Ecuadorian Taxi Driver Says, "Don’t Pay more than $250 to $300 For Rent" - UPDATED 2016

Update January 2016 - This article was first published July 28, 2011. As you know we strive to keep our articles updated for you.  Please note, all new updates are in red text.



The taxi driver who told us not to rent for more than $300 has a budget for rent and it is $250 to $300!  It's what the prices used to be in 2011. Here's something to think about. Taxi drivers before meters made more money and now with the meters since 2014 taxi drivers make less but housing has gone up twofold. 



Update 2016 - There are no more houses in the $300 price range anymore, unless they are old, too far out, don't have a yard and or, are in need of repair. Gringos won't rent those.  



NOTE August 2013: This was said to us by a taxi driver over two years ago...more foreigners here now renting at unreasonable prices, causing the rental market to shoot up. You can still find $300 three and four bedroom home rentals but they are more rare, unfortunately. :-( 



Update 2016- again, no more (nicer with yards) house rentals (maybe apartments) in the $250 to $300. Punch in on OLX Ecuador, then add 4 bedroom homes to the left side column and all that pops up is $420 homes and up and there's just a few at the lower $420 price range, mostly you see $500 to $600, which once were $250 to $300!!

 --------- 

Sitting in San Blas Park in El Centro - Cuenca Ecuador

As the taxi pulled up in front of the house that we rent here in Cuenca Ecuador, the driver asked us, “How much do you pay for rent”? After we told him $250 a month he went on to tell us that paying anything over $300 month for a 3 or 4 bedroom house or apartment is paying too much. He then said, shaking his head and with a tone of disapproval that some Gringos are paying $500-$600, which hikes the prices up, making it hard for local families to find decent homes for themselves. We didn't say this, he did.

We do have to put things into perspective, however. Paying more than $300 for a 3 bedroom means that there might be a 24 hour security guard, or there may be a great view of the city, or that the home or condo is huge with many bedrooms, or perhaps the condo is furnished. Still, it is smart to do your research and not jump in emotionally and overpay, because most gringos that come here and rent are paying too much! Don't be another gringo target and be taken advantage of. When in Ecuador live as the Ecuadorians.



The Cuencanos like us Gringos to come here and spend money in their markets, shops, restaurants, and hotels, BECAUSE WE'RE TOURISTS, but they don’t like us to come here and pay exorbitant (to them) prices on housing because it makes it harder for them to find decent housing for themselves....except for the RE agents and landlords of course..... "sigh".... "sigh" again.



The average wage in Cuenca is about $350 to $400 month, give or take. With Minimum wage at $2.50 to $3.00 how can they rent a 3 or 4 bedroom for their family for $500 or $600 a month? They can’t!! If this isn’t reason enough to help keep rents stable, then I don’t know what would be reason enough.



The people of Ecuador do not have a $2000 dollar retirement check coming in the mail or a $2800 social security check each month. If you want to come here and live then live as they do and say no to being scammed for more rent than the local Cuencano’s would pay! In the end you will be doing the locals a big favor.



Update 2016 -  too late....referring to the statement above.



Cuenca Ecuador the best Retirement City



When we first started researching Ecuador two years ago, Internet real estate prices were about 20% lower than they are now. So what happened in the last two years? 



Well, Cuenca Ecuador has been named the best retirement city in 2009 and 2010 (still waiting to find out about the year 2011) and more and more Gringos are coming here renting at ridiculous prices and buying property at super ridiculous prices. 



International Living magazine loves to exploit new cities for people who want to have a better life with their resources than they have in the states and in Europe. It happened with Costa Rica and Panama. 



We believe Ecuador is the next tourist boom country. Cuenca has the highest rents and property prices out of all the cities in Ecuador and the most Gringos’. Go figure. 



Update 2016 - Cuenca Ecuador has been named in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 best place to retire, not sure about 2014 and 2015



Gringo’s come Here and Buy Property at Internet Prices



Gringos are selling their homes in California, Portland and North Carolina and then buying property here at Internet prices. Many of these house/condo seekers don’t speak very much Spanish so they get a Gringo real-estate company to help them find a property or rental. The Internet prices seems so good to them they just say, ok to the listed price. 



Update 2016 - Don't think there are that many foreigners buying without doing their due diligence first.



