Why Ecuador? $300 per month cost of living? 

Thank you for sharing this. I’m pinning this comment so others will see it. I am happy to see others adding to the conversation by sharing their experiences and expenses.

Today’s episode was very interesting and open. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the short term impact of what’s going on in that beautiful country.

How man SF is home? What was total cost of home,land and labor? Can you share a photo?

Very dope. This is a very good comment.

What size is the house. I'm building in the desert

Awesome. Where is your land, what province/city?

Yes what part of Ecuador are you in?

I can't believe you people like Ecuador vs. high industry country

I really like Puerto Lopez. When I first arrived in Ecuador I tried to buy a farm there but I had a hard time finding anything in my budget except comuna land. Out of curiosity, I heard some rumors about there being problems with a lot of extortion going on there now. I suspect it’s just made up nonsense, but the rumor was that the gangs were charging all the taxis $30 per month to operate and charging tourists to access the beach or go in the ocean. Any truth to the rumors? Was anything like that going on?

What kind of life can 100k /year obtain in Ecuador?

@evangelicalsnever-lie9792 a very good life. At 30k per year you’d be upper middle class.

I can't believe you're raising a family on a divers income

I think that the majority of foreigners that move to Ecuador love Ecuador, in the same way that immigrants to the U.S. tend to love America more than citizens that were born in America and take it for granted. Ecuador isn’t perfect, but when you travel and see enough of the world you realize that there are problems everywhere. Nowhere is perfect, but for me and the things I value Ecuador is better than anywhere else.

I love your country. I had the most amazing 6 weeks there. Special people and special.place, magical

Awesome. There seems to be quite a movement of people leaving the developed world and taking steps to become as self sufficient as possible. South America isn’t perfect by any means, but it is a place that seems better suited to get through various global crisis without too much trouble. In Ecuador people are so used to difficulties that they’re able to kind of shrug off problems that would cause riots and looting other places. Do you know where you want to go yet? Chile sounds amazing, but expensive.

@@FallofftheMap Am not sure yet and have heard about Chile beeing expensive. On holidays I have already visited Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. Ecuador appeared friendly and peaceful.

Ich werde Europa auch verlasse. Wahrscheinlich auch richtig Latin Amerika

Stay in Europe

@@rf3596 stay home, eat microwaved dinners and watch the nightly news. Take your vitamins and antidepressants. Vote for people that look like you, talk like you. Take no risks.

I wish I could have convinced my family to live near Cuenca. I love my little farm near Quito, but Quito is definitely too big and crowded for me. If I could have made the decision on my own I probably would have bought land near Chordeleg for my farm journeyed into Cuenca for shopping, medical care, etc…

Thanks. Answered my question(s) re: Cuenca & your opinion. @@FallofftheMap

@kargs5krun glad I could help. Though, my land would likely have cost about twice as much if it were a similar distance from Cuenca and had the same climate, soils, tractor-able topography, and services. Demand has driven up costs near Cuenca.

Awesome. I hope more folks will comment with their experiences and living experiences in Ecuador to help provide a more complete picture.

That is something I think about a lot and discuss with my family. The American dream is still alive and well, but it moved overseas. I am trying to get my kids to focus on careers that can’t easily be replaced by AI and are location independent so they aren’t stuck in some town dependent on the whims of a factory.

Don't move to Ecuador ​@@FallofftheMap

@@user-oy7ev4hy5t too late. I moved to Ecuador over a decade ago. Yes, it’s not as safe as it used to be, but I still love it here.

Or something like that

It really is one of the beautiful places on earth.

You’re welcome. I make a point of being accessible and answering questions, so if you need any advice feel free to ask. I enjoy helping others make this leap into becoming an expat.

There have been many Ecuadorians returning lately. Don’t forget to look into the import tax incentives that are specifically designed to get Ecuadorians to move back. customs.sirva.com/countries/ecuador/ecuador---returning-citizen

Thanks, will do!

Thanks 👍

Eventually I will make a detailed video about what I’m growing on my land, but I’m not ready yet. All of my fruit trees are young so right now the things I’m growing are not very impressive. I do get all the kale, chard, and spinach I could want, and often have plenty of fava beans, potatoes, passionfruit, squash, corn, hot peppers, and asparagus. I think as soon as the avocado trees start to produce and the aquaponics system is fully set up then I’ll be ready to show off the farm and explain my project in greater detail.

