Prices in Cuenca

It could be very helpful to show a list of prices you should expect to find in Ecuador. They will differ from one city to another, and from one restaurant to another, but this is an aprosimate to give you the big picture about princing in Ecuador
The prices in this list are taken from Cuenca, Quito and Guayaquil are more expensive, but not by much.

a cup of coffee in a nice restaurant	US $ 2.00
a movie on dvd	$ 1.50
the latest Shakira cd (copy)	$ 1.00
a galon of gasoline	$ 1.40
a bag of dog food (20K premium quality)	$ 80.00
a tube of toothpaste and a tooth brush	$ 2.50
1 2 liter bottle of Coca-Cola	$1.00
the latest Harry Potter novel or Twilight book	$ 15.00
a car battery	$85.00
a stick of deodorant	$ 4.00
a 4-pack of AA batteries	$ 5.00
a taxi ride (within City limits)	$ 5.00
bus fare	25 c
breakfast	$ 4.00
a hotel room for a single night (4 to 5 stars)	$ 85.00
a ticket to see a movie	$ 4.50
monthly rent (3 bedroom house)	$ 400.00
phone service	$ 15.00
water service	$ 8.00
cell phone service	$ 20.00
car insurance (per year)	$ 600.00
electric bill	$ 30.00

Ecuador, weather and climate

Ecuador has two seasons: wet and dry, which have much to do with the part of the country you are in. Generally speaking, the temperature is dictated by altitude. Cuenca and the Andes enjoy spring-like weather year-round, with highs of around 20-25° C (68-77°F) and lows of about 8-10°C (45-50°F). Weather in the Galapágos varies between misty and cool, and steamy and sunny. The Amazon region is generally either hot and humid, or hot and rainy.

The wet season or invierno (winter) in the highlands is from October until April (with a short dry period from mid-November to the end of December), and the dry season, verano (summer) lasts from June until September. However, no matter what season it is said to be, the weather is ultimately unpredictable. Warm sunny mornings can often lead to bone-chilling, rainy afternoons, hence the sierra’s adage “four seasons in one day.”

The Pacific Coast is at its coolest from June to November, when it is often cloaked in garúa, a thick, foggy mist. Generally, the region is warm and humid year round, with temperatures averaging 25 degrees C (76 F) to 31 C (90 F). The rainy season- from December to May- is warm and muggy. The dry season is less humid, but by no means dry. It tends to be wettest in the north (Esmeraldas) and driest in the South near the Peruvian border. Temperatures in the Oriente hover around the high 20s to low 30s (high 80s to 90s°F). It rains most days in this area, but the wettest months are April to September.

In the Galapagos there is a rainy season, a dry season and a transition season. The months of June to December tend to be characterized by cool garúa (mist) and temperatures averaging 72 F. From January to May, the climate is more typically tropical: hot air temperatures, wide stretches of blue sky, and occasional brief downpours. Because many of the islands are covered in black (bare) lava rock, you may feel yourself baking (and burning) in the heat.

Information taken from http://liveinecuador.inmocorp.com
Thanks guy for letting me use it.

Live and Retire in Ecuador

Hello everyone.

This blog is dedicated to Cuenca - Ecuador. The most beautiful place to live and retire in the world.

It is no wonder Cuenca was named the "Number One Retirement Haven"in the world for 2009. With a population of around 500,000 people, Cuenca is large enough to find all the amenities you want, yet small enough not to have the crime rates found in a larger city.

Cuenca is located in the southern Sierra at an elevation of 8,200 feet and is an UNESCO World Heritage site. Cuenca is believed to have been f one of their three Incas' most important cities, the ruins of which are still visible on the grounds of the Banco Central Museum. The Spaniards finally laid claim and gave it the name it has today. Cuenca was officially founded in 1557.

We who live in Cuenca believe this is truly a magical place. From it's cobblestone streets to the thriving downtown shops in stunning colonial buildings to the boundaries defined by 4 beautiful, rushing mountain rivers from which came it's formal name of Santa Ana de Los Cuatro Rios de Cuenca. (Santa Ana of the four rivers of Cuenca). From its genteel residents to the value Cuenca culture places on ethnicity, art and education. Cuenca is truly a glorious and civil world unto it's own. If you ever dreamed of stepping back in time to a more civil society where the cost of living was what it used to be; where you knew your neighbors and life revolved around more than the high cost of daily life,you could not find a more magical spot than Cuenca. Elders are respected here, not discarded. Young people love art and jazz as much as their elders. Cuenca thrives on creativity and the evidence is abundant on every street, in every plaza and in the overwhelming number of art and music opportunities that occur here on a weekly basis.

Cuenca is dotted with galleries, antiques, old world ‘tallers' who will handcraft whatever you need, from clothing to copper pots and pans to hand carved furniture. It seems there is a jewelry store, a shoe store, a vitamin store and of course, a bakery on virtually every block in town.Pick up a dozen long-stemmed roses in the flower market for around $4.00