The problem is the prices are going up way too fast. Don’t misunderstand me, there are luxury furnished condos that perhaps should rent for the $600 to $700 price range, but we need to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. When we see the same amount of housing for two totally different price tags, it makes us wonder. Someone is not negotiating, or walking away. 



Update 2016 - And what is considered "luxury" here is just nice or ok to U.S standards. Just saying...it's reality.



in June 2011, our family moved into a brand new 170M 3/3, office and sun room all on one level, with a back yard for $250 a month (see the pictures here). So, why are some people paying $500 to $600 a month for a 3 bedroom apartment or house when others are only paying $250? It’s called negotiation. If they won’t lower the price, go somewhere else. There are numerous houses and apartments for rent in Cuenca for less than $300 monthly.  Sadly, not anymore...



Update 2016 - We still pay $250 for rent and if we were to try and find the same amount of house today in Cuenca, it would cost around $500 to $600 depending on the area. 



The best way to get a good price on rent is to NOT go to realtor's that obviously target foreigners. Scan the local papers for deals (use google translate if you need to) and if the price seems out of line, walk away. Meet local Cuencano’s and make friends with them. They will gladly tell you where some houses or apartments are for good value on your rent. There are so few good deals for houses anymore, they should save what's out there for the local people.



Update 2016 - We put much of the blame on the greedy, greedier, greediest real estate agents and home owners who obviously are targeting foreigners. More and more ads say, "rent to foreigners". It's a tourist game.



Ecuadorians want you To Negotiate over Rent



The truth is Ecuadorians like for you to haggle with them over everything you buy, unless you are shopping at the grocery store (Supermaxi) where the prices are fixed. I’ve been told that haggling and bargaining is accepted practice in Ecuador and if you don’t try and haggle over the price they don’t respect you as much. They want you to bargain with them!! 



Update 2016 - It depends on who you are talking with if they will bargain or not. If they have a stake in it, they are less likely to negotiate with the gringos. This is what's happening to Cuenca Ecuador...its changing...just giving a heads up on what's happening here. 



We hope you enjoyed this 2016 update. Talk to us and let us know in the comments if there is anything you would like for us to cover in an up-coming post. We will do our best to offer you the latest information, updates and changes that are happening in Cuenca Ecuador and to share our experiences of living abroad in a Latin America country.



Until we write again.



If you liked this article, we think you like these too.

• Bargaining in Ecuador Is Not What It Used to Be

• 10 More (almost) Shocking Truths about Cuenca Ecuador

• Dealing with Two Unscrupulous Rental Agents in Cuenca Ecuador 

We're
an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We
live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a
chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five
weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!

12 Unusual Aspects about Latin American Cultures

1. Selling (mostly) Floral Scented Toilet Paper – We’re sure that somewhere in Cuenca you can buy the unscented TP, maybe Supermaxi.  Do they really think floral scent is going to help curb bathroom odors? This one goes with #2.  



2. Putting Used TP in the Waste Bin Next to the Toilet
– Okay, okay, so the plumbing in certain areas is antiquated, we get
it!  We believe Cuenca is working on that too. 

This sign is located on the wall in a popular Gringo Restaurant in El Centro

Yes, in some areas of
Panama you have to put the TP in the waste basket instead of flushing. And this is what it looks like (see photo below) by the end of the day and you don't want to know what it smells like.

Public Restroom in a grocery store located in Cuenca Ecuador

However, in some of the newer/nicer areas in Quito they have to put up signs that ask people to please "flush" the TP. 

Quito Ecuador International Mariscal Airport

Note: We flush the TP in our home but we have a fairly new house; we've never
had a clog...knock on wood.



3. Being Served Instant Coffee, Even in the Nicer Restaurants – In a land where they grow it, they serve you instant coffee. And be careful. If you order milk with your coffee they will serve you a cup of milk with your instant coffee.
 

4. Being Late for Personal Engagements Considered Good Manners – This one takes a bit getting used to. Showing up on time for personal engagements is bad manners in Ecuador.
 

5. Gringo Gouging – Just because you’re a gringo! Everywhere in Latin America you will have to deal with gouging.
 

6. Vehicles Having the Right of Way at Pedestrian Crosswalks – This one is getting better.  More and more Ecuadorians stop for us so we can cross the street but there is still a large percentage that don’t. 

