Is Ecuador a better dollar deal over Colombia?

tejasmarcos says on Jun 17, 2008, 17:13:

good question. any PBH'ers in Ecuador right now?

trying to walk a straight line on sour mash and cheap wine...

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BillBigD says on Jun 17, 2008, 22:19:

Probably depends how long you are going for. Airlines tickets are only going up

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Buongone says on Jun 17, 2008, 22:25:

Check out some of the Blogs they have from the Lonely Planet. Sounded like to me it was cheap. THat's where I'm heading next. Bring the novia ovr from Cali.

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toneloc24 says on Jun 17, 2008, 22:44:

Quito is the capital. So, much like Bogota, always something to do. However, like Bogota, weather can suck. Quito is approx. 9,000 ft above sea level. The altitude can take a toll on you, if unprepared. You can do a daytrip to the equator, as well as to one of the volcanos. There are several other tourist things to be done.

It is MUCH cheaper for everything, than anywhere in Colombia. For instance, plenty of decent hotels for $25-35/nite in the safer areas of town. Doing the nightscene in Gringolandia is very affordable. Food is very cheap, even with the high tax. The public transportation system is very easy to navigate and cheap. For instance, a bus will run you 25-50 cents. Taxis run you $1-3 to most parts of town. Even from the airport to Gringolandia, only $5. On a $60/day budget you will have money left over the following day.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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bickerss says on Jun 18, 2008, 06:00:

I like Colombia more, however Ecuador is still great. If you could afford it I would go to Colombia over Ecuador. As for expenses.

Ecuador is substantially cheaper than Colombia - especially if you are on a budget; it wipes colombia off the map. As an eg you can get a hostel private room with Bathroom in the bar / disco area of Quito for 8 usd a night. You can obviously get much cheaper dorms or rooms with out private bathroom. A private room in a hostel for eg in Medellin in the decent area is 60,000 pesos (35 usd) without bathroom.

Beers 1 usd or 1.25 usd in the good bars. try 5 to 7 usd in Colombia.

Eating in Ecaudor plenty of places with 1 USD or 1.25 USD drink / soup, main and desert. Double in Colombia. A 2 course meal in a good restaurant was 6.99 (soup of the day and ribs with vegetables or papas). You are looking at more than double that in Colombia for a comparative restaurant.

Internet in Quito - 30 c an hr in the right cafe. 2000 psos (1.20 usd) in colombia.

Other advantages of Ecuador - for ie in Quito you can party any night you want. Colombia is only Thurs to Sat. It is very easy to organise tourism activities due to the large numbers of backpackers.

Property (as an eg only i know you are not looking for it). 500 to 600 usd in the best areas. Medellin 1600 usd a sq metre. Bogota even more.

On the coat in Ecuador we stayed in a really nice hostel made of bamboo, private room / bathroom three people 12 usd a night (Canoa - walk outside the door onto the beach).

Unfortunately the strength of the peso has eroded Colombia as 'a 'super budget'' holiday destination.

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arfgoblue says on Jun 18, 2008, 13:15:

bickerss:

Is the "Disco area" of Quito estracto 3 or higher? One can still stay in downtown Medellin by Parque Berrios (probably about estracto 2) for $12 a night with bathroom.

I am sure Panama, much like Ecuador, is now also a bigger bargain than CO. The only good looking girls in Panama from what I hear, however, are the Colombian hookers working there...

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bickerss says on Jun 18, 2008, 22:28:

Yes - I am comparing apples with apples I think. You can go even a lot cheaper in quito if you go to the old city area etc. Same in ie medellin if you stay in centro. I am talking ie Poblado and Maricsol

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toneloc24 says on Jun 19, 2008, 07:12:

Arfgoblue - The disco area of Quito, Mariscal Sucre (know to locals as "Gringolandia"), is similar to Zona Rosa in Bogota or Poblado in Medellin, but on a smaller scale. It would be am estrato 3-4, in Colombian terms, but much safer. Cops are everywhere. Plenty of cheap hostels in that area, and many foreign backpackers. The area really only consists of approx. 5-10 discos/bars, and several restaurants. On a given weekend night, only a few are actually packed, including Madd and No Bar. During the week, a few bars are open, but none packed.

Keep in mind that Quito only has a population of approx. 1.5 million. While it's the capital, it's not the biggest city in the country.

Girl-related, the quantity of physically desirable Ecuadorian ladies isn't as plentiful as Colombia, but it's not as bad there as some would think. Some of them can hold their own anywhere in the world. While they are friendly, they may not be as approachable and as easily bedded as some Colombian ladies, esp. if you're a foreigner with little Spanish.

