Several Questions

[VERONICA PELAEZ]

Hello there,

1. My mother is from Ecuador and father is from Colombia. I am looking to move permanantly to these or Uruguay in the next five years, and will likely have to keep on working. Are there any advantages to parents who are from there for me regarding citizenship/visas/passports/just finding a way to live there permanently?

2. Would you say that Ecuador/Colombia or Uruguay has a lower overall cost of living and home/rental prices?

3. What is a reasonable amount to expect for building a 4 bedroom home in any of these three?

4. I have to eat gluten and dairy free. What are the attitudes towards a gluten free diet?

5. I think I have read that the days and nights are divided equally in 12 hours. Which 12 hours are they? 6am to 6pm, for example?

6. I have a severe prejudism to mosquitoes and bugs! Are cities like Cuenca or small villages in rural areas better for bug free or at least less bug zones? 🙂

7. I am a certified school counselor, LPC therapist, and fluent in Spanish. I also make beaded jewelry and am a scrapbooking enthusiast. Though I would much prefer to work from home when I move to South America and I am looking into the world of internet research for that purpose, would any of these help me to find work there?

I hope these questions are not too overwhelming. Thank you so much!
Veronica Pelaez

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

I am not sure about the parental citizenship issue but I think it would offer you an advantage. You should be able to find info about that at the respective country’s emabassy websites or with a phone call to those.

You’ll find the lowest cost of living in Ecuador, followed by Colombia and then Uruguay.

Construction prices in Ecuador run the gamut, depending on quality, but you should plan on $65 to $100 per square foot.

If you like to cook for yourself you will have no problem eating gluten free. We have one restaurant in Cotacachi that tries to serve gluten free menus with some regularity and I’ll bet you’ll find that in other locales as well, especially those with a large gringo population.

6 am to 6 pm

If you are an entrepreneurial sort, you will most likely find a way to make a living.

[VERONICA PELAEZ]

Thank you! I just want to clarify:

Does daylight generally start around 6am, and it starts to get dark at 6pm, for all year round?

Regarding mosquitoes–are they less numerous around the equator than typically in the US?

Thanks!

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Yes. The time difference between the longest and shortest days is only 20 minutes. The presence of mosquitoes has more to do with altitude than the equator–there are none in the mountains but for sure you’re gonna get bitten at lower elevations.

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