 

7. Incessant Honking of Car Horns – Latin Americans driver drive with their horns.
 

8. Paying Your Water and Electric to the Landlord – In Ecuador the law is that your landlord pays the utilities and he or she will let you know how much your electric and water is each month and then you pay it with the rent.  You can take their bill to the pay counter and pay it yourself (recommended) but it will be in their name.
9. Restaurants Not Willing to Serve Brown Rice – Some of the vegetarian restaurants do serve brown rice and that’s a plus. We understand they like their rice, but we keep lightly suggesting brown rice in some of the restaurants and it's almost always a "no" because there is not enough demand for it.

 

10. Walking and Eating at the Same Time – We walk and eat now too since it is the cool thing to do. Yes, they do it in Panama too.
 

11. Incessant Gringo Pumping - Gringos constantly pumping the area and all its glory and leaving you holding the bag.  It's ok though, the glass is still half full.

12. Being a Permanent Resident but always being mistaken for one of those tourists and their spending habits.
 

My mom has been in the u.s. for 50 years, longer than all the millennials put together, which number over 80 million according to the u.s. census,   but she still to this day because of her accent gets asked:  "how long have you been here?" I see it coming now.


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• 11 Cultural Quirks that Are Not Usually Talked about in Cuenca Ecuador

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• 43 Things We Have Observed about Cuenca and It’s People

We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!

Living in the Countryside of Ecuador: Is It Safe for North American Expats?

A Reader Asks: Frank and Angie, I have been following your blogs and videos this past year. Thank you for sharing your honest opinions and information. I am interested in finding a safe place for myself and two daughters. Ideally out of town, garden, chickens and enough room for my daughter’s horse. I realize we may have to change our dream to reality. Safety first. Any information or ideas is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

 Frank and Angie’s Response: Once upon a time, there was an older expat couple who bought a house and lived in a developing foreign countryside.  They were not isolated as there were other small farmhouses in the area, about a block apart from each other.
 

They had chickens, horses, and a couple of goats.  When they first moved into their modest country home, they found themselves needing the help of the local people often. The only problem with that was, neither he nor his wife spoke the foreign language…but they mostly got by.
 

…until…
 

…the Internet quit working and they didn’t know how to call a repair tech to service the connection; but that was the least of their worries. The old man didn’t know how to fix the weird looking hot water heater hanging on the wall, and so they were taking semi-cold showers; they got the local neighbors down the road to call a plumber. The only problem with that was the plumber was all booked up in the city and wouldn’t make it out to the countryside for another week.
 

One day the older couple realized their 2 gas tanks were completely empty. They went outside and waited around all day for the gas guys to come driving by, honking their horn so they could get their gas tanks swapped out for full ones so they could cook, shower and do dishes.  After the tanks got swapped out for full ones they were too heavy for them to carry on their own into the home and so they had to have the guys bring them into the home for them. 
 

Finally the Internet guys came out (it was three of them) and they came into the home to check the cable, router, and anything else that could be causing the Internet issue; the three guys were inside the home for over an hour.  Before they left the techs told the couple, “because you live 30 minutes outside the city you will have connectivity issues more often, but it will work, just a slow connection”.
 

The old couple did notice a slow connection; they could not stream videos and the Internet would pop in and out often. But they lived with it.
 

A week went by and they were still taking cold showers. One day, a couple of weeks later the plumber finally comes out to the house to fix the hot water heater; it was a simple problem that took five minutes to fix.
 

The old man asked him why it took him so long to come out and fix the heater and he replied, “You live 30 minutes from the city and I didn’t want to spend the time driving that far for one order. I’m a busy man in the city and I have lots of work there, but out here where you live, I don’t have any business.” 
 

“Oh…I see” said the old man. 



The plumber charged the couple $40 for a simple switch that took five minutes to replace.
 

“Why so much?” asked the old man.
 

 “Because I had to spend an hour driving out here and back into the city again, and I could have serviced four heaters in that time if I had stayed in the city”. 
 

“Oh…I see” said the old man.
 

In the course of just a few months, lots of different people were in and out of their modest country home and it was soon learned in the village they lived alone, besides all the people from the city that had been in the home, who also knew this man and woman lived alone.
 

They were vulnerable because they couldn’t speak the language, didn’t know who they could trust, and they didn’t have a lot of neighbors that lived close by.
 

