Expat-Friendly Cuenca Grows Up: Easy Living in Ecuador’s Affordable Retirement Haven

I’ve come prepared for the six-mile trek through the hills of Huacarrumi, about 40 minutes outside of Cuenca, Ecuador: My backpack is stuffed with rain gear, sunscreen, water bottles, cans of tuna, Cheetos, soda, some peanuts, dog food for strays, and a nice camera.

At the trail head, it’s a classic Ecuadorian scene, right out of a tabletop photo book: An indigenous man wearing tribal attire is pulling his donkey, who in turn is carting an old wooden wagon. Expats start pulling out carrots, and I feed the donkey Cheetos (don’t judge me—they’ll eat anything).

We walk through hamlets where Ecuadorians are shelling corn, and the wily dogs sniff us out. My backpack is beginning to feel heavy, so I take this opportunity to give my dog food to a friendly canine and offer up cokes and tuna to the children. The villagers are friendly and tranquillo and sell us 50-cent Pilseners as we sit around a giant wooden cable spool, which serves as a table. The locals join us for a brew, and we swap questions in our broken Spanish and English. In this peaceful setting, no one cares about the grammar—we’re all just savoring the moment.

I look over the mountain vistas, musing: I am definitely not in Florida any more. It’s a wonder I landed in this wonderful, mystical country with its diverse beauty and kind culture. After eight years of living in Ecuador, I don’t regret leaving the hectic lifestyle and chaos of the U.S. for the very Zen-like Ecuador. I often tell people that moving to Cuenca literally saved my life. It’s not hyperbole—I’m healthier and happier than I ever would have been retired in Florida.

Modern Living in a Traditional Country

Don’t be misled by its relative obscurity. Ecuador’s tourism sector has grown by 30% over the past five years, and the country now attracts North Americans, Europeans, gap-year backpackers, explorers, and expats from around the world. They come to enjoy its perfect combination of climate, culture, environmental diversity, and affordability.

Over the years, my city of Cuenca has become more cosmopolitan, and English is more commonly spoken—both positive changes, I feel.

Still, Ecuador remains largely undiscovered by mainstream tourists, and it’s not yet terribly gentrified. People say living here takes you back to the 1950s. Ecuadorians have a tranquillo culture where mañana means sometime in the future, and people welcome each other with kisses on the cheek and hugs. Time isn’t rushed. Kindness prevails; everyone you pass says buenos dias and smiles.

Yet, at the same time, Cuenca offers the conveniences of modern living with high-speed fiber-optic internet, good public transportation, quality affordable healthcare, and fine housing. It’s a retirement paradise where you can live comfortably for relatively little money—and feel like you’re getting in before the outside world changes it.

Attractive Affordability

The low cost of living is the number one reason many expats move to Ecuador. It was high on my list, and—eight years later, living on a fixed income—I’m grateful it remains a low-cost enclave.

Neighborhood tiendas supply me with fresh fruits and vegetables at prices so low I am barely able to carry the huge bag of produce $20 buys me. In fact, I walk for most of my errands, including paying my monthly bills, which run me $20 for water, $70 for electricity, $84 for health insurance, $40 for utilities, and $70 for high-speed 100mb internet. (The walking has provided an added benefit—I’ve lost 20 pounds without trying.)

In Cuenca, the climate is temperate, and that means you can live without heating or air conditioning. In Florida, my electricity bill in summer easily reached $300. Here I save money, and I can leave the windows in my house open all year round and enjoy the fresh air at zero cost.

I used to think I could never live without a car, but in Ecuador, I now prefer catching taxis to get most anywhere in town, and I love being chauffeured around (its $2 to $3 for a taxi ride). Since I’ve moved here, public transportation has gotten even better. A tram now runs through town to the suburbs for 35 cents a ride.

Rental prices cost half what they do in the U.S. or Europe, and the units are often furnished.

When I tell my U.S. friends that my bills (without rent) are under $300 and rents start at around $500 for a modern two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo with river or mountain views or $650 for a penthouse or four-bedroom house, they laugh in disbelief.

I wouldn’t have believed it either. But now I’m living it. I have carved out an upper-middle-class life in Cuenca on a monthly budget of around $1,800, complete with a maid and gardener, and I still have money left over each month.

The Perfect Weather for Outdoor Living

In Florida, I lived like a mole person, venturing out only at dawn and dusk, because the heat-stroke temperatures made walking during the day impossible most of the year. By pleasant contrast, living in the temperate, walkable city of Cuenca, has opened up a new outdoor playground for me.

Cuenca does, technically, have four seasons, but the running joke here is that they occur over the course of one day. It’s winter in the morning (50s), by mid-morning it’s spring (low 70s), by noon it’s summer (high 70s but feels 80s in the sun), and by late afternoon it’s fall (60s).