@@FallofftheMap Amazing. That’s a good variety to start with. Pineapples, apples, citrus and watermelons would be excellent additions. How does it all work with two seasons? Is there a particular time to plant and harvest or can it go year round? Looking forward to when you’re ready to show everything off!

Awesome. Yeah, the views in the mountains are spectacular.

Outside the pollution of the city at 2390m elevation, with winds blowing in alternating from the Southern Pacific Ocean and the Amazon basin, yes this is some of the cleanest air in the world.

Nice. I used to live in Canoa and still hope to complete an apartment complex project there, though I put it on hold to reassess after the 2016 earthquake. Bahia is beautiful.

@@FallofftheMap Hey there! Things are really picking up in Canoa's real estate scene, and Bahia's condos are making a comeback. Lots of new buildings are popping up, and guess what? We've got a fybecca now! Personally, I'm getting a bit worn out with the whole landlord gig, so I've decided to sell six apartments with an awesome view of the bridge. It's been a while since you swung by, right? Why not plan a visit and check out all the cool developments yourself? Oh, by the way, I own CoCo Bongo Hostel in Bahia. If you have any questions about what's happening down here, just shoot me a message. Cheers!

Former resident of Bahia as well as well as Banos. Truly a wonderful experience. I Still have F/B friends there who were a great part of my life. I love Ec and will revisit again soon. Most of the fear of what is going on there now can be avoided. Thanks for your post.

In Cotacachi there has been no effect from recent events. Love this place.

Ecuador is an easy place to love. I spent years traveling there world before I decided that Ecuador was my forever home. I just with more Ecuadorians understood how precious their country is.

Yeah, creating content about crime and a crisis gets views, and I don’t mind touching on it in a couple videos to share my perspective and experience, but it quickly becomes toxic and doesn’t represent the Ecuador I know and love. I noticed your channel and Lewis in Ecuador also sensed it was time to pivot back to positivity on at about the same moment. I just came in from shooting another positive vid, this time rambling about how awesome my neighbors and community are and then mucking around in the garden. Got the idea after my 81 year old neighbor called to me from atop his horse and gave me a bag of corn. He didn’t want money for it. He had extra and wanted to share. I happen to know he has a leaky roof and I have some left over roofing panels, so of course I insisted he take what he needs. This is how my community works and how everyone out here thrives without needing much money.

Awesomeness!!!! @@FallofftheMap

You’re welcome. Feel free to ask questions here. I do my best to answer any serious questions

Thanks. Yeah, I spent many years in and around Seattle, dealing with city life, traffic, etc… I knew with certainty long ago that my place was somewhere in the campo. If I were singe and able to make the decision on my own I would be much farther out I. The countryside, somewhere that I couldn’t even hear the airplanes passing overhead.

@@FallofftheMap El Campo is nice but a little too calm. Lol, ~what about the beach, any information on beachfront properties? One day I'll live in Ecuador again. Thanks! 😊

You probably won't enjoy Ecuador if you value quiet. They don't know what quiet is. In my area, if it gets too quiet, the police will run up and down the street with their sirens blasting, for no reason. Do more research and you'll see what I mean. And the homes have no sound insulation. Most people have to buy a white noise machine to sleep.

@@valarieknight7990 I’ve lived in several different parts of Ecuador. Yes, most places are quite noisy. Where I have my farm is quiet. There are quiet places but you really have to look for them.

Awesome and welcome to my little corner of RU-vid. Feel free to ask questions or reach out on FB. I do my best to answer any serious questions and try to help others understand and learn from my experiences. If you’re going to have a hobby, might as well make it something that educates and helps others, right?

You'd be very welcome!

30 Years!! Congratulations, Sir!

I have considered doing the same, but I’m a bit worried an about potential tax consequences.