One night while they were sleeping they were robbed. The thieves stole their 2 computers, cell phone, and about $32 cash they were using to make small food purchases and buy vegetables from a roadside vendor down the road.
 

The next day they had to go into the city and stock up on food items and get some cash out of the ATM. They walked the 3 blocks to the bus stop. The bus ride took over an hour to get into the city because of all the stops and turns it had to make. The couple got dizzy from the bus ride into the city and they told each other they weren't going to be doing that very often.
 

They were only gone three hours and in that time they got robbed again. This time the thieves took the television, antique china set, the wife’s gold jewelry and both horses. 
 

The old man asked the farmer next door, “Could I own a gun to scare off the thieves at night, I wouldn’t shoot them; I just want to be able to protect me and my wife”. 
 

“Oh no”, cried the farmer. “In this foreign land you do not have the right to defend your property or self with a gun, and most of the time the thieves never get caught and prosecuted. It’s very different in this foreign land. In this foreign land you have to just bear with the punches”, said the farmer.
 

The farmer continued and said, “If a foreign person accidentally shoots a robber, even if he has a gun too, the foreign person will go to prison for a long, long time. It’s best to have a guard dog, erect tall cement walls around your home with electric fencing and have a whole house alarm for at night when you are sleeping and for when you leave and go into the city”
 

The old man gasped, “But I just bought this country house and no one told me that! The real estate person told me it was safe to live out in the country. Anyway,  I have a bad knee and can’t do too much work; I can get a dog but I can’t afford to do all of those things to my house at this time”!
 

The farmer shook his head with a look of pity, shrugged his shoulders and walked off.
 

As a last resort, the old man and woman had to put their house up for sale and move into the city where it would be safer for them, something they dreaded.  Neither one of them were city people, always liked big green spaces and roaming around on their own property, having a garden...



Ten years has gone by and no one has offered to buy their house in the country, so the old man and woman had to put a lower price than what they paid for the farmhouse just to be able to sell it to one of the local people. 
 

BTW, they only got robbed in the city one time, the first week they moved in, when the old man opened the gate to strangers. The robbers ran in (they had knives) and took all the electronics and what cash they had lying around.
 

The old man learned his lessons the hard way but he did learn. And because they had each other, they lived happily ever after in the foreign big city, never to be robbed again!   The end.
 

Related Articles

• Ecuador President says Homicides down, Increase in Theft and Home Invasions

• British Couple Victims of Home Invasion in Salinas Ecuador (they apparently got robbed on 2 different occasions.)

• U.S Expats Getting Robbed in Vilcabamba Expat Community by a Gang of Thugs

• Robbed in Front of their Home, at Gunpoint in Cuenca Ecuador

• Expat Family Robbed in Beach Home in San Vicente (Bahia de Caraquez)

We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!

How Difficult Is It to Rent with Two Small Dogs in Cuenca Ecuador?

A Reader Asks:  If you live in Cuenca (in town) how does one shop for groceries and transport back to your home? We went to the Philippines last March, environment bad news. My main question is how difficult is to rent with two small dogs. Thanks.
 

Pets and Rentals in Cuenca
 

Almost anything is doable in Cuenca as long as you have the money.  These days so many foreigners are bringing their pets that the owners that do allow for pets in their rentals now ask for a pet deposit in case something gets ruined by the pet. 
 

Some expats have stated that Landlords do not give back deposits, even if the pet did not do any damage to the home. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get any deposits back once you have handed over the money.  That is why we recommend negotiating, i.e. writing out a fair and equitable contract so that all parties are not at risk of loss, including you, the renter.  But at the end of the day, if the landlord isn't convinced, she won't accept you with your pets.

People who have brought pets to Ecuador have told us there are lots of details and some paperwork to take care of; most people we have talked with that have brought pet(s) to Ecuador have said it was a difficult process. We do not have any personal experience to talk about since we did not bring pets with us when we moved here. We acquired our German Shepherd puppy from an Ecuadorian breeder in Cuenca Ecuador. 

Our German Shepherd Puppy

If you do bring a pet, it’s going to be a lot easier (more variety of rentals and less expensive) to find and to rent an unfurnished home or apartment. However, just because it is unfurnished doesn’t mean the landlord will even allow pets. Some home owners have had bad experiences in the past with pets and will not budge. Smaller breeds are much more appreciated here as companion dogs, while the bigger breeds are treated as a guard dogs, and for good reason.
 

