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Here is our story about relocating to Ecuador.  Gives you great information on diffrent locations, prices, customs, plus it is hilarious. 

This is an often asked question, and you'll never get the correct answer, from anyone. There are just too many variables. Health care costs vary.... many don't carry health care at all, and just pay out of pocket. Rent will vary by where you choose to live. I've heard of people renting for as little as $ 300.00 per month. Do you require high speed internet in your living quarters, or are you fine using an internet cafe for a buck an hour? Eat out alot, or eat at home mostly? Car, or no car? The list of variables goes on and on of course.
I think I kinda have a grasp of your intent though, and I think you'll find it possible to live a decent lifestyle in the thousand dollar a month range. Others will probably disagree that it can be done that cheaply, others may say you can do it for less.
When all is said and done, you are the only person that can make the assesment, and you'll have to go there to make it. Visit, and if nothing else, you'll have a great vacation to reflect on, at the worst, at the best, you may find your own little piece of heaven, and move there.
Best of Luck in Your Travels
Neil

ZenSPIKE nailed it.  I am still learning about Ecuador but am very familar with Panama living and would suggest that the real savings that occurs in relocating to Ecuador is the adjustment you will undoubtedly make in your lifestyle, not just the cost of your house or condo, which of course will most likely be less.  Unknowingly perhaps you realize a car is just a mode of transportation.  You buy a popular car, perhaps a Kia, not a BMW (and likewise avoid being an attractive target to thugs).  You eat out at a road-side cafe instead of Olive Garden or better. You buy comfortable clothes, not designer fashions. Your criminal nephew calls someone else when he needs money for a lawyer.  Your church builds the new wing without your pledge.  Life just gets (or should get) simpler and therein lies the savings, IMO. 

Regarding real estate even if the cost is the same (I think it's far less expensive in Ecuador when fair comparisons are made), your property taxes and condo fees are far less.  Mention is often made how less expensive healthcare is. Other items I imagine are much higher due to need importing costs.

But, the point is to not hold Ecuador to an unfair standard and think you can live like a king for $400 a month.  Examine the crap you waste your money on now in the States and I think you'll see far greater savings in these areas associated with a move to Ecuador than comparing prices of food and (in my case) beer.  With these changes, I am confident that you can live the same or higher standard of living at a lower cost of living.

I agree whole heartedly with your assesment. I can't tell you how much food I waste here in The States. In Ecuador, food shopping will be one of my daily chores. The costs are much less in the first place, and in the second, I'll mostly eat what I purchase daily, so waaaaaaay less waste.
You know what that leaves?
More room in the fridge for.....
BEER!!
(and it doesn't go bad )
Cha Cha
Neil

Neil, I like your suggestion of taking a 3 month vacation in country to speak with other expats and see what the country offers. That avoids the need to make what can seem like a life changing decision based on biased forum information to a non-committal vacation that you can decide at a later date and based in first hand information to make permanent.

Cost of living 2021 -- Quito apartment tour.

The cost of living is an evergreen subject on this forum.

Ipso facto, we revive this 2013 thread with a quick video tour of Quito rental apartments in the era of The Situation, courtesy of USA Expat Domenick Buonamici, a.k.a. Mr. Second Passport.

He shows what $350 to $400 a month in rent can get you -- in some cases, an apartment in what Dom considers the best area for Expats, near Parque la Carolina.  In this price range, you can find a furnished apartment.

What's the catch?  You probably will have to give up on the goal of new construction.  No 24-hour doorman either.  As for size .. you be the judge.

Search at YouTube.com...
         what does $350 get you in the best area of quito

Had hoped for a link

Frugal living in the capital.

The frugal producer of YouTube's Itchy Feet on the Cheap channel discusses Quito cost of living in another video that focuses on furnished-rental living.

He points out that not needing heat or air-conditioning saves him and his partner money.  They pay two dollars a month for trash collection.

Apparently, their place is a bit outside Quito, as it has a swimming pool, which is rare if not impossible to find at a complex inside the city limits due to high elevation temperatures.

Also included... a comparison of car and moto ownership costs .. and how to save money by eating as Ecuadorians do.

Search at YouTube.com...
         how much it costs to live in quito  itchy feet

@cccmedia,

How do you find personally the overall cost of living in Quito vs. some of the other cities that you've spent time in South America?