries, monthly
hair, nails pedicures, for two $80 monthly
cells phones $20 monthly
Direct TV n wifi $95 monthly
going out maybe $200-$300 monthly, at the high end.
We rarely buy clothes, very frustrating trying on jeans, shoes etc. Sizes are much different from what we are used to. So we plan a trip to Miami 1/2016, to shop the Christmas sales!,!

Nards Barley wrote:

If medical care is free to you, Russell, why would an expat need IESS insurance @ $73 a month?  The way you describe it,  we aren‛t talking emergency room?

Specifically, Russell, what personal experience have you had with the EC public health facilities that would lead you to praise them so....

The consensus I've heard is that the public offering -- which is a full rung below IESS -- is not adequate, and not up to Expat standards.

cccmedia in Quito

We invite you to talk about the cost of living in Ecuador in 2015, with an updated price listing.

Don't forget to mention in which city of Ecuador you are living in.

How much does it cost to live in Ecuador?

> accommodation prices
We live in Paute Ecuador. We rent a duplex, both sides our total rent per month for both is $300.
The current prices for a 3-5 bed house depending on how new it is can go from 250- on up.
Apartments are going for 150-250
> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.)
to take a bus to Cuenca is .75 each way. Buses run every 15 minutes

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
we have private insurance and our cost for both of us is $1200 a yr.

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
We pay about 13 a month for electricity. Mostly due to having electric heated showers.
Water prices are 2.50 a month
we use about 4 tanks (2.25 each ) every 4 months.

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
We are on a plan with 4 other people. we pay 320 per yr for two phones with a very large data plan.
Our internet is through CNT so we have a house phone and internet for 35 a month

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant
$10

> price for a coffee or a drink
Coffee is about $7 a lb on up.. depending on where you buy it. Glass of wine in a restaurant is about 4.50.
Mixed drinks are 3-7 each depending on what you order and where you buy it.
Large bottles of pilsner are $1

Hi, great idea. We live in Cotacachi and into our 3rd year, but were first here in 2010 and back in Otavalo for 3 months in 2011. We rent a 2 br 1 1/2 bath apartment for $430. That includes all services, with wi-fi. We do not have a TV. I have spent a lot of time in the past looking at cost of living here, and have pretty much traveled the country. Lee Dubs in Cuenca recently addressed this issue and his estimate is almost exactly the same, and that is for a couple around $1500---2000 a month. Of course everyone has a certain lifestyle and that can be a factor. That fig does not include owning and maintaining a car, nor major purchases, i.e. we bought a couch and 2 recliners for $1900. We shop the local mercado as well as the Supermaxi in Ibarra. We usually eat lunch out and that varies from $3 ea to 12 depending on where and what you order. Our favorite eatery is Solid Rock and today the special was $4 including drink. We just returned from 2 nights in Quito, and the hostel for two was $80. That is twice what we paid in 2010 from Otavalo to Vilcabama and that may be the increase of online sites and the increased use of smart phones. We ride buses and use cabs only when necessary, but cabs in Ibarra are still $1 in the city and the same in Cotacachi. We are walkers so in town we rarely need a cab. A better meal and a beer will cost from $7.50---to $12 ea depending on where you dine. We also have IESS which we pay separate as my wife is 15 years younger and will be eligible for a pension, if that is not changed. We pay $72 each. The online sights that tell people they can live on $800 a month is absurd and do a disservice to everyone. What my figures do not reflect is the cost of a trip to your former home, in our case the U.S. We are going to Bolivia next month and that will be extra. My wife will go to the states for a few weeks in the Spring and return with one grandchild for the summer and of course that is extra. We know people that we call "economic refugees" and they cannot afford to return to where they came from, not travel and eat out only occasionally and most of them are not very happy. My wife just walked in and said her box wine just today went up from $6 to $6.50, that is almost 10% and if you add that to col it would be $135 a month which is a lot to jubilados. Inflation is alive and well in Ecuador, from bakery to mercado, and unfortunately it is the locals that it hurts the most. My advice to anyone considering living here, is to come and spend at least 3 months and then make a decision. If you can't afford that, you probably don't need to move here. It is far better to be in your home country, near family and things you know than to chance a move you have no real experience with.

