RETIRE EARLIER REACTS toThe 10 Cheapest Countries To Live - You Might Not Need to Work Again! These are the 10 cheapest countries according to RAMM - Retire Abroad Media and Magazine. See outline below.
The RAMM cheerleaders are always at it! It was fun making this video and we hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did creating it! See the video breakdown below and here's the link to the video we are reacting to: https://youtu.be/_fwM8K8bWH4
Welcome to Gringo Good Samaritans, integrated with our 8 years of living in Cuenca Ecuador and traveling the world. We create informative videos and articles helping people come to awareness of what's happening in our world so they can enjoy their retire early lifestyle with their families, healthy, happy and free!
Live Healthy, Happy and Free
12 countries in 12 years
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Misinformation and Actual Information about Living in Cuenca Ecuador UPDATE 2020
We've updated this article twice now because it has so much good information it just needs to be updated for our readers. First published in 2014, updated in 2016 and 2020!
~~~
It’s very easy for information to become less than factual, especially when it gets passed around all over forums. You know how it goes, after
something has been told and retold and then retold again by several different
folks information can become downright confusing, misleading, and or simply
incorrect to newcomers to Cuenca.
Everyone has their own experience to report. No one experience is
correct, nor is it wrong, it is just what it is “for them”. It certainly does not mean that
someone else’s experience will be “your experience”.
This is why a good rule of
thumb is to hear and read information by the source(s) that control it and
established it, if at all possible. We
should never take someone else’s opinions or experiences as set in stone truth.
Not only that but we all have
to do the same amount of due diligence when moving to a third world country,
by experiencing everything for ourselves!
Good diligence dictates that we need to accept all information
available, not only that which suits us best.
When people try to get a free ride they usually end up not
enjoying their experience as much. We
should not expect or assume anything!! It is our own attentiveness to detail in
our observations and our own experiences that makes our understanding so much
better and enjoyable.
Misinformation 1 – The
tap water in Cuenca has amoebas and parasites so you have to boil it first or
buy bottled water.
Actuality: Cuenca’s
water system is fantastic. It is far superior to the city water in most
northern country areas! We have been drinking the water, straight from the
faucet, without a filter, since day one of our arrival and we’re not dead yet,
nor have we gotten sick, nor do we feel sick! The water also tastes excellent!
Update 2016- sadly we have to report that we did get parasites in Cuenca, not that the water is not drinkable, but because they turn the water off so often now with the lightrail work that we got parasites. We're not the only ones, other blogs and expats have also reported getting the same parasites (Entamoeba Histolytica) as we did in Cuenca.
You can get parasites from dirty pipes and letting water sit in the pipes
for long periods of time and then drinking it. We recommend to NOT drink tap water
from older buildings in El Centro either, which invariably have antiquated pipes.
Update 2017 - Still all true, however, since the construction of the light rail the water goes off so often that we now recommend travelers to Cuenca just buy bottled water to be on the safe side until they get the tram up and running and they stop turning off the water!
UPDATE 2020 - There are times when the city works on pipes and at that time there is a risk of
contaminated water. That’s why we
always keep stored water on hand for those occasions. Someone commented on our YT that the lite rail was finished and working but have not cofirmed this ourselves.
Misinformation 2 - You can
retire in Cuenca on $900 dollars a month.
Update 2020 - This still might be true if you do exactly what the paragraph below says.
Actuality: If you live
in a small apartment or house for $300 dollars; and if you seldom eat anything out other
than the typical almuerzo for lunch and dinner; if you ride the bus rather than
take a taxi; if you don’t buy imported foods, clothing, etc; if you text rather
than talk on your cell phone; if you have the lowest/slowest Internet plan of
$33; if you keep your utilities down to $50; If you never need to go to the
doctor; and you can keep your food budget down to $200 a month; and lastly, if
you can keep your miscellaneous expenditures down to $100 dollars per month,
well then you might be able to make it on $900 a month.
But we don’t think this is what the mainstream retire abroad
press meant when they published the article on how you can retire on $900 a
month and live like a king in Cuenca Ecuador, do you? Did they tell you all
that above? And actually for those of you who did not see it, they first were
touting “live like a king in Cuenca Ecuador on $600 a month, not too long ago.
