@workingwithcoffee
American expat in Ecuador
Forum
31 posts
About me
American
Registration: 30 July 2023
Activity
Ecuador vs. Colombia 2023-24 by cccmedia
Quito, Ecuador, versus Medellin, Colombia --what are some of the differences?On an obscure Colombia forum thread, memberAdaptive Migrant asked yours truly what arethe differences one finds in living in Ecuadorversus Colombia.--That's a tough ...
@dawnburwell I did Google it, and I did not find anywhere that referred to Columbia as being correct. In fact, there were several articles in Spanish as to explain why some (read Americans) misspell the country's name by inserting a 'U' in it. Read More
Who combines the best quality/price for HEALTHCARE INSURANCE? by topper4499
I am retired, 73, live on the Ecuador coast for the past 14 years. For the past several years I have contracted with BMI, but their price for the same yearly coverage is constantly rising. Current contract year price is $1,400 (only me), with a ...
@workingwithcoffee Hi, and thanks for responding.聽 Re: Confiamed coverage, handled through Blue Box, can you tell me about your experience with it, such as How did you come about to selecting Confiamed?When I initially started looking for ... Read More
Cost of living in Ecuador in 2024 by Cheryl
Hello everyone, As every year, we invite you to share your experience regarding the cost of living in Ecuador, and if possible, in the specific region or city where you live. This will help members who are planning to relocate in Ecuador. Here ...
@cccmedia Unfortunately, unlike the U.S., pricing on rent houses/apartments is wildly disorganized. And, the variety in quality varies just as much. Throw in 'gringo pricing' a very real issue, it's almost impossible to say quantitively what the ... Read More
Who combines the best quality/price for HEALTHCARE INSURANCE? by topper4499
I am retired, 73, live on the Ecuador coast for the past 14 years. For the past several years I have contracted with BMI, but their price for the same yearly coverage is constantly rising. Current contract year price is $1,400 (only me), with a ...
My hubby, who is 61, recently switched over to IESS because he has no ongoing chronic medical conditions. I also signed on with IESS with him, but due to some ongoing chronic issues still maintain my Confiamed coverage, handled through Blue Box. ... Read More
What will happen after the first 3 months visa visa-free entrance? by Behnoodkalani
Hello everyone, my wife and I are Iranians who are interested in moving to Ecuador. As far as I know, we can enter the country for 3mounths visa-free, but I don't have any idea how we can extend our permission to stay longer or get a visa without ...
Also wanted to chime in, as Ecuador has some 'quirky' residency laws.You've already been looking into Temporary Resident Visas, which are 2 years in duration, and can be obtained on a number of ways ( investor, retirement, etc.) Each has their own ... Read More
Trouble On the Coast and Mafia Carnage by cccmedia
Off-shore and airstrip drug activity along the Ecuador Coast is so bad in Manab铆 Province that radar may be installed shortly on private property.By presidential decree, property owners in parts of the province will be subject to the ...
@rkg695 Same here in Cuenca. I think I 'talked my friends down' from their anxieties about the situation mostly stemming from the "reputable" news media. Had to do a video call with a friend who was convinced I should be indoors hiding out. I ... Read More
Trouble On the Coast and Mafia Carnage by cccmedia
Off-shore and airstrip drug activity along the Ecuador Coast is so bad in Manab铆 Province that radar may be installed shortly on private property.By presidential decree, property owners in parts of the province will be subject to the ...
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.Prison rioting has become a common occurance, and drug gangs,already strong and violent, are becoming more of a presence in Ecuador (albeit mostly on the coast). Corruption combined with lack of ... Read More
Online Shopping & Delivery by rkg695
Has anyone used an online product ordering service in Ecuador? What were your experiences鈥ood or bad? Any recommendations?I鈥檝e looked at sites like TiendaMia and UBuy, seem legit but not sure鈥� most products are imported from the ...
Tiendamia is totally legit, in fact one of the safest placest to order from. This is because they will not process an order if Ecuador Customs prohibits the item for whatever reason. The item may be too heavy, etc etc. Better to just not allow it ... Read More
Double Taxation Inquiry by artist99
I was born in Ecuador but grew up in the USA for most of my life and have both an Ecuadorian and USA Passport. From what I know the USA taxes its citizens no matter where in the world they live. So I am curious to know if I retire to Ecuador will I ...
One of the "benefits" of U.S. citizenship is that you become tax indebted to the U.S. no matter where you live.This article may help you, it's geared to dual citizenship folks like ... Read More
Living abroad and in need of my medicine by dixieman55
I am currently living in Colombia and am going to be taking a month long class to get certified as a teaching English as a forigen language. The medicine that I have been taking since the 1980s is banned in Colombia and I need to leave the country ...
@Bhavna Good point. For those of us like myself that rely on daily prescribed medications, it's important to check these matters out BEFORE one moves to another country. Simple factual information, ie what is my med in Ecuador, will my body ... Read More
Living abroad and in need of my medicine by dixieman55
I am currently living in Colombia and am going to be taking a month long class to get certified as a teaching English as a forigen language. The medicine that I have been taking since the 1980s is banned in Colombia and I need to leave the country ...
Well it's certainly true that a healthy diet and regular exercise can promote better health, and in some cases even eliminate the need for 'certain' meds.That said, there are many of us, myself included, that need particular medications. It could ... Read More
Living abroad and in need of my medicine by dixieman55
I am currently living in Colombia and am going to be taking a month long class to get certified as a teaching English as a forigen language. The medicine that I have been taking since the 1980s is banned in Colombia and I need to leave the country ...
@dracorune999You will "hopefully" find the Spanish equivalent of those drugs.聽 In the U.S. there is a lot of trash talk about non-US meds.聽 It is simply that.聽 Case in point:聽 I take 2 meds twice a day every day, one of them ... Read More
A Question About Those We Do Not Speak Of: Roaches At Elevation by AmericanoNorte
So, my first topic of great importance!I have searched the web long and hard on this topic. Google spits out results, repeated everywhere, that roaches do not live above 2000m (6,500 ft). I searched a lot of English speaking sites and this info is ...
聽 聽 @workingwithcoffee 馃槄 thanks for planting the image of my mind: cockroach kicking back in a beach chair... having a margarita. 馃コ馃馃嵐 vive la buena vida!! ... Read More
A Question About Those We Do Not Speak Of: Roaches At Elevation by AmericanoNorte
So, my first topic of great importance!I have searched the web long and hard on this topic. Google spits out results, repeated everywhere, that roaches do not live above 2000m (6,500 ft). I searched a lot of English speaking sites and this info is ...
Just on doing some web browsing, it "appears' that in general they don't do well at altitudes over 2000m (6,500 ft). Of course, there are different varieties, perhaps some have adapted to overcome this. As a resident of Cuenca for over 3 years, I ... Read More
Online shopping in Ecuador by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Shopping online can be far more convenient and offer greater choice than going into shops, be it grocery shopping or retail. Are there options for online shopping in Ecuador? Which sites or apps do you use most frequently and ...
@Krista Misko You can use one of the local courier services, Servientrega is the biggest I believe. You can bring it to one of their offices, and have it shipped to the U.S. I "think" you have to bring it to them opened (so they can view the ... Read More