Job Discussion Forums

JonnyBravo · Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 80 Location: Bogota, Colombia

Does the declining dollar make Ecuador the cheapest country in South America? If it makes exchanging the dollar in other countries more expensive, than does Ecuador win by default?

I saw this list this morning, not sure how true it is:

http://budgetmonkeytravel.com/budget-travel/latin-america-travel-cheap/

Thoughts?

nineisone · Joined: 23 Jun 2006 Posts: 187

Interesting chart. Not sure if I understand it correctly, but I would be skeptical about the listing of Venezuela. Even with the bloated exchange rate and the thirst for dollars there, I would still rate a daily budget in Caracas as being on the high end of the scale.

Surprised also to see Honduras way up the chart, which outside of the bay islands, has always been one of the cheapest destinations in L.A. in which to live. If this chart is done by a travel agency, the bay islands might have been the only area taken into consideration.

In regards to Ecuador, posts in the past indicated that dollarization would make Ecuador a more expensive country in which to live. A lot of that talk was before the dollar really started to swoon, so I don't know. Perhaps Justin can comment.

I'm assuming your concerns might be over "start up" cash you would be bringing to a particular country in usd, and maximizing your buying power with it. A realistic concern.

JonnyBravo · Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 80 Location: Bogota, Colombia

Sorry to be so Americentric in my first post. I should have said the US dollar.

From the link:

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:51 pm Post subject:

Quito is definitely more expensive than rural areas- but the most touristy areas are catching up well enough that I doubt that it's any more disparate than other latin american countries.

Of all the countries listed, I know only Ecuador well, so can't really comment on the veracity of the data overall. BUt $8.50 strikes me as not merely "lowball," but honestly irresponsible to publish.

Though there are hostels in the zone of 12 to 15 dollars for a double room, you would be hard pushed to find a room for less than that. So maybe 6, maybe more of your $8 go on the room, then it's $1.25 "almuerzos." Again, they do exist, but at that end of the scale, no frills seems to consider hygiene a frill.

The numbers seem way suspect to me.

Best,

Justin

ajarnlilly · Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 35 Location: Managua Nicaragua

"The prices are based on the average low-end accommodations and meal prices available on the Lonely Planet website." (no date of publication mentioned)

This is what is said for clarification on the above mentioned website. It's clear that these numbers are for comparison between countries and not as travel budgeting info. Several caveats are included on that subject.

I think we all know that big cities and tourist destinations are going to be more expensive than smaller towns off the tourist-beaten-track.

Jonny, I don't know where you got the word that Ecuador is one of the most expensive countries. My research has found just the opposite, especially if you're not a tourist. Since most tourists want to visit the Galapagos, and that IS very expensive, that may have jacked up the overall price of visiting Ecuador.

In searching hostels online, I found that a private single w/bath could be had for $8/day in Otavalo, for instance, and that IS a tourist destination. Dorm rooms started at $4.50. Of course, long term stays will cost much less than that.

Since no one in Ecuador seems to want to hire me over the internet (too old at 60, apparently, and scant recent teaching experience) I have been looking into teaching through a volunteer program, at least until I can look for a job on the ground. One states that a volunteer can "homestay" for $8/day. Another asks $300/month board and room. Another, in Quito, states that they pay their Ecuadorian staff $140/mo and they have an average life style. What they ask in return is a half day of teaching - English or some other subject, including sport, math, computer, art, crafts, etc.

So it seems to me that, depending on how "local" you want to go and how expensive your lifestyle, you can count on somewhere between $140 and $300/mo as a bare minimum. In living in other countries I have found that once you make local (native) friends and connect with expats, you can find much better deals than any found in a backpacker's travel guide.

Feeding yourself is just one example. Wherever I have lived or travelled, including the US, I have made it a habit to eat one meal a day of finger foods purchased at a grocery store or market. You don't always have to go to a sit-down restaurant to eat. Sandwiches, salads, fruits and nuts, etc can keep you satisfied and healthy.

This is what Gary at www.pro-ecuador.com has to say about it:
"We have lived in Cotacachi, about 2 hours north of Quito for more than a year. Nice unfurnished apartments here rent for $150-200. The problem is that it is quite expensive to buy furniture and there is no used furniture market. Once that hurdle is passed, however, things are very cheap.
Our utilities run about $25 per month, with another $60 per month for DSL internet and telephone. Long distance in country telephone calls are very inexpensive. We have a VOIP account for calls to the US and Canada.

The two of us spend about $150 per month on food, which includes all of the fresh fruit and veggies we can eat at about $12 per week.

Medical and dental costs are low. Teeth cleanings are $15, laser fillings around $20 and root canals and crowns at $120. I fell off my bike and had emergency room treatment, two x-rays, and a follow up visit all for $90. Excellent rehabilitation treatments with a variety of modern machines cost $2 per treatment.

Taxi's are $1, buses about $1 per hour. Clothing is generally somewhat higher than in the states.

Restaurants typically are $1.50 to $6 here, for very excellent meals.

We have lots of this type of info on our website, www.pro-ecuador.com

We are happy to answer questions."

Sorry, I don't have similar info for other countries. I am only interested in Ecuador. Happy hunting! - Lilly

kingkristopher · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 62

That info seems VERY suspect to me, but then I'm not sure if I'm reading it right. I've lived in four Latin American countries. Venezuela ( Caracas-2 years), Ecuador (Quito-1 year), Colombia (Bogota-2 months) and Panama (Panama City-4 years). Believe it or not of those four, Caracas was the cheapest. Of course, that was five years ago before most of the civil, political and economic unrest that has plagued the country recently.

For what it's worth, my lowest overall salary was in Ecuador (750 USD/month) and I was able to maintain the same lifestyle as everywhere else, so I'd probably say that Ecuador is on the low end. Bu 8.50 per day, that's nonsense...

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

It must have bee before the drop the dollar. right now compared to a month ago the dollar is only worth 90 percent of what it was before and it's dropping every day.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:08 pm Post subject:

You have to stay up to date on these things, as they change rapidly.

Anyone in Quito who's earning $140 a month is NOT living an "average" lifestyle. In the last five years, anyone paying a full time staff person $140 per month is in violation of the law. It's that simple. (this is not so say that those jobs don't exist, but it's nothing to be proud of. There is no way anyone is living anything resembling an acceptable lifestyle on $140 a month.)

Another factor may be the lack on internet saviness of a lot of businesspeople round here- I've frequently seen prices years out of date on websites. I'm in Otovalo with some regularity, and if there's a single with bath in the town for $8, I'd like to know about it. The place I stay is $12 to $14 single, around $20 if my girlfriend is with me.

I can't find one right now, but have seen a few studies that indicate that Ecuador, since dolarizaci�n, is on of Latin America's most expensive countries. THat seems about right to me- certainly quite a bit more expensive than Colombia or Peru, for sure.

When were you in Quito, KingKris?

Best,

Justin

kingkristopher · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 62

When I lived in Quito I worked for a company called inlingua. Not the best company but one perk was that my rent was only $50/month in a house they owned (in El Batan across from Estadio Atahualpa). As I said, I made upwards of $750/month so that gave me enough room to manouevre when it came to discretionary spending. I got to travel quite frequently and never found myself too short of money.

I'm sure that the situation has changed plenty. It's changing rapidly here in Panama, too. Prices are getting out of control. I'm paying $225/month for a small one bedroom, but only because I locked in a two-year lease. My neighbours who just moved in are paying $350 for the same apartment. It only figures to get worse. Food, gasoline everything is rising a lot faster than wages can compensate for.