Thanks for the comparison. The time I spent in Thailand trying to figure out if it was a place I wanted to move to I was mostly in a place south of Krabi. Tourist area for rock climbers called Ton Sai that has since been bought up by a developer. Being a bit of a dirtbag I stayed in a $5 a night bamboo shack, but food prices there pushed my expenses up. I think I was spending about $1500 per month at the time. Insurance is one expense I didn’t talk about and should have. I do pay for some low cost insurance for my kids, but for myself I always just pay out of pocket, I’m uninsured. Over the long run this has paid off, but at the moment I need to have a surgery to reattach my ACL (motorcycle crash) which will cost me about $3500. This will be my most expensive and serious medical expense so far in my very lucky life. 9 years ago I did pay $7000 when my wife had an emergency c-section and my son spent a week in ICU. She was insured but the government insurance required using government hospitals and when we needed them most they shrugged and said they were too busy that day. It’s experiences like that which really put my off of paying insurance, at least for myself.

@@FallofftheMap on the whole insurance is a scam.

@@FallofftheMap Roger that, landing in Thailand never would have occurred to me 20/30 years ago. Always thought I'd end up in Baja or other Spanish speaking country. Thailand is ok, would be far more challenging, and less appealing, w/o a Thai wife. /// Similar reservations about local Thai medical insurance. Pay out of pocket same as you do, the costs are very reasonable here for routine/minor things. Imagine the big stuff will come in the future, eventually. Heard some expats here go through companies in the UK or US for reliable, but costly, international medical insurance./// Good luck down there. Somehow managed to get through the last election here without a coup, but plenty of shenanigans.

@@anniesshenanigans3815 Unfortunately, a scam that you can't live without. Everybody is in good health until they're not.

So, Now, you don't have rent to pay, since you brought, when the buying was good ?? Looking to scout chang Mai again, but more so,Pai , in next couple months. Not a fan of too much heat, especially with brown outs etc.

Sounds like you might be Patate or Pelileo. I would love to own land for a small orchard in that area.

What's the name of the town you guys are living in? By your description of the cost of living, it looks very attractive to me. I am actually prospecting the best low budget area to visit and retire later on. Thank you in advance!

@@georgedanmurariu7350 I prefer not to give the name of the town that I live in. But I can give you the names of a few small towns nearby Ambato that you can check out. These are all non-expat community small towns. Montalvo, Cevallos, Quero, Pelileo, Pillaro, and Patate. Good luck and you're welcome. :)

@@Yvanna-ko4dm Fair enough. Thank you so much!

Awesome. What’s your favorite place in Ecuador?

What’s the breakdown on what you’re spending $1600 per month on? Admittedly, I save a lot by owning my little farm, both in rent and food costs. In my opinion $300 is absolutely doing and can provide a great quality of life in you live on the right part of Ecuador, make an initial investment so that your long term costs are lower, and are generally a low maintenance person. For entertainment I’m either out in my garden or riding my motorcycle, so my entertainment budget is extremely low. I’m also younger than the typical retiree crowd so my healthcare costs are also low.

Thanks.

I love the Intag valley. I wanted to buy there but it was too remote for my family.

It is beautiful. I tend to wake up before sunrise when the birds start making noise. I get up, make coffee, and eagerly await daylight so I can go outside and be in the garden.

Thanks.

You're welcome 😊

Thanks for listening

Thanks.

Yeah, even back in 2010 before prices went crazy the cost of living in Washington State was too much for me. It made me depressed to work all the time just to survive. I’m glad I made the decision to move out of the US when I did.

I agree. I love the sierra. I also really like Napo province. The coast has always been too hot and had too much crime for me.

I have no plans to buy a tractor. I’m working hard to regenerate and restore the soil and using a tractor is not beneficial in the long run. It’s always great to hear from folks that have been following the channel for years. What’s your Channel about? Feel free to link it here.

@@FallofftheMap I had no idea that tractors were deterimental to the soil, that's fascinating. I make videos about miniatures wargaming, like Warhammer - very different subject than yours, haha. Quite nerdy. But I like to get as diverse worldview as I can and your videos help. So many people view life as linear, but there's so many paths like yours people don't realize are there. ru-vid.com/show-UCg9G42hVrqdrkrbgimuQsiQ

@VentrueMinis went to go check you out and subscribe and realized I was already subscribed to your channel.

Haha, I bet that was from the last time I commented many years ago, before I made videos! @@FallofftheMap

True. Just comparing the layout, selection, and format… not the clientele and service.

