Quito
USD
Spanish
UTC−5
Daily life
- Climate: Spring-like all year in the Andes (Quito at about 2,800 m, Cuenca at about 2,500 m): mild days, cool nights, a rainy and a drier season. Hot and humid on the coast; altitude can be hard on the heart and lungs.
- Safety: Armed robbery, muggings and pickpocketing, including in Quito's old town and at bus stations; very high gang-related murder rates in Guayaquil. The UK advises against all but essential travel to Esmeraldas, Guayas and Manabí provinces. Protests and road blocks happen without warning.
- English: limited outside tourist areas
- Expat community: large
Sources: UK travel advice: Ecuador, safety and security (checked 2026-10-22) · Primicias: EF EPI 2025, Ecuador 83rd (low) (checked 2026-10-22) · INAMHI: national weather service (checked 2026-10-22)
Cost of living
| Monthly, USD | Quito | Cuenca | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single | Couple | Single | Couple | |
| Rent | 313 | 430 | 389 | 500 |
| Food | 320 | 580 | 280 | 500 |
| Utilities | 57 | 65 | 67 | 75 |
| Transport | 21 | 42 | 16 | 32 |
| Health cover | 120 | 240 | 120 | 240 |
| Leisure | 200 | 340 | 175 | 300 |
| Total | 1,031 | 1,697 | 1,047 | 1,647 |
Ecuador uses the US dollar. Rent: a one-bedroom flat outside the centre for one person, between one and three bedrooms for a couple. Health: voluntary IESS membership (about $85 a month at the 2026 minimum) or a modest private policy. Utilities include internet.
Sources: Numbeo: cost of living in Quito (updated Oct 2026) (checked 2026-10-22) · Numbeo: cost of living in Cuenca (updated Oct 2026) (checked 2026-10-22)
Visas and residence
Temporary residence for retirees (jubilado)
For people with a pension of at least three times Ecuador's basic wage: $1,446 a month in 2026 (basic wage $482), plus more per dependant. You need a criminal record certificate, proof of the pension and health insurance valid in Ecuador. Temporary residence lasts two years and can lead to permanent residence.
- Minimum income: 1,446 USD a month
- Valid 24 months, renewable
- The threshold moves each January with the basic wage. When you can switch to permanent residence (after 21 months, by some accounts) is reported differently by lawyers: check when you apply.
- Spouse can be included
- Official page
Trying it first: United States passport: 90 days in any 365 without a visa; Canada passport: 90 days in any 365 without a visa; United Kingdom passport: 90 days in any 365 without a visa.
Sources: Gobierno del Ecuador: temporary residence for retirees (jubilado), procedure sheet (checked 2026-10-22) · El Universo: 2026 basic wage (SBU) set at $482 (checked 2026-10-22) · UK travel advice: Ecuador, entry requirements (checked 2026-10-22) · Cancillería del Ecuador: visas (checked 2026-10-22)
Healthcare
Residents with a cédula can join the public IESS system voluntarily, paying 17.6% of a declared income (about $85 a month at the 2026 minimum); it covers care in IESS hospitals, where waits can be long. Because the cédula comes only after the visa, you need private insurance valid in Ecuador to apply. Private clinics in Quito, Cuenca and Guayaquil are good and inexpensive.
- Public system: Voluntary IESS affiliation once you hold a cédula: 17.6% of the income you declare, at least the basic wage.
- Private insurance, monthly (USD): age 55-64: 100 · age 65-74: 150 · age 75+: 250
- Pre-existing conditions: varies by insurer
Sources: PwC tax summaries: Ecuador, social security (17.6% voluntary rate) (checked 2026-10-22) · Rio Times: healthcare in Ecuador for expats (2026) (checked 2026-10-22)
Taxes
Since December 2021 Ecuador taxes residents on foreign income too, with a credit for tax paid abroad. Since January 2024 a 'temporary tax residency' regime lets new residents who meet its conditions pay tax only on Ecuadorian-source income for five years. Inheritances and gifts are taxed under income tax rules; municipal property tax is low and there is no wealth tax.
- When you become tax resident: Resident if you spend more than 183 days in Ecuador in a calendar year, or in a 12-month period spanning two years.
