Best place to live in Ecuador...

This should get a lot of responses.  You will get people from all over Ecuador saying the Cuenca is the best, Cotacachi is the best, Otavalo is the best, Guayaquil is the best...  It will go on and on.

Best answer is that this is a great country.  It has a lot to offer everyone; retired people, working people, just visiting or people who are traveling the world.  Every area has its good and bad.  It is all about personal opinion, underlined PERSONAL.  Offering opinions when asked is great but some expats on this site are trying to sell certain locations over others.  It is almost as if they receive a commission if someone new settles in their town.

In my opinion Cumbaya is the best place to live.  Why?  Because I haven't lived anywhere else to compare it to.  I have visited Quito, Otavalo, Cotacachi, Tumbaco, Pifo and some others, and they all have their own unique qualities but I live in Cumbaya and I love it.  It has every thing I need, close by, and it allows easy access to travel other places when I want to.  I live in a furnished 2 bedroom apartment that is very comfortable.  I have cable tv, internet and all the things that I had back in Canada.  I am needy of nothing.  It is for these reasons that I think Cumbaya is the best place in Ecuador, but I suspect there are other equally reasonable responses to your question that will be forth coming.

I look forward to what is about to come...

My wife and I are just beginning our research.  She found an article about Ecuador that concerned her.  She read that one of the hardest things to get used to is armed military/law enforcement on active alert all over towns and in stores.  This made her really doubt the safety of the country.  We have been researching Cuenca but this has thrown a kink into the enthusiasm.  Can anyone offer some feedback on the military-type presence in the country?  Thanks, tom

I have done some limited traveling, Europe, North American, Caribean and now Ecuador.  I have seen more armed police/military in airports in Switzerland than I have in Ecuador.  Certain retail locations, Jewelry, banks and the like, will have armed security but I have not seen any armed military walking the streets caring weapons.  I live in Cumbaya and go to Quito on occasion, central and north Quito, and travel to Otavalo and Cotacatchi and still have not seen any of what you talk about.  I can not speak for Cuenca but I am sure that someone from there will answer.

I have talked to some locals who have lived here all their lives and they say that on occasion, when there is some civil unrest or a politcal decesion that did not go well that there might be added security, the military, patroling the streets.  It is not a regular thing.

Hope this helps.
John

Thank you very much.  Your reply was very helpful.  We are thinking the best thing to do is go for a month and see if we like it.  We can read all day.

Have you had any experience in finding fellow expats to meet when going to a destination?  Have  you used any of the forums to try and arrange to visit?

Thanks again.  tom

Hello Tom,

I'm Vinny and I live in Cuenca since June.
There's a lot of security guards in many places around the city but they work for private companies.
There's no soldiers or similars on the streets unless the presidents or some ministers visit the city.
Anyways Cuenca is a safe and nice city compare to other places in the country.
The expat comunity in Cuenca is very active and friendly.
There's at least 3 places with weekly regular meetings and I will glad to welcome you if you decide to come here.

Regards
Vinny

Thanks for the feedback.  My wife and I are both in our early 50's.  Is it safe for women to walk around town?  I read in another blog that women get verbally harassed.  It may be just younger women but was wondering if this was the case in Cuenca.

Hello,
Is safe to walk in Cuenca daytime, at night it could be a little more dangerous but I saw many local and expats walking around until 9 pm and is fine.
People here is very respectful and is really weird someone saying something to a women, maybe if they are teenagers can happend.

We live in La Libertad on the coast and we love it. Lots of development and we are close to Salinas, where a lot happens during the weekends, but during the week it is nice and quiet.  Weather is perfect and the cost of living is very reasonable here.  Cuenca is a nice place that we like to visit every few months, but would not live there as it rains too often. It has also been overrun by American and expat real estate "professionals" (tongue in cheek on that one, which has made prices go up substantially in the last few years, for no other reason than what made the U.S.A. and Europe drown in the last decades, namely GREED. Nice place to visit though.  Guayaquil is a crazy city and dangerous and a place to avoid unless you have to drive through it to get somewhere else.


cheers,

Gentisle

Great to see this has started a bit of a discussion. By the sounds of things I wish I'd had longer to explore the smaller cities in Ecuador. I always thought that Guayaquil could be dangerous and liked the idea of chilling in Cuenca for a while. Sounds bizarre that women get harassed verbally. Saying that, it happens a lot where I like in Seville, most of it is harmless, but it can get out of hand. Thanks for sharing your information.

http://teachingenglishinaforeignland.blogspot.com/

GentIsle wrote:

We live in La Libertad on the coast and we love it. Lots of development and we are close to Salinas, where a lot happens during the weekends, but during the week it is nice and quiet.  Weather is perfect and the cost of living is very reasonable here.
cheers,

Gentisle

When you sat the weather is perfect, what temperatures are you talking about?

