Living in Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca is a mid-sized city in Azuay, Ecuador (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 14°C over the year with about 751 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,567 a month to live centrally, and Ecuador sits in our low to medium tax tier. For citizens from outside Mercosur and its associate states, long-term residency in Ecuador is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $482 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,567
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 14°C
- 751 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 36/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~90 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- outside free-movement blocs
Limited data for Ecuador. Figures for safety, healthcare and cost of living in Ecuador are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no social openness figures for Ecuador, so the quiz scores that factor conservatively and this page leaves it out.
What stands out about Cuenca
- Self-funded residency from about $482 a month in income
Safety and stability
Ecuador scores 36 out of 100 on safety, safer than 1% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 5.4 out of 10.
Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Ecuador: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2023) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: EIU Democracy Index. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open, for people from outside Mercosur and its associate states. Ecuador offers several self-funded residency routes (professional, rentista/pensionado passive-income, and investor), all natively denominated in US dollars since the USD is the national currency so no currency conversion applies, with a fast path to permanent residency (~21 months) and citizenship (3 years).
Citizens of Mercosur and its associate states have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Ecuador:
- Income: about $482 a month (Ecuador Professional visa, USD 482/mo (1x SBU) income from any lawful source, no sponsor required but needs a SENESCYT-registered university degree; the no-degree Rentista/Pensionado passive-income route needs USD 1,446/mo (3x SBU); as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $48k (Ecuador Investor (Inversionista) visa, USD 48,200 (100x SBU) one-time in real estate, a 730-day bank CD, or registered company shares; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 152 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 46 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Climate
Cuenca averages 14°C across the year with about 751 mm of rain, which makes it mild and moderately wet. It is warmer than 25% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Ecuador scores 62 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 31% of the cities we compare.
Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Ecuador: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Language and culture
Main languages: Spanish. English proficiency: limited.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level).
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,567 a month to live centrally in Cuenca, 6% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 65% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Ecuador runs at about 90 Mbps, faster than 36% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Taxes
Ecuador sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Cuenca in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Questions couples ask about Cuenca
Is Cuenca a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on safety and English. Our figures for Ecuador are partial: no social openness data, and country-level World Bank estimates for safety, healthcare and cost of living. Expect a mild, moderately wet climate (14°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Cuenca and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Cuenca?
We estimate about €2,567 a month for a couple living centrally, 6% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Ecuador, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Cuenca?
Ecuador is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Cuenca in their results.
Can foreigners live in Ecuador long term?
Citizens of Mercosur and its associate states have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: comparatively open. Ecuador offers several self-funded residency routes (professional, rentista/pensionado passive-income, and investor), all natively denominated in US dollars since the USD is the national currency so no currency conversion applies, with a fast path to permanent residency (~21 months) and citizenship (3 years). The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $482 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $48k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Cuenca?
Cuenca averages 14°C across the year with about 751 mm of rain, which makes it mild and moderately wet. It is warmer than 25% of the cities we track.
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