Ecuador expat guide

Indoor smoking is not a defining social feature. Law vibe is moderately formal, with some local variation.

Minimum budget: rural $500/mo, urban $1000/mo. Medical insurance: $800/yr.

Auto: Russian licenses should be paired with an IDP, Spanish translation; police checks can be formal. Rentals are roughly $30-70/day for Spark, Logan, Sail class, more for SUVs in Andes, Amazon routes. Peru, Colombia crossings are rarely allowed by rental companies and need special authorization, insurance, with queues and paperwork making one-way travel unattractive.

Smoking: Indoor smoking is not a defining social feature.

Police / rules: Police and public-order vibe is formal but not deranged: rules matter, paperwork can be tiring, yet daily street life usually feels manageable rather than punitive.

Zones

• Andes Highlands: Highland city life, colonial centers, expat cafés, volcano views and cool spring weather. Cool volcanic mountain climate with spring-like temperatures around 10–22°C depending on altitude. Frequent rain showers and misty valleys dominate the landscape.
• Coast & Amazon: Hot coastal lowlands, port energy, beach towns, rainforest edges and looser texture. Hot humid rainforest and coastal plains around 26–35°C year-round. Heavy rainfall seasons shape dense jungle, rivers and tropical coastal humidity.