Yes, it would be very interesting to know what the actual temperatures are in La Libertad, and humidity? Mosquitoes?

Does anyone know if there is an expat community in Loja?

Thanks to all!  This is a great discussion!!

Mehrlyn wrote:

This should get a lot of responses.  You will get people from all over Ecuador saying the Cuenca is the best, Cotacachi is the best, Otavalo is the best, Guayaquil is the best...  It will go on and on.

Best answer is that this is a great country.  It h..

What do you pay for a 2-bedroom furnished apartment?
barb
[email protected]

We have rented a house right on the ocean, near Montanita, very inexpensive and looks like a great area. We are checking out retiremnt potential in the coastal area. Does anyone know if there is any kind of Canadian/American expat group in the area?

To SGibbs FL above; if you are looking for coastal, near LALiberte or Montanita, Guayaquil seems to be the best airport to fly into.

Barb.  I have to admit that my situation is not the norm when it comes to being and expat.  I am not retired or a pensioner.  I work here in Ecuador and the company I work for is paying the rent on a two bedroom, furnished apartment that has a security/door man, 24 hours nurse, meal service and hair salon and spa.  I believe the rent is in the low 4 figures/month and that includes the condo fee.  I pay $35/month for weekly house keeping and I get a parking spot.  I am 20 minutes from the Quito side of the tunnel and 40 minutes from work.  I pay $100/month for cable and internet together in one package.
From what I have read on this site my costs would approach what would be considered the ridiculous.  Rents in Cumbaya are high but as I have mentioned in another post, Cumbaya is the Hollywood of Ecuador.
I find the prices here the same as back home.  Supermaxi charges what the people of Cumbaya are prepared to pay.  the high end clothing stores sell the same stuff I have back home, but they sell here for a higher price.  Nothing is cheap in Cumbaya.  Due to this the only people who can live here are the affluent, the wealthy, those that have means.  Even the President calls all the people who live here "rich snobs" and I have yet to meet anyone from here who likes him.
For people who want to retire in Ecuador and live a simple life, have low expenses, cheap rent...  Cumbaya is not the place for them.  If they want to live in the SAME comforts they have at home then they will have to pay the same as back home.  The condos are modern here, they have security and are gated in.  Shopping malls are cropping up all over the place.  The highway to the new airport is going right through Cumbaya on the way to Pifo and Tababela.  New construction is everywhere.  Cumbaya is not a quaint little town with beach huts, or a hide-away in the jungle.  It is exactly what the wealthy people of Quito have made it and as this country is settled with more and more of us from the north who expect similar life styles to what we had but think it will be less expensive here, be prepared for prices to climb and climb as the economy will equalize with what the users are prepared to pay.

Barb.  I have to admit that my situation is not the norm when it comes to being and expat.  I am not retired or a pensioner. 

Well, I am a pensioner.  Looks like I'll have to head for the Seychelles.

answers on posted questions:

barbaracjohnson asked: about Libertad:"When you sat the weather is perfect, what temperatures are you talking about?"

answer: High season from December through April we see daytime as low as 25 and as high as 32. Sun always shining. Highest humidity I saw posted was 82%, lowest was 55%.  Not much rain even in the rainy season (dec to april) This year is a bit different and we are having more rain.  May through November temps get lower and clouds are often present........oh,. forgot to mention........last year I saw three mosquitoes, this year a few more.......nowhere close to what we have where we live in Quebec.
No rain on the coast equals no mosquitoes.  This year a bit more due to more rain.,..bad drainage in most places, so stagnant water is present...the little buggers have not been a problem to us at all though...not enough of them.