@FallofftheMap I'm visiting my parents in the States right now. Later today, I'll be going to Walmart to buy a few things to take to Ecuador next week:)

@@ReportToTheAmericas-eh6zc stocking up on tablets, phones, MacBooks, cameras, and name brand clothes?

@@FallofftheMap Nope:) Just a few food items for friends back home.

Yes it is. Just wait for the view from the new farm in the Amazon. Rolling hills of green for as far as the eye can see.

Hopefully you find a way to live your dream through yourself.

Best wishes to you as well. Stay safe out there.

@@FallofftheMap Thank you!!!!!

Yes, Ruta Escondida, similar elevation and climate, and not far from where you are, though a significantly different vibe and local culture.

Thanks.

Thanks for your questions. I grow two types of hot peppers here, rocoto peppers love this climate and fortunately they are my favorite hot pepper. I also grow some sort of chile pepper that has a decent amount of kick but a boring flavor in my opinion. I have not yet attempted pomegranate or sour cherries. I suspect pomegranate would do well here.

Yes, my kids are in a private school in Quito. School is are biggest monthly expense and it’s been challenging finding a school we can afford that meets our expectations.

There are several nearby towns such as Puéllaro, Perucho, Atahualpa, and Chavezpamba. This area is called the Ruta Escondida because the network of backroads here are how the Incan general Atahualpa escaped from the conquistadors.

Glad you liked it!

Yes, as I mentioned this is expensive for Ecuadorian land. It’s 90 minutes from the capital city and less than an hour from the international airport. That definitely makes it an unfair comparison to Iowa. Think of the cost of an acre of farmland 90 minutes outside of Washington DC. Developers would be driving up the price. Similar thing is happening here, and farmland is being turned into expensive homes about 5 km from here. Also, Iowa farmland is cheap because the economics of starting a farm there are brutal due to the operating costs. Here, water, labor, electricity, and taxes are cheap and because you can grow high value crops like avocados there is a lot of investment driving up land costs.

It is a high price for land, but not for this particular land.

Ah, you’ll want to avoid my most recent video then where I talk about the newly released 2023 crime statistics and my friend that was murdered on her farm in Ecuador. By the numbers Ecuador’s homicide rate is now 8 times higher than the US, and higher than any other country in South America… yes, Ecuador shot past even Venezuela in homicides per capita last year.

This is a good comment. 👍

I didn’t know the Chinese work visa had an age limit.

You’re welcome. Thanks for not being fake. Seriously though, what’s up with your pic? Are you a pilot? Have you seen my video about the helicopter flight over Antarctica?

Thanks

​@@FallofftheMapI want to live there too. Would 600$ cut it in a small town?

@Anomaly66 it depends on you, your standards, needs, and your willingness to negotiate prices the way locals do. There are many people that live just fine on $600 per month, but they either have very cheap rent or no rent because they own, they speak Spanish and they understand that negotiating prices is both expected and necessary, they don’t have costly health issues, and they are able to be happy with a simple lifestyle.

I try not to clickbait or fall into any of the shitty RU-vid douchebag traps. Best to provide all the info folks need immediately and hope that the video is good enough for people to stick Arjun, around

@@FallofftheMap I love it. Sharing your videos with all my friends looking to eventually become expats.

Yeah, there’s a lot of that sense of denial here too, especially for expats that bought in relatively expensive coastal areas that are now extremely high crime.

I’ve been watching their channel and talking to them. They suggested I sit in on one of their videos.

​@FallofftheMap pls do!! I think they're great and ur along same lines! Seem very compatible. I like that u have experience from different areas of Ecuador. U would get lots of new subs from appearing on the channels of others. I'm arriving Cuenca end of March for solo retirement.

Tomatillos are absolutely 💯part of the plan.

Have you ever been there? I have. I liked it. Not Quito so much. Vilcabamba was beautiful.

I lived in Loja, Southern Ecuador for 7 years……it was WONDERFUL. Amazing friendly, caring people, extremely manageable cost of living. If I were younger, I’d still be living there, but my children thought it would be better for all of us if I were closer to them, so here I am, an expat Ecuadorean.

@CheerfulDragon703 hey! So where are u living now ? Glad to hear good things abt Loja. I'm so excited to go to Ecuador. I feel like there's so much great diversity in the country I won't be able to pick where I wanna live!