Another source of updated COL information is numbeo.com

Just click on "Ecuador" at that site, and then on any of up to 14 cities and pueblos, for a whole raft of "cifras."

ginarnold1957 wrote:

. . . and that is for a couple around $1500---2000 a month. Of course everyone has a certain lifestyle and that can be a factor. That fig does not include owning and maintaining a car, nor major purchases

* * *

The online sights that tell people they can live on $800 a month is absurd and do a disservice to everyone. What my figures do not reflect is the cost of a trip to your former home, in our case the U.S. We are going to Bolivia next month and that will be extra. My wife will go to the states for a few weeks in the Spring and return with one grandchild for the summer and of course that is extra. We know people that we call economic refugees; and they cannot afford to return to where they came from, not travel and eat out only occasionally and most of them are not very happy.

* * *

Inflation is alive and well in Ecuador

* * *

My advice to anyone considering living here, is to come and spend at least 3 months and then make a decision. If you can't afford that, you probably don't need to move here. It is far better to be in your home country, near family and things you know than to chance a move you have no real experience with.

Excellent post.  It should be mandatory reading in my opinion for the would-be economic refugee.

The minimum Ecuador requires $900/monthly, but it should be to raised to $1000. To not steer folks incorrectly. A single person could live on that, depending where they live or share housing. We sold our home, have no children so winged it and came down, knowing if we didn't like it we could move on with our paperwork in hand. We are thrilled we came and we have not gone back, everyone should visit here! However, we are saving for a month vacation in Jan. 2016, for  a ten day cruise, in the Caribbean, plus  a week on the beach, n a week in New Orleans. All from our frugal life style in Cuenca!

Lizardo wrote:

The minimum Ecuador requires $900/monthly, but it should be to raised to $1000. To not steer folks incorrectly.

Actually, that first figure IS incorrect.  Or at least, misleading.

The minimum dependable income required by the Cancilleria on a pensioner visa is $800 per month for an individual.  Add $100 for each dependent.

We're guessing that Lizardo and his or her partner have an income over $1,000 per month, or they might not be so quick to "raise the bar" for other Expat pensioners.

cccmedia in Quito

2 bd apartment in N Quito $300
School for our 7 year old $350
Gas for the car about $200 (I drive a lot)
Food for 4, including baby formula about $1000
Gas/electric/water $20
Internet $40
Phone $15
2 Prepay cell phones $100
Diapers $30
Cloths (both kids are outgrowing their cloths fast) $80
Medical expenses including prescriptions $200
Taxis $20

Total $2315 if my math was right. This figure excludes major purchases such as furniture and hotel and entertainment costs when we visit other parts of the country. If I include all that we've been running upwards of $4000 per month this year.

I still say the $800 figure is doable, just not with my family and not in Quito. When I'm by myself at the beach house where I don't pay rent and food is cheap, I spend on average $15 per day.

ginarnold1957 wrote:

We know people that we call "economic refugees" and they cannot afford to return to where they came from, not travel and eat out only occasionally and most of them are not very happy.

When your eyes start glazing over from all the COL numbers on this thread, consider taking a break and visit a 2013 thread titled "Gringo Gouging."

Specifically, the first two salvos -- from Mistymeaner (whom ginarnold would consider an 'economic refugee') and blog 'expert' James.

Without using numbers, they present two vastly different and cogently-explained perspectives on their COL-related subject.

There's also an early cameo by Mugtech, who points out that the gouging problem partly results from Expats who never envisioned that haggling for optimal fruit-pricing would be an integral part of their retirement.

I'm not suggesting a perusal of the entire thread, but COL info-gatherers should benefit from a worthwhile "descanso" in the first two posts there.

To find this "antiguo" conversation, type "Gringo Gouging" into the Expat.com box at the top of this page, and click on the search icon to the right of said box.

cccmedia in Quito

For a single person it would be doable.  They are looking into raising the bar. Yes, you are correct it is still $800. 😎

The fact that someone has, let's say, a Social Security monthly income of $800 may not be a perfect indicator of what they can afford for living expenses.