SGibbsFL asks: Planning a trip to Ecuador to check it out for possible retirement. May go either in March or July. We will check into Cuenca but would prefer to live on the coast. Recommendations? Which airport would be the best to fly into?

Answer:  Foirst time we came to Ecuador, we flew into Quito and from there we flew to Cuenca.  I think you can also fly to Guayaquil and then to Cuenca.  The trip from GYE to Cuenca is about 3 hours by car, van or bus.  WE druive it in 5 hours from Libertad on the coast. Cuenca airport is small and efficient.


Just to share a bit more info for those who are looking for it,  my wife and I have driven up the coast from Liberatd all the way to San Lorenzo near the Columbian border and we stopped in all the small towns on the way, including and not limited to Montanita, Manta, Puerto Lopez, Mompiche, Ton Supa, Muisne, Ayangue, Olon, San Pablo, Atacames, Pedernales.....and managed to see a lot of what was going on and being built.  Ecuador is at the beginning stages of creating some manner of structure to look towards tourism, but is still a long ways from being ready for the most part.  You will find some jewels hidden away here and there, but for the most part, the coast is fishing villages.  Mompiche has a nice resort, Manta has some things ready and at par with expectations, as well as Salinas and Libertad for the most part.  The rest of the coast is nothing to write home about when it comes to amenities, but they are working on it.  We live in a very nice Yacht Club in Libertad which we found to be the most up to date place that we could have hoped for on the coast, and it includes all the amenities we needed.  For the most part the coast areas are used for weekend residences, so there is little in the way of malls or large stores where you can get everything. Manta, Libertad and Salinas have those, though. Even in Mompiche where there is a nice resort, there is little else around there.  Higher up the coast (past Mompiche) there is also more rain....and the crime rate is said to be higher.

The Guayaquil crowd is wanting to develop Playas and we spent a day there, but we cannot see where this would be done anytime soon.  It would be mostly for the Guayaquil people , in any case.
Punta Blanca has seen some development, for there again, it is more for the weekend crowd and there is little in the way of anything else to do but sit around on the beaches.  WE are young retirees and have some needs when it comes to finding stuff to do other than get a tan, so Libertad and Salinas had a bit more to offer, but even there....no golf (too hard to grow grass.


Cuenca is a beautiful little city that has around 500K people and now I am told around 5000 ex-pats. It is growing fast, building left , right and center, and prices are moving up rapidly.  Cost of living is still low though, as you have no need to heat or cool your house, taxes are cheap, food costs are low and gas prices in all of Ecuador are low due to subsidies (super = 2.10 )
Gas for cooking is 2.50$ for a 30 lb tank.

Eating out is in-expensive and a lot of choices for restaurants.
A lot of ex-pats live here very comfortably on their SS cheques from what I have learned.

It rains a lot , but rarely for a long time at a stretch.  We are in Cuenca for a few days and today we saw 20 minutes of rain this morning and an hour tonight. Ther eis a rainy season and a "dry" season, although even then it rains somewhat more often than they will admit. All in all though, the temps are good for us, as we are Quebecers and used to buying our water by the block 5 months per year and wearing underwear with blockheaters, so we don't mind the 12C at night and the 27C high of daytime at best.  Lots of stuff to visit in Cuenca.

Guayaquil = manufacturing and industry
Quito = Finance and Banking center
Cuenca = arts and music city.

There is so much info that can be shared, but my finger hurt, so that is it for now.  It is free info for all of you and some may not agree with what I write, so feel free to share your thoughts.


cheers,

Gentisle

Gentisle,
Great report!  Thanks for the information.  The climate in Libertad as you described it sounds ideal to me but the lack of golf is a deal breaker.  Where would be the nearest golf course to you?

HI,

There is a golf course in Guayaquil, but a private one only if I am not mistaken.  This applies to the Cuenca and Manta courses as well.

E-mail me for further info on a possible new course.

Gentisle.

GentIsle,

thank you for your post, I loved it!  Maybe it helps that we're from Quebec as well.  :-)

Loved the info, makes me even more anxious to see the coast.  We'll be staying in Salinas for a few weeks, hoping to find a place to rent for the next year.

I was sorry to hear about the grass... not that I'm a great golfer, but I love plants, flowers and gardens.  I know that the Salinas area is pretty arid, do you think there's a way to grow anything?