They forgot to tell their readers this is only possible with integration and immersion into the Ecuadorian lifestyle.
Update 2016 - The new amount you can retire on in Cuenca is $1,500 to $2,000!
UPDATE 2020 - $1,500 to $2000 still true today in Jan, 2020
Facts dictate that if you’re
looking for u.s. standards, you may have to spend more than in the u.s.
Misinformation 3 – All
Ecuadorians are nice (honest) folks.
Actuality: Does
that really need explaining?
Misinformation 4 – Cuenca
Ecuador has dry air.
Actuality: Cuenca
is semi-humid climate and actually has fairly high humidity most of the time. Click here to see the weekly Cuenca weather forecast.
If you go by "feeling" well then you may not feel the humidity is that high because the air is thin and it is not hot in Cuenca, but we did a 8-week weather humidity experiment
and Cuenca is almost always at around 75% humidity or higher, especially in the
homes.
Because of this the homes are cool and can harbor mold spores. You
need to keep windows
cracked open all day to keep mold growth down. See our 8 week series mold experiment here.
As
always, feeling can be subjective:
someone from Houston may “feel” it is dry, while some from New Mexico may “feel”
it is damp.
Misinformation 5 - Go to
“such and such blog” or “such and such forum” for SPECIFIC documents (and information about VISAS and the process) you will
need for your residency.
Update 2020 - Absolutely true as even the link I had below no longer works because the embassy has no such link anymore.
Unless you go to the OFFICIAL Ecuador Embassy website.
Getting information from blogs and forums is a big waste of time, laws and regulations change all the time. That's why we don't give out the information on our blog. Click here for the OFFICIAL WEBSITE for Immigrant Visas (in English) or copy and paste the (below) link into your browser.
http://cancilleria.gob.ec/immigrant-visas/?lang=en
UPDATE 20202 - Your best bet is to go with https://www.ecuaassist.com/ for all your visa information and process.
Actuality: Understand, everyone has something to say about their experience with the immigration
process. But the fact is, no two instances are the same…and each lawyer cooks
the broth differently.
One week you need this paperwork, the next week, you don’t need
this document, but the next day, you do need this document…this week this law
is imposed that wasn’t previously, etc, etc.
Misinformation 6 – You
can get your Ecuadorian residency visa in 30-days
Actuality: Sure,
some (few) people get their residency in 30-days. Many people will not be able
to get their residency in just 30-days.
That might be you, so plan accordingly. The reality is even when you think all of your paperwork is in
order, snags, changes, and misinformation/miscommunication occurs.
Misinformation 7 – Most
of the things you mention (Referring to article on our blog) in post called “Cuenca Has Been Discovered” are NOT because of being 'discovered'. They
are things the gov't has implemented (ie; traffic police, controlling vendors,
fireworks preventing a major fire, gas subsidies, etc etc)....they have nothing
to do with foreigners coming here.
Actuality – the
new vendor regulations, all the new traffic cops, and no more fireworks
(because they are loud at night) have EVERYTHING to do with Cuenca being named the
best retirement city in the world!! Anyone
who thinks differently is not really in the swing of things.
When a new place becomes discovered, as Cuenca has for the last
four years in a row, it begins to improve all the things that gringos and
Cuencano-gringos gripe about.
You don’t think the locals complain about the noise of the
fireworks do you, (they’re the ones doing the fireworks), or the vendors taking
up too much of the sidewalk. All of the things (mostly the charms of Cuenca)
that are changing are a direct cause of influx of returning north Americanized Cuencanos
and gringos retiring to the “best retirement city in the world”.
Cuenca now has to live up to that label,
otherwise how could it truly be “the best city” if they don’t continue to change the
old world by modeling it to the new world?
UPDATE 2020 - Actually Panama has been named the best country to live and retire for 2020, giving Cuenca a much needed rest, however she is still in like 3rd of 4th place out of 10....!!
Misinformation 8 – It is
not safe to wave down a taxi in Cuenca.
Actuality: The
only thing hailing down a taxi in Cuenca might be unsafe for is to your pocket book!
Misinformation 9 – Rents
are cheaper in Cuenca compared to the u.s.
Actuality: For
whom are they cheaper? For Californians and New Yorkers, a majority of the
rest of the world is cheaper to them.
