Continuing north along the coast, two areas of note are Ayampe and Puerto Lopez. Both are of the picture postcard variety, where luxuriant green hills close in on the beach. Puerto Lopez has been one of my all-time favorite Ecuador beach towns since I first saw it in 2001.
Everything is old in Loja. Of course, that’s not literally true…but stroll through the historic colonial heart of this city in southern Ecuador and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time. If you wish away the cars and buses and try not to see the youngsters with their stylish hair-dos and piercings (this is a university town, after all), you can sense what this city must have been like, oh…nearly 500 years ago.
This place boasts the world’s best climate…averaging daytime temperatures in the mid-70s every day of the year. So where am I? In Loja, a manageable city of about 180,000 people in southern Ecuador. At 6,750 feet above sea level, Loja is at a lower elevation than many of the country’s other major cities perched along the spine of the Andes mountain range.
Rent overseas before you buy. That’s good advice for anyone looking to try a new country on for size. Despite its incredibly low real estate costs, Ecuador is no exception. Fortunately, rental costs in Ecuador are very affordable, too.
Ecuador’s north coast is one of the finest stretches of Pacific coast you will find. Steep, bright green jungle-clad hills rise from the flat blue ocean. In places, rocky coves sculpt sandy beaches. Here would be a great place to have a beach home.
If I owned a beach house here, I don’t think I’d rent it to anyone. I’m not sure I’d want to share this place, here on the finest stretch of Ecuador’s coast. I’d want to be here…feet dangling in the lap pool, face in the bright sun and warm breezes…all the time. Well, maybe at sunset I’d amble down the steps to the beach for a dip in the mighty Pacific…
We started researching retirement property, making full use of the Internet, libraries, networking, country visits, and, of course, International Living. It was a part-time job for us…and in no particular hurry, we passed on properties that didn’t measure up; settle for less, and that’s exactly what you’ll get. In July 2006, after searching for five years, we found a property in Vilcabamba, Ecuador.
He had a huge panoramic photo of his home—although you really couldn’t see the house for all the brilliantly colored bougainvillea tumbling over the walls and the fruit trees in the yard. Mango, lemon, lime, orange, raspberry, passion fruit, banana, and much more we weren’t familiar with…even coffee.
“You’re out of your mind!” This was one of the milder things people said when I announced that after 30 years of living in the paradise of Maui, Hawaii, I was moving to South America. And at 80 years of age. Alone. Without speaking a word of Spanish.
A couple of years ago a friend came to visit us in Ecuador. Once here, he realized that the biggest expense of his trip was his airfare. With nice hotel rooms priced at $30 a night (including breakfast); full meals, including beverage, for $2.50; and beers for $1 or a glass of wine for $2, he was hardly spending anything to kick around the country.
As far as I’m concerned, Ecuador rocks. It may be a small country, but it has more to offer than you can imagine…great cities and quiet villages….the majestic snowcapped Andes mountains…impossibly beautiful beaches…and the glorious Amazon rainforest. Importantly, Ecuador has a low cost of living and some of the world’s lowest real estate prices.
Fourteen years ago, while on a Caribbean sailing trip, I decided that some day I would find my own place by the ocean. As time went on, that dream became ever-more important. I was sick and tired of corporate greed and useless politics in the U.S. It was time to make my dream a reality and check out moving overseas.
If anyone needed a retirement rescue—it was Ron and Terresa Moore. But thanks to low-cost Ecuador, they’re enjoying a relaxing early retirement in a warm, sunny climate. They have quality health care for $133 a month. And today they “sleep like babies every night,” says Ron. Back in July 2007, Ron and Terresa were living easy. But fast forward to December 2008. After 30 years, they found themselves out of work.
I was at the International Living Live and Invest in Ecuador Seminar 2011 that wrapped up about a week ago. I wish you were there, too. We learned why Ecuador makes so much sense for anyone looking to find a way to stretch their modest savings and social security checks…and yet enjoy a high quality of life.
When Patrick Robinson lived in Hawaii, he made a snapshot list of what the perfect society might look like. The more research he did the more convinced he became that this place was Ecuador. One place in particular jumped out at him. But still, he wasn’t sure he should go off on this adventure. After all, he was more than 80 years old.
“In 2007, we had great jobs and were pulling down good money. Our retirement account was growing steadily,” says Ron Moore. “Then, it seemed like overnight, everything changed.” The car dealership where Ron and his wife, Terresa, were both part of the executive management team, went out of business. As the economy down-spiraled, so did the couple’s savings.
John and Sue live in Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador. Known as the Valley of Longevity because it’s such a healthy, stress-free place that residents commonly live to be 100 or more, you gotta figure it’s a very good thing that living there costs so little. John and Sue, who are right around 50 and have been retired for more than four years now, have a very long life ahead of them.
We tell you often about the low prices in Ecuador and how a couple can live the high life for as little as $940 a month. Well, we’ve recently been in contact with lots of North Americans living in Ecuador right now. Turns out the cost of living isn’t as low as we thought…it’s even lower!
If you’re moving overseas, perhaps the most important number for you is property price. Of course, you’ll want that number to be low so that you can afford your new life overseas.
One country above all others on our beat is a great place to try out your entrepreneurial side: Ecuador. The Spanish guild system is still at work here, so each town and village specializes in one craft—leather work, ceramics, silversmith, guitar making, etc.
Along Ecuador’s Pacific coast, $50,000 buys you a beachfront condo. Expect to pay no more than $100 per month to cover your property tax, condo fees and other holding costs.
Mike spent a lot of time since then looking for somewhere that reminded him of those beaches in Southern California—including Guatemala, Mexico, and Costa Rica. But it wasn’t until he discovered one particular stretch of Pacific coast in Ecuador that he felt like he’d “come home to 50s California…”
Not only does Ecuador have one of the world’s best climates…lowest costs of living…and top-notch medical care at up to one-tenth the cost of the U.S… But it also has a little-known retirement program that could save you thousands of dollars a year.
International Living has been covering this beat for more than 30 years, and each Global Retirement Index we put together just gets more interesting. I’ll give you a little example… what do you think are the top five best places to retire on this year’s Index?
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