Found it very interesting that you drove up and down the coast.  I was just writing on another post that this is what my wife and I intend to do in order to find the right spot for us. 

We are in our very early forties.  We love the sand, sun and especially ocean.  We want to be close to it, as close as possible.  We'd prefer to not be in a gated community, but at the same time want to feel safe when we're there and that our house is safe when we're not.  We'd like to be close to markets (I love to cook and would need a regular supply of fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables)and shops, but not in the crowd.  We live in Montreal.  Even though we live in a beautiful neighborhood, we am made for calmer grounds.  Salinas area sounds wonderful, just not sure if it's warm enough for us in June-August period.  Manta weather seems a little warmer, but also more crowded and pricier.  If I have to chose between those two comparisons alone, I'll go with Salinas. 

If there's anything else you'd like to share, I'd certainly appreciate reading it. 

Merci!

Thanks Gentlsle for the informative report.

I am interested in a second home (condo) on the beach with nearby shops and restuarants.  I am reasonably familar with Central American life having traveled frequently to Panama, which I love and where I am purchasing a condo for personal use and/or rental.  I am interested in a newer or recently remodeled beach condo within walking distance of shops and restaurants. I have viewed from afar a number of projects and am less interested in the newer compounds being built around Manta.  Panama has plenty of these too.  I emphasize that I don't want to have to drive to the beach or to shops and bars.  I am also slightly leery of Manta and reported gang activity.  (Yes, I know that crime can occur anywhere.) So far, this has led me to Salinas, La Libertad and possibly Ballenita.  Am I getting warm?

Realizing that the real estate market is very fragmented in Ecuador (even moreso than Panama), does anyone have a recommendation of Salinas area agents to use (or avoid)?

Finally, one project of potential interest is in Playas by the name of Ocean Beach Club, Resort and Hotel.  It is supposed to be under construction.  What are your thoughts on this area in general and this project in particular?  I'm a bit concerned it might be overwhelmed with Guayaquil folks as the nearest beach.  I'm not worried about living with locals -- I want to -- just not huge crowds more than necessary.  Thanks.

knucklehead wrote:

Gentisle,
Great report!  Thanks for the information.  The climate in Libertad as you described it sounds ideal to me but the lack of golf is a deal breaker.  Where would be the nearest golf course to you?

For golfers, Ecuador is paradise. My observations:

Courses: Virtually all are private and some difficult if not impossible to join (QTGC/Quito). However, Quito has three other options (Cerros/Chillos/Arrayanas) all 1/2 hour from Quito. Fees to join approximate $10K and monthly fees of $200-300. Guayaquil has two courses and Cuenca a nine hole course.

Course quality ranges from adequate to excellent. I am a member and partial to Cerros/Quito which is probably one of the better courses in South America and comparable to typical higher end USA private courses.   

Weather: Due to temperate climate, golf is possible year round in Ecuador. I live in Quito where the tempertature ranges from low 50's at night to high of 75 during the day, all year. Best of all, no humidity. There is a "rainy" season which runs from Nov to April however rain is generally in afternoon and evening so everyone golfs in AM. In six years of living here playing 3-4 times weekly, I have only had two occasions when I had to leave the course for rain.

For Cuenca, they tend to get more rain but the temperature range is similar to Quito. Due to additional rain, the course is periodically unplayable.

For Guayaquil, Dec to Mar is hot and very humid.

Housing: I live in Quito and commute 30 minutes to Cerros course. There are nice housing communities adjacent to Arrayanas and Cerros/Chillos courses if you want a more relaxed, gated suburban lifestyle. We prefer Quito for proximity to my wife's family. Also, as we annually travel to USA 2-4 months we prefer apartment living due to lower maintenance and increased security.

Activities: Ecuador has a small but active golf community. The national golf association (FEG) has annual tournaments at all seven Ecuador courses plus there are typically another 5-10 tournament annually for charity, business purposes. Also, the seniors (50+) association (FEGS) plays every Wednesday at a different course in Quito with international tournaments 1-3 times annually.

Getting Around: While virtually all courses have a few golf carts for rent, most individuals use caddies ranging $10-$18/round. It took a few months to get accustomed to walking but now it is a strong preference and part of my exercise routine.