Coming from United States
Ask an adviser who knows both systems before moving, in particular whether you qualify for the five-year regime that leaves foreign income untaxed.
- Tax treaty: no
- Public pension: There is no US–Ecuador tax treaty. Under Ecuador's rules since 2021, foreign income including pensions is taxable, with a credit for US tax paid, unless you qualify for the five-year temporary tax residency regime (since 2024). Some expat guides say foreign pensions stay exempt; we have not found that in an official source.
- Private pension: Taxable in Ecuador as foreign income, with a credit for US tax paid; the US also taxes its citizens.
Sources: IRS: US income tax treaties A to Z (checked 2026-10-22) · PwC tax summaries: Ecuador, foreign tax relief (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from United Kingdom
Under the UK–Ecuador treaty, UK pensions paid to a resident of Ecuador are taxable only in Ecuador. Ecuador taxes foreign income since 2021, unless you qualify for its five-year temporary tax residency. Your UK State Pension is paid but frozen: it does not rise each year while you live there (it goes back to the current rate if you return to the UK).
- Tax treaty: yes
- Public pension: Taxable only in Ecuador (pensions article of the 2024 treaty, in force for UK tax from 6 April 2025).
- Private pension: Taxable only in Ecuador (Article 18). Most UK government pensions (such as civil service pensions) are taxed only in the UK.
Sources: GOV.UK: Ecuador tax treaties (checked 2026-10-22) · GOV.UK: countries where the State Pension is increased each year (checked 2026-10-22) · GOV.UK: tax on your UK income if you live abroad (State Pension, Personal Allowance, government pensions) (checked 2026-10-22) · HMRC International Manual INTM343190: pensions and annuities (State Pension under tax treaties) (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from France
Ecuador taxes foreign income since 2021, unless you qualify for its five-year temporary tax residency.
- Tax treaty: yes
- Public pension: Basic state pension: Taxable only in Ecuador, as your country of residence (pensions for past employment). (Article 18). Civil-service and military pensions are taxed only in France. (Article 19)
- Private pension: Taxable only in Ecuador, as your country of residence (pensions for past employment). (Article 18).
Sources: Ecuador–France tax treaty (1989), Articles 18 and 19 (copy of the text) (checked 2026-10-22) · economie.gouv.fr: income tax for residents abroad (minimum rates, non-resident withholding on pensions) (checked 2026-10-22)
Coming from somewhere else? The general rules above apply; check your home country's tax treaty with Ecuador or ask a licensed advisor.
Sources: PwC tax summaries: Ecuador, foreign tax relief (checked 2026-10-22) · PwC tax summaries: Ecuador, residence (checked 2026-10-22)
Housing
Elsewhere foreigners can buy like Ecuadorians. Buyer costs are usually 2–4% of the price: a transfer tax of about 1% of the municipal value, notary and registry fees, and legal fees.
- Can foreigners buy? With restrictions: The Constitution bars foreigners from acquiring land in national security areas and protected areas (Article 405), and the law adds a 20 km strip along the borders outside towns; farmland needs approval from the agrarian authority.
- Purchase costs: about 3% of the price (taxes and fees)
- Renting: Rents are low; many expats rent furnished flats in Cuenca or Quito before buying.
Sources: Constitution of Ecuador, Article 405: no land for foreigners in national security areas or protected areas (checked 2026-10-22) · Chambers: Real Estate 2026, Ecuador (checked 2026-10-22) · Rio Times: buying property in Ecuador as a foreigner (2026) (checked 2026-10-22)
Settling in
Once you choose Ecuador, the settling plan takes you through 7 steps, from a year before the move to your first year there. The first ones:
- Gather apostilled documents: Pension certificate, criminal record certificate and civil status documents, apostilled and translated into Spanish.
- Take out health insurance valid in Ecuador: Required for the application; IESS is only possible once you hold a cédula.
- Apply for jubilado residence: Apply online or at a consulate with the Foreign Ministry; many people use a local lawyer.
- Get your cédula: With the approved visa, register at the Civil Registry to get your identity card for residents.
The full plan, with costs, delays and official links, is in your personal space (coming soon).
Rules and figures change and we can make mistakes: confirm with the official source or a licensed advisor before acting.