Still people just don’t get it;
they continue to compare South America to North America in everything. Did you forget that monthly wages
are $400 dollars per month here?!
When we continually compare as we do, talking with people about how
“cheap” it is to live in Cuenca” it begins to form some kind of brain-wash that
Cuenca is cheap. Why don’t you ask your average Ecuadorian if they think a bag
of oranges is cheap or the apartment they rent is cheap? Ask them.
Did you see the recent rant on Craigslist from a resentful
Ecuadorian about foreigners coming here and raising rent prices? Here it is.
-----------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE 2020 - To be sure, this rant was published on craigslist during the PEAK of the BUBBLE in Cuenca....when rent prices went double in just 2 years and even some went 3 times as much as standard rental rates!! There was a huge flood of foreingers going to Cuenca between 2012 and 2016! Prices have come down again somewhat, but expect them to go up again as just a few months ago the RAMMs - Retire Abroad Media and Magazines had a FAST TRACK conference in Quito Ecuador, but most of the people who move to Ecuador go to Cuenca.
Craigslist Post/Advertisement Warns of
hate crimes against Expats in Ecuador
Posted on March 30, 2014 • Filed under:
Ecuador, Internet, Social Issues, TRAVEL
Follows is a Craiglist.org post or
advertisement found in the Ecuador section of Craigslist under housing or real
estate/ It was originally posted CL >ecuador >all vivienda >piso
vacaciones
★★★★★★Warning…WARNING.
ALL YOU EXPATS coming to Ecuador racking the rental prices very very high. Which
is very rude, especially when…..expats this is ★NOT★Your land…..There is all ready hate Crimes….happening and will
continue by the people of Ecuador……All you Expats should be humble and I mean
very humble, because you guys are pissing the people of……Thats what basically
happened in Mexico..So keep doing this, you will make it Harder for the people of
Ecuador which this is there land to live….and they will retaliate.
You dont speaking fluent spanish your out
of luck….Any new Expats that are going to Ecuador and has hear of how cheap it
is……Yes but most on… Cl …list are thinking there back where they came
from..Wait until u r in Ecuador and do your own research…..u will find lots of
affordable places to rent. 450.00 and less… Yes I know I rented a 1 bedroom 1 bath,
furnished utilities included in a safe and secure place, just 1 block from the
malecon for $300.00. do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers
post id: 4386796962
posted: 7 days ago http://quito.es.craigslist.org/vac/4386796962.html
------------------------------------------------------------
Now you can see how (some of) the Ecuadorians feel when “rich
Americanos” go around bragging
about how cheap everything is in their country. Of course those who are going to reap the benefits of it are going to raise
prices and gringo us!!
We also made the mistake (when we first moved here) to call everything cheap, but we now stop ourselves from doing it. Besides, everything is not cheap here.
Instead of listening to Californians, New Yorkers or other large
u.s. metro area residents that say how cheap it is, how about asking those that
come down here and then leave because they can’t afford it, if they think it is
cheap. Oh, you haven’t heard from one of
those lately?
If you live here then it
is what it is. We need to live and let live and
quit bragging about how cheap it is. If
you have not yet read the article, “How We Avoid Gringo Targeting by Using the Rule of 3 and 4” we recommend you read it.
For more money-saving expat information don't forget to read the newcomers landing guides for Cuenca and Quito.
If you liked this article you will also like this one!
How to Be Responsible Expatters
Comments are welcome. Thanks for being a part of our YT channel and blog articles about retiring and living abroad.
-Stop wasting time and throwing money down the drain. Know for sure if your chosen location will meet your needs, and make better more informed choices like a pro.
Deep, unbiased, custom and current third party due diligence of your chosen cities abroad.
Example; Cuenca Ecuador, Boquete Panama, Palermo Sicily, etc. (you tell us what cities)
Comprehensive custom and current report delivered electronically within ten days. Let us know if you need speedy delivery.
$197
Email us at gringo good samaritan at yahoo dot com all one word for payment instructions.
~~~
It’s very easy for information to become less than factual, especially when it gets passed around all over forums. You know how it goes, after
something has been told and retold and then retold again by several different
folks information can become downright confusing, misleading, and or simply
incorrect to newcomers to Cuenca.