This from Ecuadorian landlords: Some of the nicer rentals have beautiful hardwood floors and pets with long nails scratch the hardwoods with their claws when they walk and run on them. We're told that some dogs scratch on the beautiful wooden doors to go in and out, which can also cause damage to the wood. It’s very understandable that folks with pets will pay a deposit. Deposits start at $50 and can be as high as the rent itself. 



Note: We know that your pet wouldn't cause any damage but we have also been informed by expats that their pets, after traveling and being in new surroundings, behave differently, and they might, out of anxiety and stress damage something when you are not in the apartment, just something to think about for all pet owners. 



We say, bring your pet but be prepared for the costs to get them here and for procuring a rental and possibly not getting your deposit money back when you move. 



And now to answer your other question...
 

Cuenca Public Transportation & Taxi Service
 

You will not have any problems whatsoever getting to and from a grocery store by either bus or taxi. Buses from all directions in Cuenca go directly to the grocery stores. Taxi cabs in Cuenca Ecuador are safe and have meters in them. Fares are fair! You can hail a cab from almost anywhere in Cuenca.
 

Cuenca boasts four Supermaxi grocery stores and five Coral Hipermercado department stores strategically placed throughout the city of Cuenca. There are also numerous (too many to count) small (tiendas) grocery stores.  



Until we write again… If you liked this article, you will like these ones too.

• Pets and Furnished Rentals in Cuenca Ecuador

• Pets (BIG Dogs) and Taxi Cabs in Cuenca Ecuador

• Where Have All the Stray Dogs Gone in Cuenca Ecuador?

We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!

How Is It Living 10 Minutes by Taxi from Downtown and Gringolandia Cuenca Ecuador? UPDATED

Note: From time to time we update articles that are needing to be renewed. This one was originally published March 2012. At the time of this article, most retirees wanted to live either downtown in El Centro or in the gringoland area of Cuenca Ecuador. Today that has all changed. Read and find out more.



We hope you enjoy the updates we are providing with the new changes that are happening in Cuenca Ecuador. 

El Centro - San Blas Park

This is part 2 of answering readers concerns..see bottom of this article for part 1 and 3.

Comment from a reader in 2012: Your family has the benefit of four men, all of whom are younger than most expat retirees, and all look to be in terrific shape. Your family wouldn't be a target for problems in most cities in the world. Many retirees do not have this advantage.

Frank and Angie Respond in 2012: You’re right; we are blessed to have our three sons with us right now.  Frank and I are not young; we’re older than most people think; and we walk and travel all over the place without our three sons, take the bus to other cities and we just traveled by buses to the central coast of Ecuador without our young men (sons) with us!



UPDATE JANUARY 2016: Frank and I have also been to Quito several times, as well as Northern Esmeraldas (Atracames) Beaches and just a few months ago we traveled the whole country of Panama without our sons. We occasionally walk off the beaten path if we are needing to write about an area or simple because we want to know more about the local life. 



The only time anything has ever happened to us was in 2012 when Frank got his wallet pick-pocketed in Cuenca Ecuador of all places, during the day time on the bus! It was our fault. You can find out why it happened here.



The reason why we stay safe and are not targeted has nothing to do with having our sons with us. We don't have negative encounters with the bad apples because we have guidelines that we follow to the T.  Here's some of the more important ones.



1. We figure that we have from 6:00am until 6:00pm to enjoy the great outdoors, eat out in restaurants, explore new territory and to simply have a blast doing whatever it is we feel like doing.  We are seldom out after dark. Haven't you noticed in downtown Cuenca that around 6:00pm you'll start seeing a different type of people out on the streets? It's all about observation. They're dressed different, they stare different and they walk different and they behave different.  Night time is when 80% of bad things happen to people.



2. We NEVER take the bus after 7:00pm; the buses have a different breed of people on them in the evening hours. 



3. When we travel we never walk around with important (original) documents, wallets, purses, expensive looking clothing or jewelry...we try and blend in as much as possible and always speak Spanish.



4. When exploring new areas (we do a lot of that) if a side road looks oddly vacant we turn around. 



5. We (now) don't walk too far off on most of the Ecuador beaches anymore after a tour operator told Frank and I not too walk where there is no people when we walked too far away from the crowds on Atacames beach.



