Retiring in Ecuador

warklady wrote:

We are Canadians living in Ontario, are retired and need somewhere warm to retire to. The temperature here is -13 and we have about 4 feet of snow.

Greetings, Duikers, and welcome to Expat.com Ecuador.

From the you-can-do-better-than-that department:

Come to Ecuador and, unless you decide to live on the side of a tall volcano   you'll never have to shovel or plow snow again.

Highlands:  Quito average highs are in the upper 60's F year-round.  Nighttime lows around 50.  Cuenca: similar to Quito, slightly cooler.  Loja and Quito suburbs:  definitely warmer but not usually killer-hot, due to lower elevations.

Coast:  Salinas, mid to upper 80's to low 90's high season (Jan.-May, more or less).
July and other off-season months it can be cloudy, highs in the 70's with Pacific Ocean breeses near the shore.  Coastal communities can have micro-climates that may vary.

La Selva (jungle):  hot and too humid.  Not favored by Expats.

Interior lowlands:  Gringos do not live here.  They would roast in the Equatorial heat. Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador's fourth largest city, is evidently a Gringo-free metropolis, except if an Expat maybe stopped momentarily to fill a gas tank between Quito and the coast.

Also to be avoided:  Guayaquil (hot, humid, dangerous, no ocean beaches), areas near the Colombia border (danger) and the south end of the city of Quito.

Keep in mind that even in the highlands, the midday sun is intense.

Follow a few rules and life can be great here.

cccmedia in Quito

Hi Guys, thanks for answering to my response. I really need to know how to start getting things in order towards moving to Ecuador. How to find a place to live, what do we need to do towards our end destination. Do we need to come to Ecuador for a visit in order to set up, organize, get ready before we decide our final move?. How did other expats did it towards their move. We are Canadians and work for Canadians dollars and since everything in Ecuador is US currency, it would be nice to know in advance what it will cost us and prepare us for what to expect.
Our old bones has had enough of the cold weather, Osteoarthritis has taken its toll on this old bones and I need heat and sunshine to survive. I know there are many expats with similar experiences and could assist us in a smooth move to that sunshine and fair weather.
Looking forward to hearing from you again.
Juliet and Rinke

warklady wrote:

Do we need to come to Ecuador for a visit in order to set up, organize, get ready before we decide our final move?

The conventional wisdom is to visit first.  You'll want to know if your bodies will adjust to the weather, or the altitude (if in the highlands).   You'll want to be certain that Ecuador is for you.

Naturally, it's a long trip from Warkworth, so you may decide it makes financial sense just to sell-give away-toss all your stuff, so you'll have the independence to seek a new city or town of residence without having to return to the original home.  If you go that route, get your visa ducks in a row (all necessary documents) before making the trip.

cccmedia in Quito

warklady wrote:

We are Canadians and work for Canadians dollars and since everything in Ecuador is US currency, it would be nice to know in advance what it will cost us and prepare us for what to expect.

The current exchange rate is that the Canadian dollar is worth about 80 cents U.S.  The exchange rate and the cash rate may vary from each other by a couple of cents.  Check the website of the Bank of Canada for the latest rates.

Historically, if converting cash, one has gotten a better deal doing so at a bank and not at an airport or exchange kiosk.

