Cuenca, Ecuador
8 Tips for Living in Cuenca, Ecuador
Many expats in Cuenca, Ecuador love the city's climate, friendly people and low cost of living. Other expats find that this developing city's bland food, dirty streets and noisy neighborhoods are too much to take.
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About the Author
Betsy Burlingame is the Founder and President of Expat Exchange and is one of the Founders of Digital Nomad Exchange. She launched Expat Exchange in 1997 as her Master's thesis project at NYU. Prior to Expat Exchange, Betsy worked at AT&T in International
and Mass Market Marketing. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University
with a BA in International Business and German.
Some of Betsy's articles include 12 Best Places to Live in Portugal, 7 Best Places to Live in Panama and 12 Things to Know Before Moving to the Dominican Republic. Betsy loves to travel and spend time with her family. Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn.
Additional Information:
- 11 Things to Know Before Moving to Cuenca, Ecuador
- 8 Tips for Living in Cuenca, Ecuador
- Healthcare & Health Insurance in Ecuador
- Best Places to Live in Ecuador
- Real Estate in Ecuador
- Insider's Guide to the Health System in Ecuador
- What It's Like Living in Cuenca
- Pros and Cons of Living in Ecuador 2024
- 2024 Guide to Moving to Ecuador
Comments
guestFunny article, but in appreciation for the venerable authoress' Founding efforts, I must say it was balanced like a see-saw and had a discouraging end. Well Done!;~)
guestI stayed in Cuenca for about a week and found your well written article to be spot on for accuracy. In the end I decided to not move to Ecuador as the low level of integrity amongst the populace, border to border trash everywhere and potable water shortage were more than I was willing to endure. In the end, you get what you pay for. I am currently in beautiful Troutdale Oregon enjoying breakfast at Shari's. Everbody is nice and honest and third world noise pollution is not driving me insane. Most of all what I disliked about Ecuador was the pollution at every level including noise. Cuenca is a beautiful old city and the best place I visited but I don't miss the stank.
guestVery good article, Betsy. You wrote about 'the good, the bad, and the ugly!' Just what we expats need when making decisions about a new life or setting. I don't need the sweet talk 100%. I need facts and opinions. Thanks for such good insight on Cuenca. Tell Joshua Wood that this is great article writiing for expats.
guestTwo of the five restaurants you mention as expat meeting places are out of business: California Kitchen and Cafe Eucaliptus.
guestThank you for your honesty in writing about Cuenca's "pros and cons". My wife and I will be visiting the Galapagos Islands in early October and will be visiting Cuenca, Quito and Salinas while we are there. We had intentions of moving to Costa Rica, Panama or Ecuador as we ponder retirement, in a few years, but have decided to stay close to our 3 adult children in the U.S. .
immovinonI visited Cuenca, recently. I thought that the locals were extremely nice and a great many spoke excellent unaccented English, regardless of age and lack of wealth. .. Apparently, almost nothing gets imported to Ecuador.I walked through a large shopping mall (Mall de Rio ??} There was nothing to buy. Everything was so UGLY. The only food item that i saw in a large supermarket from the U..S. was Hershy's chocolate syrup.. Sadly, this city is still in the 2oth century.