Social aspects: The vast majority of golfers are locals many of which speak some English. There are relatively few North American golfers in Ecuador. Speaking Spanish (which I do) helps if you want to use golf to meet make local contacts. 

Supplies: Most local golfers buy golf equipment and cloithing during visits to USA as selection is much better and costs 20-30% lower. Many caddies sell used golf balls ($1 each) which they get from the maintenance crews.

Lessons: There are several excellent local golf instructors. Private lessons range from $10-20/hour.

Costs: Golf is not inexpensive anywhere. At a minimum, you can expect annual golf costs to approximate $7-8K (monthly fee/ tournaments/ caddy/ equipment depreciation/ gloves and balls, etc.) excluding the initiation fee. Playing at a tournament in Ecuador but away from home costs $700(hotel/transportation/food) and $1600 outside of the country.

In  summary, if golf is of interest to you Ecuador is an attractive option. When I semi-retired several years ago and concluded I needed a new challenge in life, golf offered several benefits. Getting exercise doing something enjoyable; being in a serene, picturesque setting; setting goals to improve my golf ability and meeting locals all made golf an important part of my life here in Ecuador.

Seriously looking at Ecuador and have a student in High School...Haven't seen much information anywhere on where to live with kids still at home. Quito would be to large for us for sure. We are currently in Santa Fe NM and our student is in private school because public schools stink here...50% Graduation Rate.
Love Vintage Colonial Style also love to grow food. Any suggestions? Kind Regards, Lannie

Hello Lanik,

I think Cuenca and Cotacachi will be your options.

Cuenca is a medium size city but you have many small villages close to downtown were you can have some land to grow food.

Cotacachi is smaller than Cuenca and I think you can do the same there.

Vinny

My family and I are looking for a place in Ecuador to retire early.  We are coming down in December (if I don't have to go back to Kuwait/Afghanistan) and again in June to scout out the country. Being from Texas, we can't handle the cold...no colder than 60 at night and would like it to get above 80 during the day. We want to grow things too. We like to have a place with water (river or lake or ocean). We need some ammenities like internet, stores, public transpartation and a clinic or hospital. We don't want a city larger than 200K. Thank you in advance for your comments/responses. Matt

Hello to everybody, have just joined this blog and find it interesting.
I am Spanish and will be arriving to Quito on 20th September 2012 and intend to stay in Ecuador until 29th November, that is two and half months visiting the country and looking for a place to retire, but donŽt like large places such as Guayaquil or Quito, looking for places between 25.000 and 50.000 inhabitants. Any suggestions.
Thanks, Gerard

Hello Gerard,

Hola, yo tambien soy español y vivo en Cuenca del Ecuador.

Mi email es [email protected].

Hello, I'm Spaniard too and I live in Cuenca, Ecuador.

You can find some small towns in Ecuador but they're too rural for me, nothing much to do unles you look for place at the beach and you like to surf.

Let me know what're you looking for.

Vinny/ Vicente

Hello,

My name is Geoff and my family and I want to move to Ecuador.  Any thoughts on where the best places would be to move for a family with kids still at home?

Hello,

As I posted before I think Cuenca is a very good option or the valleys around Quito. It depends what're you looking for. Big city, small town, rural area, outdoor activities......
Also in the coast you can find some good options if you like the beach.

Give us some more info about what're you looking for.

Vinny

I am Fernando I used to live in Canada and I came back to Ecuador 6 months ago, [Moderated], I will be happy to help you finding a land or a house I am not a realtor but I know my country and I can translate for you so you can buy rigth from the owners instead of payign more money to an agency so take a look or contac me I will tell you about the best pleaces you can target as your new home

I have been reading through these forums and I find that nobody likes Guayaquil.  Why is that?  For me Quito and Cuenca are too cold and I have a feeling Salinas and Manta might bee too small. So I am thinking about staying in Guayaquil for a couple of months.  Is it that dangerous? How is it compared to where I am from Toronto, Canada (Scarborough specifically)?  Can any expats who have lived in Guayaquil comment on what areas are good?

