Can You Live At The Coast For $1000 Per Month

[MICHAEL R.]

Hello Suzan and Wendy

I’m a single man and I’m looking to retire in a coastal town or city.
My question is, can a single man retire somewhere along the coast for $1000 per month.
I would like to find a nice place between Salinas and Manta if possible.

Thanks,
Mike Ryan
San Diego, Calif.

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

Hi Mike,

Cost of living on the coast will vary a lot depending upon which town you live in and what kind of lifestyle you’re looking for. You certainly can live there for $1,000 per month, but probably not in a luxury condo. Three years ago in Bahia de Caraquez I rented a 2-bedroom furnished apartment for $350/month. I’m guessing it might rent for $400/mo now. We bought most of our food from the local market where we got good deals on seafood and produce. And transportation by bus is very inexpensive. I would say that my family of four definitely lived on less than $1,000/mo for basics while we were there. So if you don’t mind living a low-frills lifestyle and doing a little research to find good rental deals then yes it’s possible.

But, you’ll need to take into account that you’ll have to spend extra money when you first arrive for things like visas, furnishings (if necessary), internet installation, and stocking your refrigerator and pantry. Plus if you need frequent healthcare or medication that will add to your monthly expenses as well. And you should always try to cushion your budget with a little extra in case of unexpected expenses.

[MICHAEL R.]

Hi Wendy

Thanks for the great information, I can afford more than $1000, but I wanted to use the rest of my retirement funds for
travel and as a cushion for unexpected costs or if any emergency should arise.

Thanks Again,
Mike Ryan
San Diego, Calif.

[SHAUN LJUNGGREN]

How would you go about finding rental houses/apartments in Bahia?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Shaun, the best way to find an apartment is to go there and pound the pavement and start looking. It’s tough to tell the state of the apartment (and most of all, the building) from photos. So if you do find one online, I’d suggest you don’t enter into a long-term contract until you get there. The biggest problem in Bahia is water — it’s trucked in, so you want to be sure that the building condo owners pay their dues and provide for water in a timely fashion. Since many condo owners in Bahia are absentee owners and only come on holiday (typically from Quito) they often don’t bother to pay with regularity.

Here are a couple of places where you can start your search: Viviun.com, vrbo.com, airbnb.com and Ecuadorpropertyconsultants.com, and with Sean Carter at http://www.ecuaassist.com. Sean owns the Coco Bongo Hostel (http://www.cocobongohostel.com) in Bahia and that’s a great place for networking once you are in Bahia, as is Puerto Amistad restaurant: http://www.puertoamistad.com/en/ Tripp from Puerto Amistad is also in the real estate biz (http://www.puertoamistad.com/en/real-estate) and he may be able to help you out as well.

[SHAUN LJUNGGREN]

Thanks Suzan

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