Seniors Retire in Ecuador

CNN Money has been looking for great places for seniors to retire. One of those spots is in Ecuador. In recent years, Cuenca, Ecuador (population 30,000 and 275 miles south of Quito), has become a favorite retirement destination. Cuenca offers temperate weather, beautiful architecture, and modern health care, all for a fraction of the cost of living in the U.S., and the national currency is the U.S. dollar.

Opening-home-price figure, $75,000, is not a typo. Health care and property taxes are dirt-cheap. Sell your winter clothes, seniors…and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime in the Land of Eternal Spring. Every cliché you’ve heard about living large on little, on even a retiree’s budget, is true in Ecuador writes International Living.

Senior citizens can live comfortably on social security and live well. I have spent time in Ecuador and loved most everything I encountered. Of all of the cities in Ecuador, Cuenca is arguably the most charming with its cobblestone streets, old-world cathedrals, colonial parks and urban rivers. It is the third largest city in the country with a population of a 500,000.

Why Cuenca? Seniors Ask

Cuenca is currently home to a few thousand expat retirees, mostly from the U.S. and Canada. New arrivals can choose from one of the many new condo developments or spring for a landscaped historic estate for $300,000.Ecuador is a local food paradise with a variety of lush produce that grows year round in small farms surrounding Cuenca.

What does Cuenca Ecuador have to do with The American Dream? Short Answer: everything really associated with quality of life is more abundantly available in the very best cities of Latin America with Cuenca, Ecuador a crown jewel among them. If you are even a tiny bit interested in a major move like this, read on as they highlight the Big Three Pros of Cuenca including a video entitled “Living in Cuenca.”

My Editor, My Wife, reads all these  blogs very carefully and most often notes that “We have to check this place out.”  I’m confident that Cuenca will be included next. Cuenca is a World Heritage Site and that’s enough, in itself , to merit a visit.

Viva Tropical notes that Cuenca is the city of choice for those people who dream of living smack in the middle of Paris, Barcelona, or Sienna (or even Manhattan or San Francisco, for that matter)… within walking distance of historical, beautiful architecture, culture, and food — at a price that’s affordable for someone needing more living space than a studio apartment.

And “nota bene:” the people in Cuenca are welcoming of Americans and happy to help make them part of the community. Many are fluent in English and the city has plenty of English-language bookstores, store owners, and people willing to accommodate non-Spanish speaking travelers and expats.

Enjoy your time in Cuenca.  I know we would.  jeb