Good Maps of (Cuenca) Ecuador

When you tell people you live in Ecuador some of them are really not sure where that is. Some people think it is Central America, while others think it might be somewhere by Africa.



I clearly remember when I first told my mom we were moving to Ecuador
the first thing she said, “Is that in Central America?” She got out the
atlas and studied it, especially South America, for the first time since
she was in grade school.  I thought Ecuador was next door to Costa Rica.



Let's first take a look at a map of all the South American countries. This will give you a good idea of just where Ecuador is located and how large the country is in relation to other SA countries.



Map of South America



Ecuador is a small country, about the size of the state of Arizona. It is positioned between Columbia and Peru. Here is a good quality map of all the South American countries. Notice the size of Ecuador in relation to other SA countries. http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/southamerica.html



Wall Map of Cuenca Ecuador



If you are already in Ecuador then you can buy a detailed street map about 4’ by 3’ wall map of Cuenca city and surrounding area for a few bucks at the Papelaria Monsalve (office supply store) located off of Solano and Remigio Crespo. Because of its size, this map is best left pinned up to the wall in your home or apartment. Btw, this papelaria is the largest we have seen in Cuenca so far.



Free Maps of Cuenca



The Cuenca tourist office, across the street from Parque Calderon has two different types of free maps for visitors. And of course, online you can find a lot of good maps. Below are a few places to find good online maps of Ecuador.



Online Interactive Maps

https://maps.google.com/maps?ct=reset&tab=ll



Google maps beats all other online maps in our opinion just for the simple fact it is interactive and you can actually explore other places of interest in the area you are looking at. Google maps allow you to put in street names and get directions within any city of whatever country you are looking at.



Introduce yourself to Cuenca with Google’s Interactive map. Go to Google Maps and type in the search bar “Cuenca Azuay Ecuador”. Make the area as big or small as you like by moving the plus or minus sign that is located to the left of the map. Over to the right of the map you can click on “photos” and the map will display some really nice sights in Cuenca and the surrounding area.



With Google online maps you can also look at the satellite image, the terrain of Cuenca, what the weather is doing and even videos of Cuenca or of anywhere in Ecuador without even leaving Google maps!



Static Online Map - http://www.takemaps.com/en/map_of_ecuador_en.php

This map is a large online map with buttons and magnifying glass to easily scope out the provinces and cities within Ecuador. You can also print out this map as big as you want.



Here is an online street map of Cuenca Ecuador. Don’t forget to use the plus and minus buttons to make the area more detailed. This map is also viewable in satellite.

http://24timezones.com/onlinemap/ecuador_cuenca.php



GPS Travel Maps for Ecuador -http://www.gpstravelmaps.com/ecuador.php

 

Ecuador City Maps  - This website provides good quality maps of many different cities located within Ecuador. http://www.mapsofworld.com/ecuador/destinations/



We hope these maps of Ecuador will be helpful and aid you in your research about Ecuador. And now you know just where Ecuador is located and how to get around some of the major cities in Ecuador for when you visit or move here..



We know how useful maps are for when you first arrive in Cuenca and that is why the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide provides detailed street maps of points of interest that we think you will find very useful as you orient yourself here.

Should You Move to Ecuador to Live in Luxury?

With all the hubbub on the net about how one can live in Ecuador and Cuenca for $800 to $2000 a month (so which is it?) I can see how some folks would reason: "Hey if you can live on that, then honey, we could probably live in LUXURY on twice that much or a little more."

The ‘problem’ with that idea is that you’re not the only one that has thought of that. We’ve heard of people living on $4600 a month in Cuenca!!



And as a parallel example, if you’ve ever participated in an online auction of any kind, then you know that when there are too many other bidders that will pay more, the price spirals out of control.



On top of that, the early bidders know even as the price goes higher and higher, that the item is over bid! It’s just not worth that much. But try telling that to the late bidders who have decided that they want it and must have it!



Following the above reasoning, “honey, that $600-$800 apartment or house must be – luxury living”. Boy are you in for a big surprise. Those places are no more luxury than they were just a short time ago when they were going for $300-$500.



For an example, $500 to $750 rent for a 2/2 or 3/2 is going to be a very basic, small, freshly painted apartment (900 sq ft to 1500 sq ft of living space) and it will not be luxurious.

Everything is just basic, so why the high rent? Most likely a renter is paying for…24 hour security, dime a dozen views, being a gringo, etc. etc.



I vote for a ‘reverse bidding’ process. We all show up and each one of us offers lower and lower rental prices. Wouldn’t that be fun? (We're already doing it, will you help us?)  Farfetched you say? What do you think is happening when a bubble pops?



“Why do so many gringos leave Cuenca?” Asked the latest taxi driver. Our regular readers know we have a few ‘insider’ conversations with taxi drivers—like this one.



“Oh, you know, they probably believed the Media Hype, and came here to “live in luxury”, hoping they could get what they had in the States, but cheaper”. Shaking our heads: “you know it just isn’t so”. “We both know that Ecuador and Cuenca are nice, but it’s not North America”.

Many North Americans are moving to Cuenca thinking they are going to live in luxury for less than they can somewhere in the US…but unfortunately to have the luxury living that North Americans speak of in Cuenca means sky-high rental prices that are geared to the foreigners. BTW, the Ecuadorians who have been living in the northern country for 15 and 20 years and are moving back to Cuenca consider themselves gringos.

We regularly hear of people that embrace this “luxury living” idea, and find out that they’re overpaying on everything, all the way down to $15 for a $6 chicken. Do you think these people call their relatives back in the u.s. and say “yes, we’re doing great here in Ecuador, we are frequently seen as an ATM machine and we’re overpaying for everything”.

It’s mostly people from the larger metro areas that buy into this philosophy. In reality, if they would just branch out a bit from their large metro area, within the u.s. there are plenty of lower cost slower paced areas, such as in the Midwest and the South.

Not surprisingly there are many wonderful u.s. cities where home prices have not gotten too out of hand, or they have come down. See the real estate chapter in the updated DIY Cuenca Landing Guide to see what we’re talking about.

What? Did you really think you were going to swap a u.s. metro area for Cuenca Ecuador for less money? You can do that, but you’re not getting what you left behind.

To get the inside scoop on what’s happening in Cuenca Ecuador, save time and money and learn to live well see the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide.

Welcome Expats to Cuenca Ecuador!

The number of people expatriating to Cuenca Ecuador is growing. New expats are arriving to Cuenca daily. Some of them are arriving as visitors for an exploratory trip, while others are arriving to stay and make Cuenca their new home. Meet Jim and Kay, a couple who came to explore Cuenca and they did, and their first impressions are, “We love it and we’ll be back!”