Dry season and wet season are what really drive the weather in Cuenca. The dry season (winter) runs from June to September, and the weather then is generally sunny but cooler. The wet season (summer) goes from October to May and is typically a little warmer, but prone to afternoon thunderstorms.

Climate change hasn’t altered the weather too much here, though it does rain a bit more than it did years ago. The rain doesn’t usually last all day long, though. Instead, it comes in short, 30-minute bursts.

That’s OK, I figure—I don’t have to worry about F5 tornados, category 5 hurricanes, blinding blizzards, or firestorms, all of which are increasingly concerns elsewhere around the world today.

Lessons in Choosing Where to Live

Cuenca’s population has grown by about a third since I’ve been here, and prices have gone up some. Still, it remains good value.

I rented my first house in Cuenca for $400 a month—sight unseen on a website that offered rentals. That first lease—written on a paper napkin—landed me a five-bedroom, four-bathroom, Spanish colonial house on the outskirts of town with a postage-stamp-sized yard for my dogs. The Hearst-Castle-size house was large enough to be a B&B, with a spiral staircase winding to the upstairs.

It served its purpose, but after a few years, I wanted to be walking distance to downtown and moved closer in.

In the city, rents are a bit higher than in the outskirts of town, but still cost about half what you’d expect to pay in the U.S. And the properties can be extravagant. Rents start at $550 for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house or a modern condo overlooking the mountains or one of the four rivers that run through town.

It’s not hard to find a rental. Several websites offer listings: Likibu.com, yapatree.com, gringopost.com, cuencahighlife.com, and the Cuenca Expats Facebook group.

Or, simply stroll the areas you find most attractive and look for Se Arrienda (For Rent) signs. Word of mouth is valuable among the expat community, so chatting to people at restaurants or bars will help with your search.

I wanted to put down roots in Cuenca because I have three dogs and a cat and needed a yard. So, four years ago I bought a mid-century, hacienda-style, three-story Ecuadorian home with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living rooms, a huge kitchen, a loft, and a large garden. I paid $148,000 in the upscale Remigio Crespo neighborhood. (I’ve read that real estate values here have risen 20% since I bought, though I’m not looking to sell.) I love having a place I can make my own, so, for me, buying was the right decision. And the holding costs are reasonable: My property tax is just $87 a year.

Your enjoyment of the city depends a lot on where you live. It’s important to find a spot that not only fits your lifestyle and budget, but feels right to you. So, I recommend you do what I did and spend time walking through the neighborhoods you’re considering. These are the ones I’d put on your short list:

The Best Expat Neighborhoods in Cuenca

El Centro (Old Town): Hanging out in El Centro never gets old to me. This part of town is not called “the center” for nothing—it is the geographical center of this 550-year-old city, as well as the center of economic and cultural activity in this 570,000-resident metropolitan area. Home to the scenic New Cathedral, Parque de Calderón, the flower market, and the San Francisco market, downtown has plenty of historic churches and Spanish colonial architecture, which give El Centro a very cosmopolitan feel.

In addition to lots of dining options, El Centro is basically a giant shopping center of sorts, with its brick-paved streets lined with stores offering everything from groceries to hardware, and high fashions to custom-made furniture. The upside of living in El Centro is that you are within walking distance of just about anything you could need or want. But it’s noisy, and if you live here, you’ll probably end up in an apartment over a business with balconies that open to the busy streets below.

Remigio Crespo (Solano): The Remigio Crespo neighborhood is filled with outdoor cafés, modern condos, and middle- to upper-class homes on tree-lined streets. This is the neighborhood where I eventually bought my house as it’s more upscale with plenty of access to the river walks and just a 20-minute stroll from downtown.

Ordonez Lasso (Gringolandia): Ordonez Lasso is a popular expat enclave nicknamed “Gringolandia,” where there are lots of highrise condos overlooking the Tomebamba River, with miles of river-walk trails along a very traditional-looking “American-feel” neighborhood. It’s easy to get buses and taxis into town from there, and now the new tram easily transports suburbanites into El Centro in minutes. Gringolandia is growing fast, with at least four condo high rises under construction, offering buyers pre-construction pricing for a condo with a spectacular view.

A Welcoming Expat Community

Making friends is one of the most important things to do when you move overseas. Your new friends will become not just the people you meet at happy hours, nature walks, or the local market. They will be your support network, helping you navigate life in your new home.

Cuenca has an expat community of about 10,000—the largest expat community in Ecuador. Sit at a restaurant alone, and soon you’ll find yourself chatting with neighboring tables and making new friends. Cuenca’s vibrant international community offers plenty of ways to meet other transplants: playing trivia, hiking, road trips to nearby towns, poker and canasta games, writing exchanges, painting lessons, photography meetups, pickleball, golf and tennis…so many things to do that you’ll find yourself exploring all those hobbies you used to put on the backburner back home when you were too busy working.

