Cynthia Collette moved to Ecuador in 2012 from Minneapolis, Minnesota with five duffle bags and $700. Her monthly income at that time was just $600 a month. Today, she says, “My base income has gone up a bit…to about $725 a month. In the U.S., there’s no way I know of to live on that amount, even extremely frugally.”
The English-speaking country of Belize has a lot going for it. For a tiny country, it packs a big wallop when it comes to charm and scenery. For the would-be expat—especially if you're looking for real value—there are many areas deserving of your attention.
I am so excited to be returning to Quito this June….I can’t wait, in fact. Ecuador is my very favorite country on the planet. (While I am no longer living in Ecuador full time because of family obligation, I hope to do so again some day in the future.)
When Gary and Kathryn Kelly, both in their 50s, moved to Ecuador from Sargent, Texas, in 2011, they expected this would be where they spent their retirement years. In Texas, Gary had owned a property tax management company and Kathryn worked as his executive assistant. In Ecuador, they hoped to laze away the days on the beach in front of their home…
Cynthia Collett recently celebrated her first anniversary in Ecuador, although she admits she had been working on this idea of "retiring overseas" for nearly a year before she actually made the move. "A friend came to Ecuador for a work-related conference," Cynthia says. "And she told me I would absolutely love Cotacachi. "That’s when I started the Internet research. The more I read, the more I fell in love with the culture."
You can study all the collected data, analyze real estate statistics, crunch the cost-of-living numbers, study weather patterns and more...but nothing surpasses your gut instinct when it comes to choosing a place to live. And believe me, your gut can change—especially as you get older.
You'll never be a native Costa Rican, but you can fit in like one when you understand these small cultural differences.
You'll never be a native Costa Rican, but you can fit in like one when you understand these small cultural differences.
What to do before you leave home? What steps to take and documents to assemble? Bank accounts, credit cards, mail, phones, health care, pets, kids, and more…find out here.
What to do before you leave home? What steps to take and documents to assemble? Bank accounts, credit cards, mail, phones, health care, pets, kids, and more…find out here.