Articles

Everyone tells you to buy. The prices are so cheap! But cheap doesn't mean smart. Here's why renting might be the better financial move for most expats — and when buying actually makes sense.

Cuenca's real estate market is defying Ecuador's broader economic headwinds. Property values are up 8-12% annually, rents are surging in expat-popular neighborhoods, and the investor visa threshold just went up. Here's a practical breakdown of what's happening and how to navigate it.

Ecuador received a record $7.9 billion in remittances last year — more than bananas, shrimp, or cacao exports. Now a combination of ICE enforcement, deportation fears, and a new US tax on cash remittances is cutting those flows. In Cuenca, families report receiving half what they used to.

The City Council approved a one-time exception letting inherited rural properties subdivide below the legal minimum lot size. New floor: 120 square meters. Pilot starts in Llacao, then expands to all 20 rural parishes.

If your lease is up soon, brace yourself. One-bedroom apartments in Cuenca now run $550–750/month, two-bedrooms hit $750–1,100, and the days of the mythical $400 rental are mostly over. Here's what's driving it and where to look.

For years, the 35 rangers protecting Parque Nacional Cajas and Cuenca's critical watersheds fought wildfires with inadequate gear. ETAPA just changed that with a $215,000 equipment delivery — helmets, fire suits, chainsaws, and portable pumps. After 11,000 hectares burned in 2024, it was overdue.