There may be other sources of money that the Cancilleria would not consider dependable for residency purposes:  savings, family "help," teaching ESL or other EC-based work income, anticipated future income from an estate in escrow, and-or stock-market investments, as examples.

cccmedia in Quito

Lizardo wrote:

The minimum Ecuador requires $900/monthly, but it should be to raised to $1000. To not steer folks incorrectly. A single person could live on that, depending where they live or share housing. We sold our home, have no children so winged it and came down, knowing if we didn't like it we could move on with our paperwork in hand. We are thrilled we came and we have not gone back, everyone should visit here! However, we are saving for a month vacation in Jan. 2016, for  a ten day cruise, in the Caribbean, plus  a week on the beach, n a week in New Orleans. All from our frugal life style in Cuenca!

Future cruises could include a 14 day from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  For some reason last week IL was telling us that Edd Said will be taking that cruise.  The cheapest one with NCL is $1,479/person double occ in an inside cabin plus about $250 each port fees and taxes plus $12/each per day service charge, bringing the total to about $3,794.  This does not include getting to Santiago nor getting home from Argentina, nor any money one may spend in the ports.  These cruises are only available November through March, more expensive on the cruises including Christmas and/or New Years.  The ship is the Sun of 2001 vintage, holds 1,936 passengers and over 800 crew.  So it appears that thrifty living in Cuenca allows for such wonderful vacations.

I find your post confusing, when you say, "$800 is doable" and yet you come up with $4000/mo for your family. You are obviously quite young with sm children. I say young as I have one child that will be 50 this year, so you are either very well employed or have another source of income. Even with children, a $1000 a month seems extremely high. We buy exactly what we want, shrimp, corvina, beef, and all the rest and I would guess we spend less than half that, not including alcohol.

ginarnold1957 wrote:

I find your post confusing, when you say, "$800 is doable" and yet you come up with $4000/mo for your family. You are obviously quite young with sm children. I say young as I have one child that will be 50 this year, so you are either very well employed or have another source of income. Even with children, a $1000 a month seems extremely high. We buy exactly what we want, shrimp, corvina, beef, and all the rest and I would guess we spend less than half that, not including alcohol.

Yes, right now my family's spending is a bit out of control. We're buying an expensive baby formula, and both my wife and the 7 year old like to eat imported brands. I live very cheaply when I'm not with the family. I revert to my dirty backpacker roots.

Yeah, at the moment I'm working seasonally in North Dakota, which is financing a lot of wasteful spending in Ecuador. I got pretty lucky with the job I landed in the oil fields.

xoie wrote:

We live in Cuenca with our family of 6 (4 children)
We spend about $1500/ month
Food $1000/month (for 6 people)
Fuel for vehicle ($25/ month)
Vehicle annual registration ($50)
Vehicle maintenance parts and labor ($500/year)

Wow a $1000/mth for 6 people!   That seems a bit high.  You must be eating the most expensive food there is.  We spend $400 for 3 people with my girlfriend's daughter's boyfriend being here quite frequently.

You didn't mention car insurance. I am curious about that.

ginarnold1957 wrote:

The online sights that tell people they can live on $800 a month is absurd and do a disservice to everyone.

That estimate is not far off if you own your own house. It costs us (a family of 3 and one cat) between $900 and $1000 per month depending on entertainment costs, taxi's and how many guests we might have.

ginarnold1957 wrote:

I find your post confusing, when you say, "$800 is doable" and yet you come up with $4000/mo for your family. You are obviously quite young with sm children. I say young as I have one child that will be 50 this year, so you are either very well employed or have another source of income. Even with children, a $1000 a month seems extremely high. We buy exactly what we want, shrimp, corvina, beef, and all the rest and I would guess we spend less than half that, not including alcohol.

I think you may have misunderstood his post. He said if he was living alone and not having to pay rent it is doable. He said he pays $15/day (or $465/mth (31 days)). However, even for one person that is a bit low. There are going to be days when he would spend more than $15/day. But $800 is doable for a single person who pays no rent. We are a family of 3 and one cat and pay between $900 and $1000 per month. We own our house and do not have a car.

MikeGB wrote:

ginarnold1957 wrote:

I find your post confusing, when you say, "$800 is doable" and yet you come up with $4000/mo for your family. You are obviously quite young with sm children. I say young as I have one child that will be 50 this year, so you are either very well employed or have another source of income. Even with children, a $1000 a month seems extremely high. We buy exactly what we want, shrimp, corvina, beef, and all the rest and I would guess we spend less than half that, not including alcohol.

