Wondering whether day to day living there would be good ?

Hi Mayoroflascolinas,

Welcome to Expat.com

I have created a new thread with your post on the Ecuador forum for more visibility and interaction with the members.

For some starting information, i would advise you to have a look at the Ecuador forum and to go through the different threads available.
You can also have a look at the Living in Ecuador guide as well.

Thanks,

Priscilla 

Welcome to the Ecuador forum, Mayoroflascolinas.

Mayoroflascolinas wrote:

discovery trip. Like the beach, but wondering whether day to day living there would be good.

Life was good at the beach until it wasn’t -- April 16, 2016.  If you prefer to avoid the Ring of Fire earthquake zone, try the highlands.  The weather is cooler in Quito, a few degrees Fahrenheit cooler still in Cuenca.  Cotacachi and Vilcabamba are also Expat favorites at higher altitude.  Not everybody adjusts well to lower-oxygen, higher-altitude places, so keep your beach option open.

Mayoro wrote:

Do singles have roommates and live in better apts or homes? Seems like you could find a great 2 BR, 2 BA place for $600-$700 and by splitting rent, have a great place and money to spend on travel, food, and whatever else you want or need.

All kinds of living arrangements are possible.  A single with one or more roommates is common, especially in metropolitan areas given more people looking for roommates there.  Check the real (not virtual) bulletin boards at the Internet centers for market-rate listings, since online listings for rentals have been historically higher.  Certainly, cutting your rent in half -- or better -- would give you extra greenbacks for whatever while allowing you to upgrade to a classier rental.

Mayoro wrote:

Also, do single expats date and sometimes marry?

Given that there are millions of Expats on the planet, of course this occurs.  In Ecuador, I’ve met more mixed marrieds among the retired Expats and their latest spouses -- for instance, Expat husband, Ecuadorian wife -- than Expat-only married couples.  How’s your Spanish ?

cccmedia

Mayoroflascolinas wrote:

Hi Everyone. Glad.to be here. I'm doing a lot of reading and research to determine where I want to go for a.discovery trip. Like.the beach, but wondering whether day to day living there would.be good. Seems like a lot of expats are in Cuenca and Quito and take short, 2-4 day trips around the country when they can to learn more. I am single, 63 years young and in great health. Do singles have roommates and live in better apts or homes? Seems like you could.find a great 2 BR, 2 BA place for $600-$700 and by splitting rent, have a great place and money to spend on travel, food, and whatever else you want or need. Also, do single expats date and sometimes marry? Haven't seen that posted anywhere, but bet it happens sometimes. Be interested.in your thoughts and input to these quick questions. Thanks.

Whether living here is good or not will depend entirely on you. My advice for you is to try it out first. You state that you want to lessen your costs by sharing an apartment then try that out and see how it goes. I am certain you will find someone, but how you get along with roommates is another matter. You also mention that you want to date, but I don’t think it will be too appealing for the ladies when you bring them home and there’s a roommate (s) there, especially so for mature women.

As for the coast or highlands, again that is also entirely up-to you. The coast does experience earthquakes but this is also true for Quito, we had a 4.6 a couple of weeks ago and because the epic-center was close it was noticeably felt, in 2014 I understand that Quito had a 5.2, so who knows what the future might hold, but the fact is Quito and many highland areas also experience earthquakes as there are faults underneath the Andes.

Try it out, have realistic expectations, make an effort to learn Spanish, and you’ll give yourself a fair chance at enjoying it here.