Everyone has their own experience to report. No one experience is
correct, nor is it wrong, it is just what it is “for them”. It certainly does not mean that
someone else’s experience will be “your experience”.
This is why a good rule of
thumb is to hear and read information by the source(s) that control it and
established it, if at all possible. We
should never take someone else’s opinions or experiences as set in stone truth.
Not only that but we all have
to do the same amount of due diligence when moving to a third world country,
by experiencing everything for ourselves!
Good diligence dictates that we need to accept all information
available, not only that which suits us best.
When people try to get a free ride they usually end up not
enjoying their experience as much. We
should not expect or assume anything!! It is our own attentiveness to detail in
our observations and our own experiences that makes our understanding so much
better and enjoyable.
Misinformation 1 – The
tap water in Cuenca has amoebas and parasites so you have to boil it first or
buy bottled water.
Actuality: Cuenca’s
water system is fantastic. It is far superior to the city water in most
northern country areas! We have been drinking the water, straight from the
faucet, without a filter, since day one of our arrival and we’re not dead yet,
nor have we gotten sick, nor do we feel sick! The water also tastes excellent!
Update 2016- sadly we have to report that we did get parasites in Cuenca, not that the water is not drinkable, but because they turn the water off so often now with the lightrail work that we got parasites. We're not the only ones, other blogs and expats have also reported getting the same parasites (Entamoeba Histolytica) as we did in Cuenca.
You can get parasites from dirty pipes and letting water sit in the pipes
for long periods of time and then drinking it. We recommend to NOT drink tap water
from older buildings in El Centro either, which invariably have antiquated pipes.
Update 2017 - Still all true, however, since the construction of the light rail the water goes off so often that we now recommend travelers to Cuenca just buy bottled water to be on the safe side until they get the tram up and running and they stop turning off the water!
UPDATE 2020 - There are times when the city works on pipes and at that time there is a risk of
contaminated water. That’s why we
always keep stored water on hand for those occasions. Someone commented on our YT that the lite rail was finished and working but have not cofirmed this ourselves.
Misinformation 2 - You can
retire in Cuenca on $900 dollars a month.
Update 2020 - This still might be true if you do exactly what the paragraph below says.
Actuality: If you live
in a small apartment or house for $300 dollars; and if you seldom eat anything out other
than the typical almuerzo for lunch and dinner; if you ride the bus rather than
take a taxi; if you don’t buy imported foods, clothing, etc; if you text rather
than talk on your cell phone; if you have the lowest/slowest Internet plan of
$33; if you keep your utilities down to $50; If you never need to go to the
doctor; and you can keep your food budget down to $200 a month; and lastly, if
you can keep your miscellaneous expenditures down to $100 dollars per month,
well then you might be able to make it on $900 a month.
But we don’t think this is what the mainstream retire abroad
press meant when they published the article on how you can retire on $900 a
month and live like a king in Cuenca Ecuador, do you? Did they tell you all
that above? And actually for those of you who did not see it, they first were
touting “live like a king in Cuenca Ecuador on $600 a month, not too long ago.
They forgot to tell their readers this is only possible with integration and immersion into the Ecuadorian lifestyle.
Update 2016 - The new amount you can retire on in Cuenca is $1,500 to $2,000!
UPDATE 2020 - $1,500 to $2000 still true today in Jan, 2020
Facts dictate that if you’re
looking for u.s. standards, you may have to spend more than in the u.s.
Misinformation 3 – All
Ecuadorians are nice (honest) folks.
Actuality: Does
that really need explaining?
Misinformation 4 – Cuenca
Ecuador has dry air.
Actuality: Cuenca
is semi-humid climate and actually has fairly high humidity most of the time. Click here to see the weekly Cuenca weather forecast.
If you go by "feeling" well then you may not feel the humidity is that high because the air is thin and it is not hot in Cuenca, but we did a 8-week weather humidity experiment
and Cuenca is almost always at around 75% humidity or higher, especially in the
homes.
Because of this the homes are cool and can harbor mold spores. You
need to keep windows
cracked open all day to keep mold growth down. See our 8 week series mold experiment here.
As
always, feeling can be subjective:
someone from Houston may “feel” it is dry, while some from New Mexico may “feel”
it is damp.