cccmedia in Quito

Warklady,
We are Canadians also and currently living some 30 km north of Manta, in San Clemente, it is a fishing village with 2000 people and expats from everywhere, including lots of Canadians.
We chose to be here after 2 years of researching different countries and locations.
Climate was a major factor for us as well, we were tired of winters, snow etc, and living in Calgary's altitude was not for us anymore.
Most people moving here choose Cuenca, it is even higher than Calgary, we chose the cost, as we visited first time in Sept 2013, which was still winter here and found the weather to be great, even cool at night, right now it is never too hot by the ocean, there is always cooler breezes, but like somebody indicated before there is lots of microclimates here, but generally, I find climate on the coast to be much better than lets say Mexico or other countries. I found Quito to be cold for my liking, I just love warm weather.
The first step for you would be to choose where  do you want to visit?
On the coast most people come to Salinas and Manta.
I think the most important step is to learn some Spanish, if you do not know it.
Life here is very easy and people are fantastic, it is very safe, of course, like everywhere else, I would not go to some places at night, but than again I would not go to some parts in Calgary as well.
Regarding Canadian dollar dropping, yes, it is going to effect us, for a year or two, hopefully less.
Our cost here, basic spending like groceries, eating out, some wine and beer, is about 600- 700 per month, factor in 20% exchange rate, Canadian to US dollar, over 700 -800 per month, utilities are around 100 and transportation 100 (buses and taxis), at this time we are paying rent of $800.
Rent for nice place by the beach or close is  not cheap,but we are in the process of buying our own condo, so that would be eliminated.
Without rent basic monthly expenses will be around $1000. US, or at this time 1200 CAN and that includes going out 4-5 times a week, meals ranging from $ 4 to 8 per person. Don't know about your lifestyle, but for us in Calgary, basic expenses were twice as much and here we buy much better and more fresh produce for so much less.
  If you decide to move here, all other household items are similar to Can prices, we are going back to Canada  for a few months and decided all we need is some personal items and few of my favorite things, like my Le Creuset pots and pans, they are so expensive here and it is hard to find good pots and pants, saw them at the store, probably double here, many imported items are quite costly, but not so much comparing to Canadian prices.
I find I I am not missing any specific items from Canada.  Well, I am missing books, have to switch to e- reader, small price to pay for living in such a beautiful place.

EvaCanada wrote:

we are going back to Canada for a few months and decided all we need is some personal items and few of my favorite things, like my Le Creuset pots and pans, they are so expensive here and it is hard to find good pots and pans, saw them at the store, probably double here, many imported items are quite costly, but not so much comparing to Canadian prices....I am missing books, have to switch to e- reader, small price to pay for living in such a beautiful place.

When you move, it's more important than ever -- given recent events -- to bring items that you might find hard to get here.  Even if it means bringing an extra suitcase or two.  That would be worth it.

By recent events, I mean the imposition last October of a $42 per-shipment tariff on Internet purchases and certain other packages...and this week's crash-and-burn of Club Correos, the EC postal service's failed attempt to streamline Web purchases.

Eva mentioned e-books.  You can get lots of books from Kindle Unlimited for about ten bucks a month, and almost any book you want via Kindle at market prices.  Once you get used to reading online, it'll be like you did it all your life.

cccmedia in Quito

My wife and I just returned from a three month visit to Ecuador - Quito, Cuenca and the Galapagos Islands.  We enjoyed the country, the people and the beautiful scenery, however, we decided early on that it was not for us.  The high altutudes caused me to feel out of breath all the time (except at sea level), and I did not get over that the whole time we were there.  We did not care for the food served in the restaurants and the style of cooking where few foods were seasoned to suit our tastes (which was a complaint we heard from many people). 

We don't have to live there for economic reasons so we came back to the Myrtle Beach area, which by the way has many Canadian visitors and residents

If you go to Ecuador, be sure to try it on for size.  Don't plan on buying anything until you get a good feel for whether you would want to live there or not.  Many of the blogs indicate that 50% leave after 3-5 years.

Good luck, what ever you decide to do.

ChIf yo

rperry38 wrote:

If you go to Ecuador, be sure to try it on for size.  Don't plan on buying anything until you get a good feel for whether you would want to live there or not.  Many of the blogs indicate that 50% leave after 3-5 years.

I couldn't agree with you more, Ron.  If it's likely a home buyer will be gone in less than five years, they might as well rent.  Then when they move on, they don't have the headache of the slow grind of selling or, alternatively, trying to deal with overseas property management if they are unable to sell.

Thank you for communicating with the Expat.com Ecuador community before, during and after your visit to EC.

cccmedia in Quito

wbcv867 wrote:

My wife and I just returned from a three month visit to Ecuador - Quito, Cuenca and the Galapagos Islands....We did not care for the food served in the restaurants and the style of cooking where few foods were seasoned to suit our tastes (which was a complaint we heard from many people).

Let's assume you're referring to the local cuisine.

I'm not enamored with it either.  Although it's fine once in a while.

But it's so easy here in the capital to get non-Ecuadorian food, that I can go weeks at a time without the local fare.  Smaller pueblos:  it may be quite different.

I eat Italian and Chinese frequently.  There's chicken places all over town preparing their "producto" in the manner Americans and Canadians would find familiar:  Texas Chicken, Kentucky Friend Chicken, Tennessee Chicken.