The Cuenca expat network is incredibly friendly and active.

When I first moved to Cuenca, I was alone in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language. I had my first major meltdown while shopping in the megastore Coral (similar to a Walmart). I was looking for milk, and I found around 20 different types—all labeled in Spanish. I remember bursting into tears as I looked over the unfamiliar cartons of milk, because I’m lactose intolerant and didn’t want to buy the wrong thing.

This is when I realized I needed to make some friends—and fast. I needed help.

I met Stefani and Bob Owens as they were walking their dog down the street, and we stopped to chat. During the course of our conversation, I explained I was living in a large home that had only a few pieces of furniture, which included an Ecuadorian-size couch that sat so low my knees were hitting my chin when I sat down. I didn’t have internet or television, and the quietness in my echoing house was driving me crazy.

That’s when Stefi said, “I’ve been there, so let me help.” Over the next few days, Stefi took me under her wing to get me settled in my new home. She knew a friend who was selling her living room and bedroom furniture, and so for $500 I bought an expat-size couch, two side chairs, and a bed with a comfortable mattress. She took me to Rotari market, known for its inexpensive household goods and unfinished wood furniture, and I bought end tables we painted bright colors. She even got a technician to set up my internet and television.

This is what you get when you move to Cuenca: a friendly expat community whose members are happy to help you get your new life launched.

Parades, Markets, and Parks

Cuenca is a place where you’ll never be bored. There is always something to do in this city.

Parque Calderón is the city’s hub, where families gather to watch colorful parades with dancers swirling in fedoras and velvet skirts, enjoy fireworks that rival Disneyworld displays, gawk at creative street performers, and be entertained in the many chic bars where musicians pump out everything from salsa to classical to rock music.

This area is also the cornerstone for some of the most alluring attractions in this historic city, most notably the massive Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (construction started in 1885 and took 100 years to complete), the San Francisco textile market (a great place to purchase Ecuadorian merchandise including colorful textiles, alpaca sweaters, woven ponchos, religious artifacts, and indigenous crafts), and the renowned Flower Market.

Many of the historical haciendas surrounding the square have recently undergone renovation and are now home to trendy bars, microbreweries, upscale restaurants, and gourmet bakeries. The most impressive renovation is the large, yellow building known as Mansion Matilde. Built in 1880, the Ordóñez Mata family owned it originally, and the property played host to powerful national politicians, prominent society families, and religious leaders. In 2016, restoration of the house began by owner Gladys Eljuri Antón who decided to convert the mansion into a gastronomic and cultural center called Casa del Parque, which includes nine stores, restaurants and cafés, and a fine-dining restaurant. It’s a true architectural and dining treasure for the city.

Parades wend their way through Cuenca on most weekends. They often start downtown in front of the New Cathedral and make their way around the surrounding neighborhoods. Each June, the Corpus Christi Festival is the big celebration. Technically, it’s focused on the “Body of Christ.” But over the years, the celebration of the sacrament bread has also turned into a celebration of sweets. Booths boasting all kinds of sugary treats line the streets of the historic center. (My favorites include white-iced donuts, coconut squares, brownies dipped in chocolate and a cone of what tastes like marshmallow fluff.) I join the hordes in the streets in a sugar coma—batting away bees, which seem to appear out of nowhere when the city is sugar-coated.

In November, fiestas and parades dominate Cuenca’s Independence Day celebrations but the real draw is the hundreds of vendors from around Ecuador and elsewhere in Latin American who come to sell their crafts. They set up tents all over town, especially along the Tomebamba River, where it’s easy to stroll. The market features a dazzling array of handcrafted items from local and regional artists including fine jewelry, ceramics, textiles, wood carvings, embroidered tablecloths, and Ecuadorian artwork.

Appreciating Life in the Andes

Each year, I go on a three-hour hike in the Cajas Mountains, a 70,500-acre national park located about 20 miles west from Cuenca at an altitude of 13,222 feet. Standing at the Three Crosses monument marking the continental divide, I follow the tradition of placing a stone at the base of the monument in memory of the generations of indigenous who died on the trail and as a good-luck charm for the hikers heading out to experience a moment at a sublime Andean summit. It’s a humbling experience, reminding me that I’m only here for a blink in time and that I should breathe it all in.

I’m happy that this time in my life hasn’t been wasted. Here in Cuenca, I find myself growing in ways I never expected. For that alone—never mind the healthier, richer, lower-cost lifestyle—the move to Ecuador has been well worth it.