Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
🇪🇨 Ecuador
Cuenca
Calm, safe and affordable colonial Andean city that uses the dollar and has a big expat community.
Score breakdown
Cost of living
9.0Very cheap
Weight 25%
Internet & work
7.0Decent fibre
Weight 15%
Safety
7.0Fairly safe
Weight 15%
Nomad community
6.0More expats than nomads
Weight 15%
Weather
8.0Cool all year
Weight 10%
Paperwork & visa
8.0Nomad visa
Weight 20%
Where to live
Centro histórico
300–500 $Good for: Architecture and cafés
The catch: Traffic noise
El Vergel
300–450 $Good for: River and calm
The catch: Few night options
Where to work
Cafés with wifi
- Cafés del barrio San Sebastián2 $
Quiet for working
Time zone: ECT (UTC−5)
What living here is really like
Editorial synthesis of public experiences
What residents say
- Best part:
- Cuenca residents mention calm, safety and low prices in dollars. Buts: 2,500 m altitude, scheduled power cuts in droughts and international flights with layovers.
- Worst part:
- Based on resident forums and communities
Sources: Numbeo — Cuenca · Cancillería de Ecuador
Day to day
- Internet
- 50–300 Mbps fibre
- Safety
- Among the safest in the country
- Healthcare
- Good, affordable private healthcare
- SIM / eSIM
- Claro or Movistar: $10–15/mo
- Best season
- All year; June–September driest
- Community
- Large expat community; smaller nomad scene
Living here legally
Lisbon vs. similar cities
Transparency
Last checked: 2026-11-01
Official sources
Prices are checked against the dated sources shown. Editorial experience summaries cite their public sources; verified Zabeler accounts are identified separately. Official procedures always take precedence.