In Gringolandia, the Mariscal Sector, there are restaurants cooking Indian, Mongolian, Thai, Argentinian, Mexican and other dishes.

And, of course, if you live here, you can buy fresh ingredients and cook at home.  I and probably most folks who are not full-time employed here, take most meals "en casa."  Actually, many businesses allow an extended lunch hour, so many locals have lunch at home too.

cccmedia in Quito

If getting out of a cold climate is your main motivator, then move to rural Texas or Georgia or southern Missouri. The cost of living in those places is the same, or lower, than Ecuador. You would have all the same first world infrastructure, like public safety and public health. You could drink the tap water. And no need to struggle with learning a new language. A better climate is found far more easily than doing something radical like expatriating to a third world country. Believe me.

Rural Texas!

They said "warm," Chucke, not boiling.

Texas temps at 96 degrees all summer is not what U.S. potential Expats want or need.

cccmedia in Quito (68 degrees F. average monthly highs, year-round)

chuckejames wrote:

If getting out of a cold climate is your main motivator, then move to rural Texas or Georgia or southern Missouri....Believe me.

A better climate...Are you kidding me!

C'mon, Chucke J.  Do you think you're doing our international Expat readership a favor by sending them to Dooly County, Georgia, or Pumpville, Texas!

It's not just that these places have an average high temperature in July and August of a billion degrees.  These backwaters also don't have one percent of the cultural and social opportunities* of an international capital such as Quito.

"Believe me," you say.

How can we, when you yourself want to get out of Florida and move to Ecuador.

We know.  We read it in your Expat.com profile.

cccmedia in Quito, Ecuador

*With the possible exception of the annual Rodeo Days Weekend.

Before you decide to do anything, plan a trip of 90 days to get a feel for where you're intending to spend the rest of your days.  There are many positives to living in Ecuador however, you will also read that a lot of Americans/Canadians pack everything up, move down and then can't settle and subsequently move back again.

Life is different here, it's a third world country and you have to prepare for that.  You should also accept that this isn't your country and be prepared to adjust to the way of life here, not want to change it to something that resembles what you've left behind.  ( There are quite a few expats here that moan about how things aren't the same as back home and it greatly annoys me.)  If you move to another country you should be prepared to accept the life there and embrace it.

We live in Cuenca and love the place but we came here twice before finally deciding on a move here from Australia.

Obtaining visas has become much easier over the last few years but make sure you do a lot of reading and get any and all documents apostilled before you travel. 

Hope this helps - good luck
Sandi

I am from northern Ontario and have been here for 4 months after an initial 10 week visit.  If I can assist you in  any way, feel free to send me a contact invite.  A lot of your responses are from people that do not know the Canadian ropes.  The info on  the weather and climates was very good, as well as the advice to come here for a time and do the boots on the ground routine.  As far as the food goes, I have tried  carne de burro in Vilcambama and guinea pig in Ambato.  It all takes getting used to like to whole country.
    Bryan

stick1947 wrote:

As far as the food goes, I have tried carne de burro in Vilcambama....It all takes getting used to like to whole country.

You can live a lifetime in Quito or Cuenca without eating carne de burro -- that's my plan, anyway.

Eat whatever you want aside from a few tariff-heavy products that don't always make it to Ecuador.

Respect the locals as you would any persons, learn the language as much as you can, put up courteously with the bureaucracy...but besides that, it's pretty much 'up to you' how you want to live your life, wear your clothes, worship your deity, and blow off steam at Expat.com.

cccmedia in Quito

warklady wrote:

We are looking for information from expats living in Ecuador as we are interested in moving there. We are Canadians living in Ontario, are retired and need somewhere warm to retire to. The temperature here is -13 and we have about 4 ft of snow.
Looking forward to hearing from some new friends.
Juliet and Rinke Duiker

Hello Juliet and Rinke;
As I came from the state of Minnesota, USA, I fully understand your comments of cold and snow. To obtain a better understanding of Ecuador, I would like to point you to LojaWelcomeCenter.com which has a lot of useful information. And after viewing the website if you still have questions, you can either write me or better yet continue to post your questions on this forum for the benefit of others.

Regards,
Ken