www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I found this recently and will certainly have to check it out.
If an affordable cost of living is your priority in choosing where to retire, take a look at Cuenca, Ecuador. This city is one of the world’s best places to retire overseas on a budget.

Cuenca is a beautiful colonial city in an interesting and diverse country. The health care is high quality, honest, and inexpensive. The climate is spring-like and pleasant 12 months of the year. And Cuenca’s large and growing expat community is one of Latin America’s most diverse and well-blended.

There are other colonial cities in Ecuador, but Cuenca is the cultural heart of the country. In this center of art and literature, you can attend the orchestra, a play, a tango show, or an art opening, and these activities are usually free.

Cuenca is also a popular destination for international tourists and language students, offering many super-affordable options to study Spanish. The tourists and students bring vitality to the city and help support Cuenca’s developed infrastructure for amenities and services.

However, perhaps the biggest draw to Cuenca is its cost of living, which is extremely low, especially considering the quality of life that you find here. The falling dollar has caused prices to go up sharply for overseas retirees whose retirement incomes are denominated in U.S. dollars, but who are living in places where goods are priced in the local currency. But this exchange-rate concern does not exist in Cuenca, because Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar.

The $1 fixed-price lunch is still alive and well in Cuenca (although $2.50 is more common), and the city is awash with fresh tropical fruits and vegetables for pennies on the dollar. Fresh fish and shrimp arrive daily from the coast, and much of the local poultry is free-range. A bus trip through the city is a quarter, taxis start at about $1.50, and gas is only $1.48 per gallon.

You could rent a furnished apartment for as little as $400 per month, an unfurnished apartment from $300 per month, or buy a small condo outright for less than $40,000. Thanks to the comfortable year-round climate in Cuenca, you won’t have to worry about heat or air conditioning, which is another important reason why retirement in this city is as affordable as it is.

Cuenca is very walkable and boasts an excellent public transit system, as does all of Ecuador. You could live easily without a car, which shaves even more costs from your monthly budget.

All that said, Cuenca is not the most affordable place to live in Ecuador. In small towns like Cotacachi or Vilcabamba, you could retire on an even more modest budget of as little as $650 or $700 a month. But the cost of living isn’t the only factor you should consider when choosing a retirement spot. You want to balance the cost of your retirement against the quality of retirement life you’ll be able to enjoy. Part of the reason the overall cost of living in places like Cotacachi is so low is because there’s simply not much to do, meaning there’s not much to spend money on. You could live quite frugally in Cotacachi, but also very simply.

Cuenca, on the other hand, is a fully developed city, where you could enjoy a rich and full life. To be able to enjoy all that the city has to offer, plan on a budget of $1,500 a month per couple if you’re renting and $1,100 per month if you own your home. You could certainly live here for less, but these estimates will allow you to make the most of your new life in Cuenca.

I read this Hardwoodjoe. Thanks for mentioning it. I had just glanced at the article and meant to go back and check out the place a little more. Doesn't look bad at first glance.

So, the marina at Playa Negra is on again. It was the talk of the town 5 years ago, and then on my last visit over Christmas 2007, I was told that the project is dead. The PV area certainly has some beautiful beaches. A marina in PV will change the complexion of the southern Caribbean, and it will no longer be the forgotten paradise in CR.

This is a big plus that makes a big difference to an ex-pat retiree. When your monthly rent fluctuates $50 - $70 per month, the volatility of exchange rates becomes very evident.

I have talked to a few ex-pats, and prospective expats, who explored Ecuador with an eye towards retirement living. They all said the same thing about the inexpensive cost of living and appealing quality of life. But the conversation ended there. None of them experienced "love at first sight", and only one guy would consider the possibility of re-locating there. I can't comment because I have not traveled to Ecuador, yet.

One man’s definition of paradise is not necessarily another’s.
Cuenca sounds like it has a lot of great things going for it. However an altitude of 8000 feet and an average yearly high of 68.5 and low of 48.6 remove it from my list of paradises.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuenca,_Ecuador

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

You know these developer types have a longer timeline then next year. This just looks like a way to clear an area out for future development. I was under the impression that the marina was going in right in the area of the old port location. Look at MA they used to have that funky resteraunt on the beach and the Pilinio was the place to stay. Now look at it what a clusterfuck.

About the same altitude as Bogota and same range of temps. You get acclimated to the altitude after a few days, unless you have respiratory problem or smoke heavily.

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Why bother - in 6 years as a member of CRT, I've never seen him respond to a question nor engage in anything approaching dialogue - nor has anyone ever met the guy

Those temps and altitude wouldn't bother me for a portion of the year, but maybe not year round. Not a problem. I think when I pick up and move again, I am looking to split time over the course of a year. Don't want to settle on just one place.

In that case would not want to live in Bogota either. I have no respitory problems and do not smoke so altitude may not be a problem but after living in San Jose for 9 years I do not consider an avg high of 68.5 f and an average low 48.6 F to be "eternal spring" as the article claims.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine