Looking to retire abroad.

You're not alone and you're in the right place.

Today we're turning all of our eyes to Ecuador, a country that punches way above its weight in beauty, climate and expat friendliness, all while keeping a relatively low cost of living.

This is Queer Money episode number 616.

So let's go.

So let's talk a little bit about Ecuador, especially when it comes to gay rights.

Same sex marriage has been legalized since 2019.

Legal gender, gender recognition took place in 2024.

Despite all that, there is still a little bit of stigma.

Same sex couples cannot adopt and there is some discrimination despite the constitutional protections, which kind of reminds me of what David Gobacker said on episode 611 about how he wants to live in a country that it isn't just written, it's actually lived on the streets.

And so this is probably one of those countries that's still working towards that.

As far as the rest of the country, it is considered to be an affordable luxury area.

You can enjoy a comfortable lifestyle for about about 60 to 70% less than the US with many stunning mountain and coastal vistas and world class healthcare.

It is also referred to as a country that has year round springtime.

Ecuador's mild but unstable climate, especially in the mountainous areas like the Andes, means that you can ditch both the snow shovel and the air conditioner.

I'm down to that.

Right.

Some other things that are great.

It does have easy access to an easier life with the US dollar being its primary currency.

It has a simplified residency, passport, residency visa process and low cost domestic travel.

So that makes it a place where a lot of retirees are looking to retire abroad because it is refreshingly straightforward.

Nice.

So as a recap, two weeks ago we covered the beautiful country of Taiwan for the top five places for gay retirees.

In two weeks, we will cover the top five places for gay retirees in Madonna's home country, Italy.

This week we're covering Ecuador.

So as always, please let us know what we get right, what we get wrong, especially some of the pronunciations.

And then of course, more importantly, let us know what your personal experiences are in these locations or in Ecuador overall.

The more you share, whether you've been there long term or even just for a quick trip, the better for everybody else who's having great discussions on Instagram and YouTube.

Right, so let's dive into the top five cities.

Coming in at number five is Salinas.

Why is this a great area?

Salinas is one of Ecuador's most developed beach towns.

So it has good infrastructure, has a mild climate compared to some of the other beach towns, beach access, and it's a great base for expat life.

Some of the downsides, because it is a coastal area, there is some risk to humidity, storms and some vulnerability when it comes to crime, especially in the port or coastal zones.

And also it's a touristy area.

We know what happens when tourists come in.

Prices go up, right?

So some of the areas are going to be a little bit pricier, especially near the touristy hubs.

As far as the LGBTQ vibe and hotspots, it's not necessarily known as a gay town, but Salinas has a relatively liberal and tolerant lifestyle compared to some of the other coastal towns around.

You won't find necessarily a robust gay nightlife, but there are gay friendly hotels and bars.

Actually found one bar that is called Vox.

It is a gay disco and dance bar with drag shows.

So there is a somewhat, somewhat of a gay vibe going on here.

Some of the other perks, again, beach lifestyle, community.

If you love seafood, you're going to be in heaven here.

It also has good connectivity to some of the other coastal hubs and it does have access to a lot of modern amenities, especially healthcare.

So if you're looking at your cost of living, a two bedroom is going to run you anywhere between five and eight hundred dollars a month.

We're going to be giving wide ranges on a lot of these cities here because the reality is is that in many of these places it really depends on the accommodation and the location as to where your rent is going to land.

Overall cost of living is about 50 to 65% lower than the US average.

That's just crazy.

And we know most of this has to do with the fact that housing is so cheap.

So we're going to give Salinas a queer money retirement rating of 6 out of 10 because it is a comfortable option, although it does lack a strong queer scene.

Coming in at number four is Kotakachi in the Northern Andes, the Ambubur Province.

Why is Cotacachi great?

Well, it's quiet, it's scenic, it has a cooler climate, that eternal spring that David talked about earlier, a strong expat presence.

And many foreigners appreciate Kodakachi as a peaceful base in the Andes.

Downsides are that it's a very, very small town with limited infrastructure and limited entertainment.

Also, the health care and high end services might require you to travel, so that might increase some of your costs.

So keep that in mind.

And then the LGBTQ vibe and hotspots It's a little bit more discreet than some of the other cities we're going to cover here shortly.

You won't see an over queer venue or bar, but the expat community is very progressive and very accepting.

So maybe you build the queer bar or restaurant disco.

As for the perks, low noise, a lot of beautiful natural surroundings.

Hiking is very big here.

It has a great community feel.

Rents and cost of living are very, very low cost.

For a two bedroom apartment in Kodakachi, you'll find a one bedroom actually go for about $400 a month.

In the historic district, a two bedroom might run you between 450 to 600, but of course as David said, that's very approximate and very contingent on where exactly you decide to live and how luxurious your expectations are.

As for the overall cost of living, it's about.

Kotakachi is about 60 to 70% lower than the US national average.

So for all these reasons we're giving it a queer money retirement rating of 7 out of 10.

It's great for those prioritizing, quiet living, scenic living, overnight life.

Yeah, it's amazing to me how, how affordable some of these places are.

And I think one of the reasons why we're seeing so many individuals in the US talk about leaving the country because it's just untenable to live in the US unless you're making multiple six figures it almost seems these days.

Yeah.

All right, coming in at number three is Guayaquil.

Now Guayaquil is the largest city in the Guayas province.

Why is it a great city?

Well, it's a big city, so it has big city energy.

It's a port city with lots of commerce.

So there's a lot of, lot of stuff happening here.

It does have a more tropical climate.

There are great services.

But you're going to find that in the urban areas is where the community is more tolerated.

Right.

It's more tolerant in these urban areas.

Some of the downsides is that because it is a coastal city, this one in particular has intense heat and humidity.

But that's good for your wrinkles, right?

It definitely your skin.

Right.

It is less of that highland mild climate that we've referred to that many retirees prefer.

Some of the other downsides, it is facing a serious security crisis due to escalating violence from organized crime, particularly drug gangs in certain areas of the city.

So you definitely want to keep that in mind.

Donald Trump is fixing all that.

Oh yeah, well, yeah, we know that that's the case in many of the cities.

That that queer people are living in in the US right now too.

As far as the LGBTQ vibe and hotspots, Guayaquil has an annual Pride parade that's been going on since 2008, which is great.

It's along its Malecon or its beach or boardwalk area, which draws a lot of public, public visibility for the community.

You'll find that there are some gay friendly venues, though fewer discreet, I'm sorry, dedicated queer bars than in some of the other cities we're going to be talking about here.

The broader urban sections of the area are relatively open minded in the mainstream bars and restaurants.

So similar to some of the other countries that we've talked about, seeing gay people congregating together in bars that are not necessarily gay bars is very common.

Some of the perks here, great shopping.

We already said this is a big city, so if you love the shop, this is probably where you're going to.

Want to be your Julia Roberts.

Yeah, the thing is it has great coastal access.

So if you're going to want to bump, jump up and down the coast, this is a great place to start from.

And it does have really good municipal infrastructure.

Overall cost of living.

A two bedroom is going to run you around $620 a month.

Again, give or take.

Cost of living in is similar to some of the other places that we've talked about, about 60 to 65% lower than the US average.

For all these reasons, we're giving a queer money retirement rating of 7 out of 10.

It's affordable, it's metropolitan.

But remember, like most big cities, there's, there are spots where there is crime, so you want to definitely look out for that.

Right.

So one of those other cities that David keeps referring to is coming in as a runner up is Quito, which is the capital of Ecuador in the Potincha Province.

It's great because it's full of urban amenities, international airport, good health care, cultural institutions and significant expat and queer presence.

The downsides are the altitude quite high and the traffic congestion.

So if you're have some breathing issues or breathing sensitivities, this may not necessarily be your the place you want to land.

There are some security concerns in some neighborhoods as David has alluded to earlier, and there are somewhat higher costs than in some of the rural or smaller towns.

I find rural to be a weird word to say.

Rural, rural, LGBTQ vibe and hotspots.

Quito hosts one of the more active queer scenes in Ecuador.

There's the Lazona Rosa, which is around the La Fach, Plaza Foch, Plaza Foch in Matterskol, Madiskol, Mariscal, Marisco, which is essential for the LGBTQ plus nightlife.

As for bars and clubs, bars like Radar, Tercere, Millennial Evolution.

Did I finally say that right?

Yeah, that one.

Screw that up on every practice.

Those are known as the hotspots as well.

Pride is an annual event every year in June, which is what annual means.

And the city, and the city is often considered the LGBTQ hub in Ecuador.

As I said earlier, some of the perks are again, the airport access, which helps you get in and out of the city and maybe even in and out of the country more easily.

Strong medical and educational infrastructure, cultural offerings, diversity of neighborhoods, and has a lot of reliable services.

The cost for a two bedroom apartment, it goes for about $675.

Some sources say it can get as high as $1200 to $1300, depending upon how luxurious your expectations are.

We know you love the Lux.

You love the Lux.

As for the overall cost of living without rent, you're looking at about 54% lower than the U.S. national average.

Including rent, you're looking at about 63% lower than the US national average.

For all these reasons, we're giving it a queer money retirement rating of 8 out of 10.

However, it did not land in the number one spot.

That is coming in at number one is Cuenca.

Now, of course, you're all going to have to correct me on the pronunciation there.

We looked it up, but this is what we were finding is the most common.

This is in the Azua Province, which is in the southern highlands.

So why is this great?

Well, it's widely regarded as one of the best expat towns in Ecuador.

It has beautiful colonial charm, architecture, it's a manageable size.

So it's kind of one of those in between cities.

It's not a metropolis, it's not a tiny town.

You do have great access to things like healthcare, a temperate climate, which is appealing definitely for, for many expats.

But it's also considered to be one of the safest cities in South America.

So we've talked about crime in other cities.

This one is doing a good job of keeping the crime down for some reason.

Some of the downsides though, it does have a smaller queer scene compared to Quito.

It's somewhat remote because it doesn't have access to a major airport right there.

But for some of the more cosmopolitan amenities, you may need to travel occasionally.

We've mentioned that about some of the cities Here, actually the small towns.

As for the LGBTQ vibe, Cuenca holds an annual pride march.

While its queer nightlife is more subdued than keto, the expat community tends to be very supportive.

Although we have heard some expats in some of the forums say that it's they found have found it difficult finding standout gay venues.

But again, we've kind of mentioned that about a lot of countries that have done a great job with integration and support for the community aren't necessarily full of queer spaces.

Some of the perks, it does have a peaceful lifestyle, very walkable, it's beautiful mountain vistas.

And again, it does have a very strong expat community.

And overall your costs are much lower.

Coming in at around 300 to $450 for a two bedroom apartment.

Especially in some of the decent neighborhoods, some of the really nice listings are pushing 600 plus.

Overall cost of living here is about 60 to 70% lower than the US average.

And for all these reasons, it gets our top spot coming in at 9 out of 10 for our queer money retirement rating.

So there you have it, Ecuador's top queer retiree towns, balancing affordability and LGBTQ acceptance.

If you want nightlife infrastructure and visibility, Quito and Guayaquil will pull you in.

If you want charm, peace and serious cost of living, Cuenca is your sweet spot.

Kodakachi offers a quiet retreat for a deeper solace.

And Salinas gets you the beach life without.

With.

I'm sorry, gets you the beach life with a touch of openness.

Yeah, you want the touch, not without.

So which city here sounds most like one that you would like to live in?

Let us know in the comments, especially if you're already living there.

To map out your personal finish line when and where and how you end up retiring.

Grab the Happy Gay Retirement calculator with the QR code on the screen here in the description of the YouTube video or the link in your podcast player.

And remember, if you want all of the ratings that we're giving to all these cities all around the world, including the US go to queermoney podcast.com forward/cities or click the link in the description or your podcast player.

Then join us next week when we talk about the very important topic of tax treaties.

As an expat.

Well, it's just general taxes as an expat, but we are going to cover some of the information around tax treaties, right?

Because you still got to pay Uncle Sam even though you don't live here.

And then in two weeks we're going to cover.

Talk about a lot of men in Speedos.

Many, many men in speedos when we cover the top five places in Italy for gay retirees.

And as always, if you love this episode, please remember to, like, subscribe.

Click all the bells and whistles and share this with your friends and family who want to retire abroad.

And until next time, stay fabulous.