@@msbeecee1 yhv

@CheerfulDragon703 what's yhv ?

There are some areas no far from Cuenca that I like. In the Yungilla valley none of the towns were quite Cotacatchi size, but you’re close enough to Cuenca that you can just go there for things like medical care and shopping. Like Cotacatchi, it has an expat community and real estate is a bit more expensive there. I also really like Chordeleg. That small town has something about it that reminds me of Cotacatchi. Both of these areas are going to require a significant investment to buy 30 acres because they are popular retirement areas for both Ecuadorians and foreigners.

@@FallofftheMap thank you for the help and advice.

I heard rumors that Puerto Lopez was experiencing a bit more trouble than most of the smaller towns on the coast. Specifically, there were rumors circulating that opportunistic locals seized te moment to start extorting tourists by charging a $10 fee to use the beach and charging taxis a $30 month fee to operate in the city. Not necessarily mafia connected extortionists, but corrupt locals that were sympathetic to the cartels and saw an opportunity in the chaos. I don’t know how valid these rumors are and haven’t been able to get any first hand news from the town to confirm or deny.

I was in PL the last 10 days and everything was fine

​@FallofftheMap all rumors. Was just there and none of that was going on

@@furrfurr good to hear. Was something I heard from my Ecuadorian wife. Perhaps it was sort of true but only in the first few days of this conflict or perhaps it was something dreamed up by the Ecuadorian rumor mill.

@FallofftheMap Love Ecuador and the people. Been going there for 20 years and wishing them the best as they work through this

I let this comment sit here for a bit before responding. I am careful about putting too much out there online. Perhaps we could meet somewhere like a café to hash out the details.

Yeah, this particular area has cheaper than average electricity and significantly cheaper water. I also don’t use much electricity. Most moths I just have the minimum bill possible to run a couple lights and my internet.

Great question. My plan is to take this cattle pasture with exhausted soils and plant mostly balsa and bamboo. I want to demonstrate a way to make some money from the land while also restoring the environment. I hope the balsa crop will support the taxes a d maintenance on the land while I protect the 1/2 of the land that is still forested. I hope the bamboo crop will generate a little income. I will also raise tilapia and have a a small food forest of assorted fruit trees.

All about perspective

Welcome

Speaking of gold deposits… in the mountains in the north near a town called la Merced de Buenos Aires there has been a major gold discovery. I have 91 hectares up there that has not yet been explored for gold, but the moment gold was discovered in the area the guy that sold it to me tried to buy it back and the municipality raised the valuation by 250% because everyone in the area seems to assume that my land has gold. I don’t have the means to legally exploit any gold deposits there. It would require someone with a lot of money behind them to navigate the regulatory complexities of mining in Ecuador.

When I first arrived in Ecuador I had very little Spanish. I could order an “almuerzo” and ask “¿Dónde está baño?” That was about it. You quickly learn to communicate with creativity, humor, and patience. Putting yourself in that situation is a great way to learn quickly. It’s actually kind of fun being in a situation where you don’t know the language. It removes a lot of social pressure to be normal and instead you can just step back and observe the sea of humanity flowing around you. It’s later when you know how to speak Spanish but have a frustratingly small vocabulary that it becomes more challenging because that’s when there is an expectation to understand and be understood.

Do you learn Spanish

@@ecuarazongmailcom Puedo hablar y entender español, pero todavía estoy aprendiendo a comunicarme de manera más efectiva.

Yeah, I really wanted to move to or near Cuenca but my family’s attachments to Quito caused me to stay up north. It really is a wonderful city.

@@FallofftheMap anywhere in the Andes in Ecuador is beautiful and "tranquilo". the coast is different. but i've always been a mountain man (35+ years living in NW Montana)

You’re welcome. I do my best to present my reality honestly.

I did mention the cost for this half hectare. It was $16500. I also mentioned the price for the 14.5 hectares I’m in the process of buying in Napo province, $22500. I tend to negotiate hard and buy cheap. If I see a property for sale for 20k, I offer 10k and don’t budge much on my offer. I negotiate like an Ecuadorian abuela in the mercado.

​@@FallofftheMap😂😂😂..