Guayaquil is definitely a place where you will have lots of things to do, it is home to 3+ million people, it is the largest city in Ecuador by far. What happens, is that like in every big city crime is higher. To top that up Gye's humidity levels are no joke. Some people do like it, I personally can barely breath there and the hassle of a large city isnt my thing but there is everything under the sun. I say you should come see it on your own! I have some good friends, If you want I can also put you in contact with expats who absolutely love it, they live there and will show you Gye best. I can also help you with transport around Guayaquil.

osu_tom wrote:

My wife and I are just beginning our research.  She found an article about Ecuador that concerned her.  She read that one of the hardest things to get used to is armed military/law enforcement on active alert all over towns and in stores.  This made her really doubt the safety of the country.  We have been researching Cuenca but this has thrown a kink into the enthusiasm.  Can anyone offer some feedback on the military-type presence in the country?  Thanks, tom

Hola, Tom!

We were shocked when we first lived in Guyana (So. America) and Trinidad to see the military guards dressed in camo, carrying huge automatic weapons on the streets and at stores. They were even in the food court at a strip mall that we frequented. But we adjusted to it. In fact, it is illegal to carry anything in camo-looking  fabric of any color into Trinidad-Tobago. It will be confiscated.

By the way, we never saw them use their guns, but they are an intimidating site at first. We got used to it. Please tell your wife that she'll will, too. I see others have said they haven't seen them. We won't arrive in Ecuador until May, 2013, but I'm not at all worried about guards with guns. We'll be in Cotacachi and they say it's very peaceful there as well as Cuenca (our second choice).

Best of luck to you. I hope your wife will give it a try!

Jan

Hi everyone,

My wife and I have 3 kids and we are thinking to move to Ecuador.
We are reading a lot of bad things with the crimes and we are mostly afraid of that.

So i would like to ask people that are living there are dangerous it is really ?
We are thinking to move in Guayaquil.

Looking forward to all your comments.

I am looking for the best plae to go to retire, in the area of 2,000 a month can it be done in Ecuador ?   Is it safe for a woman and my age. Now 57...I like to fish, garden, relax.
can you give any more info of what I need to know.


Thanks

We live in La Libertad and love it there.
If I had to make a list it would have to read as follows and in this order to expose what we see as the
best places in Ecuador to live.

Cuenca
La libertad
Salinas
Quito
Manta

Each for different reasons. Guayaquil does not make my list
due to safety and number of people.

cheers,
Gentisle

Oliverdk: Guayaquil(Gye) has crime yes, but it is so relative...its like other big cities..you see, just here it has more to do with opportunistic pick pocketing, than street shootings, broad day light drug dealing or lunatics walking into schools with semi-automatic weapons. If you come with children definitely Guayaquil or Quito is were some big schools are, though in smaller cities like where I live there is zero crime and few good schools too, a single mall so far with threatres, few supermarkets and two bigger supermarkets under construction. It is evolving, yet it is quieter than larger cities (only 250.000 people in the whole peninsula). It depends on your and your family's preference. I live in La Libertad (population 80.000 people) and I love it here, I would not change it for anything. It is a small beach town with a commercial touch, a nice walk board to watch the sunsets, good infrastructure, everything is walking distances and it has lots of energy! it is also warmer but dry which was very important to me. Gye is warm, but humid and is home to 3 million people. If you are ok with that then it may work for you.
I could put you in contact with an US expat friend of mine who currently have a daughter in school. PM if you would like her info, she is very sweet and may give you better advice as a parent.

Signlady: lots of single ladies live here. At least here by the coast they are just fine. Check on my profile, I wrote a lot of posts about this area, just to give you an idea about this part of the coast. Ecuador is biodiverse. You city or town of preference can be best targeted depending on your weather, infrastructure, city layout, and scenery.
Fondly, N

Why doesnt anyone talk about the North coast of Ecuador?  It has the best beaches and the most affordable prices. Not many gringos but to me thats a good thing. Really safe and beautiful.  Here is a blog about that part of the country.
http://www.atruetalltale.wordpress.com

Luna2 wrote:

Why doesnt anyone talk about the North coast of Ecuador?  It has the best beaches and the most affordable prices. Not many gringos but to me thats a good thing. Really safe and beautiful.  Here is a blog about that part of the country.
http://www.atruetalltale.wordpress.com

Don't know about the others Luna however neither I or my wife are "beach people". I hereby nominate you as Mayor of Ecuador's North Coast.