Articles

A non-alarmist look at safety on Ecuador's coast in 2026 — the current state of exception, what expats actually experience, and a practical checklist for daily life.

Ecuador's public social security system, IESS, is open to legal residents as voluntary affiliates for around $85-100 a month. Here's what it covers, what it doesn't, and how most coastal expats combine it with private care.

Manta is Ecuador's most developed coastal city — a real city with an airport, private hospitals, malls, and a rebuilt malecón. Here's what expats should know about neighborhoods, rents, healthcare, safety, and daily life in 2026.

Montañita, Olón, and Ayampe sit within about 40 minutes of each other on Ecuador's Ruta del Spondylus, but they offer very different lives. A practical 2026 comparison of rents, internet, healthcare, and who each town suits.

The retirement visa itself is simpler than the paperwork behind it. Here's the document sequence that matters, a 90-day timeline, and the mistakes that cost expats the most time.