The barbwire fence is to keep out horses, cows, and one particular old woman with some sort of developmental disability that liked to take items whenever she cut across my property.

To keep the bad guys out?

Welcome!

Yeah, if you’re renting it would have been hard to live on $250 even back then. I was offered $300 to teach in Canoa in 2013. I turned it down. At that time the cheapest rent I could have found in town was $150.

I stand my my comment that the mafias have a presence in most of the coastal towns. In most of the coast what that looks like is fishermen being pressured to ferry cocaine out to larger ships and local authorities assisting in keeping cocaine shipments secret. Only in the worst places does it spill over into extortions of local businesses and violence.

I lived in two locations on the coast, first in Las Peñas (not the neighborhood in Guayaquil but the beach town near the Colombian border) and later in Canoa. I still have a property in Canoa on the main road that I invested about 45k into. I wanted to build an apartment complex designed for Airbnb rentals but I put the project on hold after the 2016 earthquake because tourism had stalled. Canoa is one of my favorite places on the coast and for economic reasons I’d love to talk it up as a paradise, but the truth is that in my last few visits to Canoa were shitty because a local mafia group was harassing me, probing ways to extort money out of me, and generally being shitty. Because the group included a former police officer I ended up paying them about $100 to leave me alone and left town. I’m hopeful the current police operations will clean up the problems in Canoa but right now it has problems.

​@FallofftheMap good call getting out of las peñas. I've visited San Lorenzo, esmeraldas etc. Was cool for a visit, but living there would be a whole other thing

The area is known as the Ruta Escondida. I deliberately avoid naming the nearest towns and villages because I have a family and kidnapping is a concern in Ecuador.

As much as I would love to share where my kids go to school, that isn’t something I can put out in public on the internet. I can mention that they used to go to the USA Academy but that school seems to have gone downhill in the last few years.

I had friends that went to the USA academy but that was many years ago. I hope you stay safe in this troubled time.

My kids used to go there. It was ok a few years ago but in the last couple years went downhill.

The best online resource for looking at property is FB marketplace simply because it’s the most popular. The best way to find good deals is to rent in the area you’re considering and talk to people in the community.

That would be cool

Truly appreciate your honesty

So I’m not planning on moving out there, but rather starting a reforestation project, setting up a food forest, and tilapia pond. I hope to keep the forested part wild and expand it a little, plant balsa and bamboo on most of what is currently cattle pasture, and plant thousands of fruit trees. I might hire a caretaker or I might try to find volunteers that want to live there in exchange for a few hours of work per week to care for the land. It’s about 30 minutes south of Tena and 3 km from the awkwardly named town of Carlos Julio Arosemena Tola. I love that area for visiting and vacations, but I prefer to live in a cooler climate.

​@@FallofftheMapdo you speak their language?

@@Anomaly66666 I speak Spanish, yes. I don’t speak Kichwa, the indigenous language that is also spoken in the area.

The song at the beginning is by Buena Vista Social Club but slowed down and run through a cathedral filter.

Yeah, but Vilcabamba has always been a gringo bubble with relatively high prices. Also, were you renting, or like me did you own your place so rent wasn’t part of your budget?

Colombia was a close second when I was deciding where to live.

@@FallofftheMap Nice

Colombia is 2nd on my list, too... because cost of living is slightly higher and it's part of NATO. I also want 2nd passport, and I'm not sure abt their process w that, or taxes

@@msbeecee1 Taxes aren't bad from other expats I know that live there, not totally sure on the process though, certainly something worth researching.

Colombia has gotten extremely expensive, I’m from there wanted to buy some land but the prices of housing and land are out of site even for us living in the USA , could be caused also by the invasion the country is going through, as everywhere else. 😡

I would not go that far. Ecuador’s problems feel like an extension of what is going on in the US, a fragile economy, rampant crime, ugly solutions that are outright authoritarian, lack of faith in public institutions and society as a whole.

I do my best to respond to comments but this one kind of stumped me. A few days went by and a few folks living in the Philippines commented here and there… I remember conversations with friends that had moved to the “provinces” in the Philippines… then I talked to my wife about it and the idea… the possibility of moving the family to the Philippines if the situation in Ecuador gets too bad.