6. We don't open our gate to strangers when we are home. We do not trust people we do not know.



7. If and when we are approached by groups of young men we don't act scared and feeble and we look them in the eyes. This happened to us in the Milna neighborhood of Salinas Ecuador. Don't act intimidated and behave as if you can beat them up. Seriously...they were staring us down and we could tell they were up to no good.  

 

Expats get taken advantage of for six basic reasons.

*They are older and cannot run after a thief

*They have a disability or age related physical condition that prevents them from defending themselves

*They flash their valuables, whether it is money, jewelry, wallets, cell phones, etc;

*They’re intoxicated and can’t defend or run after thief

* They are walking alone

* Too trusting -- (Lots of times people are robbed by people they know and confided in)

Most of the time, Frank and I walk all over in Cuenca Ecuador without our sons. The reason why nothing terrible has happened to us is because we take all of the precautions that are necessary to protect ourselves, whatever those might be according to our circumstances at the time. Please see our blog posts on safety in Ecuador.  Also we do not go out at night, especially if it is just the two of us.

We’re getting older, and our sons, obviously are not going to be with us forever; eventually they will have their own families; even so, we would not move downtown Cuenca because there is nothing beneficial downtown that cannot be found 10 or 15 minutes from the downtown area. In fact, there is more petty crime to expats downtown then elsewhere in Cuenca, and that is a fact! Downtown is smoggy and loud too! It's fine to visit but not live. 

Living downtown does not make you safer from crime; most of the crime in Cuenca is not when you are in your home, but when you leave it. The truth of the matter is because of the high presence of expats in the downtown area that is also where the thieves hang out because that is where the money and valuables are, right?



Update January 2016 - There are so many police downtown now that we
think it has curbed the petty thievery a great deal. It doesn't mean
you still shouldn't watch yourself, especially at night, but it does
mean it is now not as prevalent as it was in 2012! Although we have read in a recent article that Cuenca is now seeing more home invasions. We have been hearing about more home invasions located in different areas of Ecuador.

 

Comment from a Reader in 2012: to live away from the city center would mean for them a certain amount of isolation as what is to you a 15 to 20-minute walk into town would be an hour for them, if they could make it. So, they would always have to take a taxi into and out of the center. The farther out one lives, the more expensive the taxi ride. And to stick to a budget, they might become more housebound than they would like.

Frank and Angie Respond in 2012: Not sure what you mean by isolation? Do you mean from other expats?  Once you get outside of the 2 by 2 mile colonial section of downtown, it is not countryside with only a few homes scattered here or there; there are mom and pop shops, hospitals, big grocery stores, hardware stores, grocery marts, malls, bakeries,  parks, clothing stores, huge Mercado, dental offices, doctors clinics, 24 hour emergency clinics, Italian, Mexican, Ecuadorian and Chinese restaurants, lots of pharmacies, health food stores, movie theatres, home remolding stores, furniture stores and more just about anywhere you are in Cuenca! 

There is no isolation from shopping, restaurants, malls, doctors and hospitals. On the contrary, if you live in the two mile by two mile downtown radius where most expats move to, you will have to take a taxi or a bus to go to the Supermaxi and Coral grocery stores, the major hospital, major hardware stores, biggest Mercado in Cuenca, Mall Del Rio, and some of the better furniture stores. 

The one and only thing you will not see as many of when you live outside the 2 by 2 mile colonial section is gringos, unless you live in condo alley in gringolandia, but now is that such a bad thing? 



Update JANUARY 2016:  Boy, a lot has changed since we wrote this article in 2012.  El Centro is where the tourists might stay and a few expats live in the Colonial section but not as many as there once was; it's just too noisy and smoggy for most people to live there on a permanent basis. And there are gringos living all over in the city now, not just in El Centro or gringolandia. One Ecuadorian commented to us saying, "All of Cuenca is gringolandia now"!  We all chuckled. 



Here is all three parts to this series where we answer readers concerns: We will update the others soon.

• 
  
  
  Answering Readers Concerns about Living 10 Minutes by Taxi, from Downtown Cuenca--part 1 

• Answering Readers Concerns about Living 10 Minutes by Taxi, from Downtown Cuenca--part 2

• 
  Answering Readers Concerns about Living 10 minutes by Taxi, from Downtown Cuenca--part 3

  
  

 We're
an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We
live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a
chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five
weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!