As Bickers stated, things are much cheaper in the old city. Hotels/hostels for $4-8/nite. However, more dangerous as well, esp. at night when there isn't as much security, but a lot of poor, desperate dudes. Think Centro in Medellin or Candelaria in Bogota. Also, at night, not much (bars/restaurants/stores) is open.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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gbeckler says on Jun 20, 2008, 20:52:

I have visited both Colombia and Ecuador. Referring to bickerss comment on the cost of property in Ecuador: I looked at property in Quito, the Cumbaya Valley and Cotacachi. I found a 450-sq-ft apartment for sale in the Gonzalez-Suarez neighborhood (one of the top five neighborhoods in Quito) for $42K. I also found a 1250-sq-ft condo for sale for $42K in Cotacachi and an 1100-sq-ft home for sale for $60K in the same town. All three properties are new. Bickerss, where can you purchase property in the best neighborhoods for $500-600 USD per sq meter? Just curious.

By the way, I enjoyed both Colombia and Ecuador equally.

Gary

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bickerss says on Jun 22, 2008, 04:00:

From Int Living see below. I will dig around to try and get the sites for properties I found for this price. On the coast I found a really good one in Salinas for a superprice.


http://www.internationalliving.com/countries/ecuador/real_estate

''''Despite the high level of interest on the coast, most IL readers still prefer the great weather and cosmopolitan lifestyle of the colonial mountain cities of Quito and Cuenca. Prices for new, luxury condominiums in the two cities run from $50 to $65 a square foot. If you’re willing to take on a project, check out a historic building in need of restoration. Many travel books report that the best Spanish colonial districts in Latin America are in Quito and Cuenca, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. ''''

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durito says on Jun 24, 2008, 11:45:

Arfgoblue - The disco area of Quito, Mariscal Sucre (know to locals as "Gringolandia"), is similar to Zona Rosa in Bogota or Poblado in Medellin, but on a smaller scale. It would be am estrato 3-4, in Colombian terms, but much safer.¨


The mariscal sucre neighborhood is (or at least was until recently) one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in south america at night (safe during the day) (at least among those frequented by gringos). The police are supposed to be cleaning it up, but i saw a tourist mugged directly in front of 2 cops a few years ago and they did nothing to help. A german tourist was murdered here a couple years ago. I cant speak for how it is now, though I was there yesterday and didnt seem much different than a few years ago. I´d rather sleep in parque bolivar in medellin than walk through the mariscal after 10pm. I wouldnt compare it to pobaldo at all as it´s also kind of a dump, despite the thousands of gringos. The old town is actually quite safe these days now that all the restoration is done and there are several top end ($200 a night) hotels around. I still wouldn´t walk around too much late at night.


As to the question here, Ecuador is certainly much cheaper (in US dollar terms) than Colombia right now in almost every regard. A lot of that is because of the currency apprecation, but also the economies. As opposed to say Medellin (or many place in colombia, and peru) where there is construction on every block, there´s very little new construction here in Quito right now (as far as i can tell anyway). It´s pretty much the same as it was the last time i was here a few years ago.
Cheap set lunchs are $1.50 (5,500 pesos in colombia). The ecovia (which is a bus like the transmilenio) is .25. Taxis trips cost $1-3 all over the city, where the minimum fair in colombia is over $2 now.

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sinduda says on Jul 22, 2008, 13:44:

Little late to the party and never been to Colombia, but I do live in Ecuador. We now have an expat forum in English (non-commercial) with about 220 members joining in 14 weeks. Feel free to visit. Lots of info on Cuenca in particular (as per another thread).

DL

EcuadorForums.com - non-commercial community resources in English

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island girl says on Aug 24, 2008, 09:22:

Hi there:
Just got back from several months in Colombia and Ecuador. IMO: Ecuador is cheaper, expecially accomodation. I was finding hotel rooms (not fancy, but clean and safe with cable and hot water) in Otavalo, Quito, Cuenca and Loja for about 8 USD a night. In Colombia that's roughly equivalent to the price of a bed in a dorm in a hostel. Food and drinks were sometimes the same price but mostly a little cheaper in Ecuador. Quito is dangerous, and Gringolandia in particular ... and the latter is the tourist district! Muggings are far too commonplace and common sense and a good dose of caution is necessary, especially at night. Colombia I found to be much safer for the average tourist and to offer many of the same type of natural sites or activities (ie Amazon lodges, Andes hiking, beaches and camping etc) without the crowds of foreign tourists that you would encounter in Ecuador. I loved Ecuador but Colombia is something I would spend some extra cash on and check out.

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quantum says on Sep 20, 2008, 11:58:

Can anybody offer a more objective idea of property values apart from "International Living" whom I find to be purveyers of self serving propaganda and high prices. How about buying small farms on the eastern side of the Andes, for example Vilcabama Valley. How much per hect? And on the beach somewhere around Montanita or Manta or Canoa? How much does land sell for there if u buy from a local camposino? And is there truly a gringo invasion already in Ecuador?

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nine inch nails says on Oct 30, 2008, 14:48:

And now como es el cambiando del dolare alli?

I love that sweet pretty house music, house music....

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