Misinformation 5 - Go to
“such and such blog” or “such and such forum” for SPECIFIC documents (and information about VISAS and the process) you will
need for your residency.
Update 2020 - Absolutely true as even the link I had below no longer works because the embassy has no such link anymore.
http://cancilleria.gob.ec/immigrant-visas/?lang=en
UPDATE 20202 - Your best bet is to go with https://www.ecuaassist.com/ for all your visa information and process.
Actuality: Understand, everyone has something to say about their experience with the immigration
process. But the fact is, no two instances are the same…and each lawyer cooks
the broth differently.
One week you need this paperwork, the next week, you don’t need
this document, but the next day, you do need this document…this week this law
is imposed that wasn’t previously, etc, etc.
Misinformation 6 – You
can get your Ecuadorian residency visa in 30-days
Actuality: Sure,
some (few) people get their residency in 30-days. Many people will not be able
to get their residency in just 30-days.
That might be you, so plan accordingly. The reality is even when you think all of your paperwork is in
order, snags, changes, and misinformation/miscommunication occurs.
Misinformation 7 – Most
of the things you mention (Referring to article on our blog) in post called “Cuenca Has Been Discovered” are NOT because of being 'discovered'. They
are things the gov't has implemented (ie; traffic police, controlling vendors,
fireworks preventing a major fire, gas subsidies, etc etc)....they have nothing
to do with foreigners coming here.
Actuality – the
new vendor regulations, all the new traffic cops, and no more fireworks
(because they are loud at night) have EVERYTHING to do with Cuenca being named the
best retirement city in the world!! Anyone
who thinks differently is not really in the swing of things.
When a new place becomes discovered, as Cuenca has for the last
four years in a row, it begins to improve all the things that gringos and
Cuencano-gringos gripe about.
You don’t think the locals complain about the noise of the
fireworks do you, (they’re the ones doing the fireworks), or the vendors taking
up too much of the sidewalk. All of the things (mostly the charms of Cuenca)
that are changing are a direct cause of influx of returning north Americanized Cuencanos
and gringos retiring to the “best retirement city in the world”.
Cuenca now has to live up to that label,
otherwise how could it truly be “the best city” if they don’t continue to change the
old world by modeling it to the new world?
UPDATE 2020 - Actually Panama has been named the best country to live and retire for 2020, giving Cuenca a much needed rest, however she is still in like 3rd of 4th place out of 10....!!
Misinformation 8 – It is
not safe to wave down a taxi in Cuenca.
Actuality: The
only thing hailing down a taxi in Cuenca might be unsafe for is to your pocket book!
Misinformation 9 – Rents
are cheaper in Cuenca compared to the u.s.
Actuality: For
whom are they cheaper? For Californians and New Yorkers, a majority of the
rest of the world is cheaper to them.
Still people just don’t get it;
they continue to compare South America to North America in everything. Did you forget that monthly wages
are $400 dollars per month here?!
When we continually compare as we do, talking with people about how
“cheap” it is to live in Cuenca” it begins to form some kind of brain-wash that
Cuenca is cheap. Why don’t you ask your average Ecuadorian if they think a bag
of oranges is cheap or the apartment they rent is cheap? Ask them.
Did you see the recent rant on Craigslist from a resentful
Ecuadorian about foreigners coming here and raising rent prices? Here it is.
-----------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE 2020 - To be sure, this rant was published on craigslist during the PEAK of the BUBBLE in Cuenca....when rent prices went double in just 2 years and even some went 3 times as much as standard rental rates!! There was a huge flood of foreingers going to Cuenca between 2012 and 2016! Prices have come down again somewhat, but expect them to go up again as just a few months ago the RAMMs - Retire Abroad Media and Magazines had a FAST TRACK conference in Quito Ecuador, but most of the people who move to Ecuador go to Cuenca.
Craigslist Post/Advertisement Warns of
hate crimes against Expats in Ecuador
Posted on March 30, 2014 • Filed under:
Ecuador, Internet, Social Issues, TRAVEL
Follows is a Craiglist.org post or
advertisement found in the Ecuador section of Craigslist under housing or real
estate/ It was originally posted CL >ecuador >all vivienda >piso
vacaciones
★★★★★★Warning…WARNING.
