Pros and Cons of Living in Ecuador

Pros

Low housing costs

Low medical costs

Low costs of utilities

Beautiful scenery

Cons

Neglected public areas

Property taxes and other taxes in Ecuador are low or even don't exist, so municipalities don't have enough money to well maintain public spaces.

Poverty and survival mindset

Half of Ecuador's population only has informal jobs. On average they earn around $150 per month. The result is a mindset of surviving. This mindset usually makes people less honest than they probably would like to be.

You cannot count on the police

More than 4,000 people (including 73 police officers) were murdered in Ecuador in 2022. The underfunded judicial sector couldn't solve more than 400 cases. For less serious crimes it's not better. In other words, you cannot count on the police in Ecuador.

Incomplete healthcare

If you use healthcare from IESS you will need to take into account that there can be long waiting lists and that not all medications are available. In recent years, there have been various cases of expats who had to go to private hospitals after unsuccessful operations in IESS hospitals. They had to start GoFundMe fundraises to collect money to pay their hospital bills.