Cuenca, Ecuador

Living in Cuenca, Ecuador walking the old cobblestone streets, marvelling at the historic Spanish architecture, and the grandeur of Cuenca’s colonial churches, you’ll know that you’re not in Kansas anymore.

A lot of retirement destinations tout the fact that they’re just like the United States—that you can settle in to familiar surroundings—but you won’t hear that about Cuenca.

• It’s a beautiful colonial city in a fascinating and diverse country.

• The cost of living in the city of Cuenca is low, and the cost of properties is near rockbottom in Latin America.

• The health care is high quality, honest, and inexpensive.

• You can enjoy its fresh, spring-like climate 12 months of the year.

• Most importantly, Cuenca’s large and growing expat community is one of Latin America’s most diverse and well-blended.

Getting To Ecuador

Ecuador has 11 international airports, connecting the multiple domestic airports dotted around the country to the rest of the world.

You will find several daily non-stop flights from the States to Ecuador’s main cities.

The country has more than a dozen intra-provincial buses, which you can use to get from the airport to your final destination. If you would prefer a taxi, these are readily available and relatively cheap.

Expats In Cuenca, Ecuador

Overall, the cost of livingis one of Ecuador’s top selling points. Ecuador is about as inexpensive as it gets in Latin America.

The savings come not just from cheaper goods and services but a lifestyle change. Instead of the two cars in the driveway most expat couples had before leaving North America, most have none in Ecuador.

The expat community is much more of a presence in Cuenca… especially on a per-capita basis. I can find expats in Medellín—at a local coffee shop or the Irish pub—fairly reliably, if I look for them. And a couple of Americans are signed up at my gym. But aside from the gym, I don’t see many expats around in my travels.

In Cuenca, there is a huge expat community of over 5,000 people, who are making a cultural imprint on the city. Their impact is generally positive, in my opinion.

Since the infusion of North Americans to Cuenca, there’s been an explosion in the number of nice cafés, restaurants, and book shops… as well as other expat-owned services and businesses. Today in Cuenca, you can find most everything you’d enjoy… and often find an English speaker to deal with.

Cost Of Living In Cuenca, Ecuador

Anyone looking for the world’s best place to retire overseas on a budget—to live better for less—then Cuenca is almost impossible to beat.

The cost of living is low, and the cost of properties is near rock-bottom in Latin America.

It’s low in an absolute sense and an amazing value for the quality of life that you’ll find here. For instance, a couple can live well on around US$1000 per month.

Perhaps the biggest draw to Cuenca has been the cost of living; it’s low in an absolute sense and an amazing value for the quality of life that you can enjoy here.

Eat Well For Less In Cuenca

The US$1 fixed-price lunch is still alive and well in Cuenca (although US$2.50 is more common). And, the city is awash with fresh tropical fruits and vegetables on offer for pennies on the dollar.

Fresh fish and shrimp arrive daily from the coast, and much of the local poultry is free-range.

A bus trip through the city is a quarter, taxis start at about US$1.50. And, if you have a car, gas is only US$1.48 per gallon.

You can rent a furnished apartment for US$400 per month, an unfurnished apartment from US$300 per month, or buy a small condo outright for less than US$40,000.

You won’t need to pay use heat or air conditioning in Cuenca, which can go a long way toward keeping your monthly costs low.

In short, the city is very walkable, and has an excellent public transit system, as does all of Ecuador.

Also, you can live easily in Cuenca without a car, which saves even more on the monthly budget.

While the cost of living is quite low, it’s not as low as many would have you believe.

Claims of “living like a king for US$650 a month” may have been true for Cuenca back in the late-90s. But they’re well outdated today.

Modest budgets serve in small towns like Cotacachi or Vilcabamba (where there’s not much to spend money on) but not in Cuenca, where you enjoy such a selection of city amenities.

Cuenca is one of the Americas’ premier Spanish-colonial cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old Cathedral was built in 1557, the architecture is well-preserved Spanish colonial, and the streets are cobblestoned. You’ll even see evidence of the Inca occupation from the early 1500s.

Yet just outside the historic center, Cuenca also offers new, modern high-rises. You could live in a modern home, yet have the historic center just within walking distance.