I think you may have misunderstood his post. He said if he was living alone and not having to pay rent it is doable. He said he pays $15/day (or $465/mth (31 days)). However, even for one person that is a bit low. There are going to be days when he would spend more than $15/day. But $800 is doable for a single person who pays no rent. We are a family of 3 and one cat and pay between $900 and $1000 per month. We own our house and do not have a car.

It's not low at all. In Las Peñas, where I have my beach house, I eat at the restaurant at the turn off to town instead of in the tourist places. I pay $2.50 per meal. The rest is water, gasoline, and a couple bottles of Frontera aguardiente per week.

In January 2015 it cost us $816.77 (family of 3 and one cat) in Cuenca.

1)   No rent as we own our house

2)  Taxis  - $22.50

3)   Telephone (Residential)  -  $15.21

4)   Cellular  -  $10

5)   TV Cable  -  $47.65    (Internet + standard TV (i.e., not HD)

6)   Entertainment & Eating Out  -  $150.15

7)   Groceries   -  $391.26

8)   Hair cut for me   -  $3

9)   House cleaning   -  $125   (includes 2 people for 4 hours twice a week)

10)    Gas    -   $2

11)    Electricity   -  $50

Even if you factor in house maintenance (repairs) at say $20/mth ($240/yr) that still only puts us at $836.77/mth. In fact we did do some repairs costing $100 in January. And of course you have to add in clothes over a year. We did spend $29 on clothes in January. So, say $600 for the year ($50/mth). That is still only $886.77/mth. Oh, and hair for my girlfriend = $50 every 3 months = $200 for the year. So, the monthly would be $904.56.

If you have to factor in rent, you are looking at anywhere from $300/mth to $1000/mth depending on what your lifestyle requires.

It's a fairly subjective subject. Most people can survive on very little income if it's necessary. Think you would have to do a more in depth analysis of the many different areas of Ecuador. Average cost of rental housing, average cost of home ownership, utilities, staple items, entertainment, variety of dining options, cable, and internet cost, etc. in the different areas. Certainly some places the average overall cost of living will be higher than in other places in Ecuador. What one person considers a comfortable living might not be the case for someone else, and what one person considers acceptable infrastructure, and amenities, another might not find feasible for themselves.

The flight with all that luggage, it seemed like a great way to do some wandering in uncharted water, for us. We did stay in Santiago for fives days n took a tour of their famous vineyard. Being from California we certainly appreciated that. Our hotel was $109, nightly. Then we flew to Panama for two weeks to check out that area, not impressed, n they still do not care much about the US citizens, n it was too darn hot. Our main target was Cuenca, and we had all our legal documents etc. in hand. We plan on a trip back in a year to the US n beyond,, but it has taken us that long to save for it, three years!. It is sticker shock, they say, but we can be frugal there too. We are retired and are on fixed income.