ALL YOU EXPATS coming to Ecuador racking the rental prices very very high. Which
is very rude, especially when…..expats this is ★NOT★Your land…..There is all ready hate Crimes….happening and will
continue by the people of Ecuador……All you Expats should be humble and I mean
very humble, because you guys are pissing the people of……Thats what basically
happened in Mexico..So keep doing this, you will make it Harder for the people of
Ecuador which this is there land to live….and they will retaliate.
You dont speaking fluent spanish your out
of luck….Any new Expats that are going to Ecuador and has hear of how cheap it
is……Yes but most on… Cl …list are thinking there back where they came
from..Wait until u r in Ecuador and do your own research…..u will find lots of
affordable places to rent. 450.00 and less… Yes I know I rented a 1 bedroom 1 bath,
furnished utilities included in a safe and secure place, just 1 block from the
malecon for $300.00. do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers
post id: 4386796962
posted: 7 days ago http://quito.es.craigslist.org/vac/4386796962.html
------------------------------------------------------------
Now you can see how (some of) the Ecuadorians feel when “rich
Americanos” go around bragging
about how cheap everything is in their country. Of course those who are going to reap the benefits of it are going to raise
prices and gringo us!!
We also made the mistake (when we first moved here) to call everything cheap, but we now stop ourselves from doing it. Besides, everything is not cheap here.
Instead of listening to Californians, New Yorkers or other large
u.s. metro area residents that say how cheap it is, how about asking those that
come down here and then leave because they can’t afford it, if they think it is
cheap. Oh, you haven’t heard from one of
those lately?
If you live here then it
is what it is. We need to live and let live and
quit bragging about how cheap it is. If
you have not yet read the article, “How We Avoid Gringo Targeting by Using the Rule of 3 and 4” we recommend you read it.
For more money-saving expat information don't forget to read the newcomers landing guides for Cuenca and Quito.
If you liked this article you will also like this one!
How to Be Responsible Expatters
Comments are welcome. Thanks for being a part of our YT channel and blog articles about retiring and living abroad.
-Stop wasting time and throwing money down the drain. Know for sure if your chosen location will meet your needs, and make better more informed choices like a pro.
Deep, unbiased, custom and current third party due diligence of your chosen cities abroad.
Example; Cuenca Ecuador, Boquete Panama, Palermo Sicily, etc. (you tell us what cities)
Comprehensive custom and current report delivered electronically within ten days. Let us know if you need speedy delivery.
$197
Email us at gringo good samaritan at yahoo dot com all one word for payment instructions.
Thursday, January 2, 2020
If You Retire to CHEAPEST or BEST Country, How Will THAT Enhance Your Lifestyle?
If You Move to the BEST or CHEAPEST Country, how will that enhance your lifestyle? What do we mean by that? Well, the REASON you move somewhere has to give you the same kind of standards of living and same way of life that you have now because it's all about the LIFESTYLE! And actually the country you choose should ENHANCE your life, not take away from it.
Take any country for example...moving/retiring to THAT country just because it's touted as CHEAP or the BEST is not going to sustain contentment in the long run. BEST country, CHEAPEST country it is all very subjective anyway! What's cheap to a Californian may not seem that cheap to a South Carolinian. And even if ALL the boxes are checked off, it STILL doesn't mean that country is suited for you. So, yeah, choosing a country based on how much you think you can save on your rent and grocery bill will NOT work! It won't make you happy. We realize now it is all about the lifestyle we now have, want to have and need to have. We want to enhance our lifestyle, not take away from it! Would you like to move abroad and have the expat happiness you deserve? https://tinyurl.com/wpf36s9
Take any country for example...moving/retiring to THAT country just because it's touted as CHEAP or the BEST is not going to sustain contentment in the long run. BEST country, CHEAPEST country it is all very subjective anyway! What's cheap to a Californian may not seem that cheap to a South Carolinian. And even if ALL the boxes are checked off, it STILL doesn't mean that country is suited for you. So, yeah, choosing a country based on how much you think you can save on your rent and grocery bill will NOT work! It won't make you happy. We realize now it is all about the lifestyle we now have, want to have and need to have. We want to enhance our lifestyle, not take away from it! Would you like to move abroad and have the expat happiness you deserve? https://tinyurl.com/wpf36s9
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