Greeting from Puerto Lopez, we have bought five lots in the hill above Puerto Lopez and I'm currently living on one of them building on the second.  In a prior process there was a comment regarding buying insurance when you had the free healthcare.  There was a question regarding anyone who would needed healthcare and use the three healthcare.  A year ago I was involved in an accident I was hit by a motorcycle on my bike.  It required me several days of IV to fight off any possible infections as well as keeping my leg elevated for the next month.  The Executive Director doctor over the  Health Center offered to come to my room and provide treatment at no cost.  This was very unusual to me coming from the states.   During the same time a close friend of mine who had insurance needed a hernia operation and was unable to be scheduled at the private hospitals as a result he ended up going to a town north of us were a larger hospital that was able to provide the surgery underneath the free health care system and they billed his insurance company. 
Here's a real quick summary on my cost-of-living. I have only opened five cans in the year and a half I've been here two of peaches and three of tuna I buy all fresh vegetables and fresh fruit as well as flour and rice and different dry pasta my total cost food is no more than $150 a month.  I don't eat out at restaurants but I will go buy some roasted chicken occasionally. I bought a quad or year ago and my total gas bill is probably maybe $15 a month And $6 dollars to change my oil every month. I just drive around here locally as well as up-and-down the beach.  I pay $25 a month for my Internet and that's what I use to communicate with my family back in the states as well as keeping up with my favorite TV programs.   I do live up on the hill above where the city water is so all of my water is bought from tankers what is $40 will fill up my freshwater cistern and will last me three weeks.  You're drinking water is all in 5 gallon bottlesMy electricity cost I have two different meters on the two properties and total cost is never more than $40 for the both of them.  The property that I'm building a house on I run air compressors, grinders, welders, electric cement mixers and still maintain the above-mentioned cost.  I have see houses that rent for $100 a month this is the standard brick homes roughly 25 x 25 feet 2 bedrooms living room kitchen and bathroom with small yard. You can rent a nice home on the beach for about $500 to $600 a month it all depends what you want. Bottled gas is subsidized and you pay two dollars for a 14 gallon tank that I have not used up all of it in three months of my cooking.  That will soon and I was this President  is converting everyone over to 220 electric stoves he is putting in all wires as well as meters as well is subsidizing the cost of the new electric stove for all the residents in this area  I wear shorts and T-shirts every day all day long as it's never really cold here in Pto Lopez.  So if you're willing to live like  your fellow Ecuadorians  A couple can live for less than $1000 a month here on the coast in a very beautiful country with very warm and wonderful people. 
But this truly is a very subjective subject as it all depends what lifestyle you want to live or what lifestyle you're willing to live. Hope this helps.

One thing I do not hear a lot about, if you are from a country that is part of the Hague Convention you have to get your apostillas before you leave your country, which will keep your expenses much, much lower rather than doing it from here, in Ecuador. This is birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce documents, FBI checks, solvency letters, Social Security statement... plus, it seems to change, here n there. Best is to get it from the source, like a immigration attorney,  where you want to live. You get here, the less stress of being moved to a foreign country, the better! Forget about the cost, you will have so many other projects when you get here! Opening a bank account, signing up 
SRI, IESS, getting your SuperMaxi card, Coral card, getting a rental. For All of this you will need a translator, unless you speak Spanish. Write down where you are going on a piece of paper, printed, to the taxi driver. Don't even try to say where you are going with your accent, until you learn how they pronounce it. All this will keep you happier while taking in all the great and wonderful offerings of Cuenca, especially. Take the double decker bus more than one time!  Enjoy, n good luck!

Greetings again from Puerto Lopez, let me share with you my experience regarding getting my pensioners visa we have 90 days in Ecuador under yourI passport alone. After those 90 days you can request a six-month extension with a tourist visa  it is a very easy process done right in any of the immigrations office here in Ecuador I use the Manta office as they have a couple of individuals able to communicate with you in English.  I was  using an attorney that was referred from one of the large international organizations but due to a breakdown of communication I passed a time limit of 180 days on my tourist visa and had to return to California to proceed with any visa process.  I was also told by the individuals in the Manta immigration office that I did need an attorney. They told me  by the time you get your documentation showing that you have your income requirement your background check and have them certified by the state secretary of what you live you've done 90% of the work.  All that was needed besides that was a couple of more forms to fill out.  I got the refund from the attorney which covered my cost of the trip back to the states and when I return to Ecuador two weeks later I went to the Manta immigration office with my documentation 45 minutes later I was walking out. I was told that I would be notified in about six weeks by email as to the status of my permanent residence five weeks later got an email inviting me to come back to the Manta office to have my picture taken as my pensioners visa has been approved.  To get my cedular card I had to go to Guayaquil a couple of weeks later.  There is also another American couple Who I advised to try working directly through the Manta office. and have also found it a very simple and easy process that most individuals should be able to complete by themselves. if you have your proper paperwork in order but, you would need anyway even if you were using an attorney.
Regarding the checking account the attorney in Manta did set up a checking account with a bank. I found the bank being two hours away as well as not liking to carry  cash  from Manta to Puerto Lopez.  I opened a savings account at a credit union in Puerto Lopez and currently I write a check out of my American checking account two weeks later it is cleared.  The bank in Manta took 22 Day before you could access those funds.  Currently I only use the credit union and Puerto Lopez  but still have a open account with Manta bank minimal amount of money in it.
Hope this helps.