Ecuador Dropped in the Retirement Rankings. Here's What That Misses About Cuenca.
Ecuador dropped in retirement rankings due to coastal violence. But Cuenca, where most expats actually live, is the safest large city in South America.
The headlines are real. The whole story is more complicated.
International Living's 2026 Global Retirement Index put Greece at number one and Panama at number two. Ecuador, once a perennial top-three finisher, slipped out of the top tier. Other outlets followed suit. Next Avenue published a piece titled "When a Popular Retirement Destination Goes South", asking whether Ecuador is still a viable retirement option at all.
If you only read headlines, you'd think the entire country is in crisis. The reality is more specific - and more important to understand if you're making a life decision about where to retire.
What's Actually Happening - and Where
Ecuador does have a serious security problem. But it is concentrated in specific coastal provinces tied to drug trafficking routes.
In 2025, Ecuador recorded over 9,200 homicides nationally - a 30% increase over 2024, according to Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group. Five coastal provinces - Guayas, Manabi, El Oro, Los Rios, and Esmeraldas - accounted for approximately 88% of all murders. Guayas province alone recorded 2,507 homicides through July 2025, a 49% increase from the prior year. The city of Duran, adjacent to Guayaquil, reached a homicide rate of 140 per 100,000 inhabitants.
These numbers are alarming. They are also geographically specific. The violence is driven by competition over Pacific coast ports used for cocaine shipment to Europe and the United States.
Cuenca Is Not Guayaquil
Cuenca sits at 2,560 meters in the southern Andes - roughly 200 kilometers from the coast and a world apart from the port cities driving Ecuador's crime statistics.
Azuay province, where Cuenca is located, was one of only three provinces in Ecuador that recorded a decline in homicides in 2025, according to CuencaHighLife. It is not among the seven provinces identified as centers for drug trafficking activity.
In July 2025, the Numbeo Safety Index rated Cuenca as the safest city with a population over 500,000 in all of South America, with a safety index of 54.05. That same index ranked Cuenca first in South America for overall quality of life - the first time an Ecuadorian city has topped that ranking.
This is not spin. It is data published by the same international indices that retirement rankings cite when evaluating other countries.
Why National Rankings Miss the Point
Retirement rankings evaluate countries, not cities. When International Living scores "Ecuador" on safety, the metric absorbs Guayaquil's port violence, Esmeraldas' trafficking corridor, and Duran's gang conflict into a single national number. Cuenca's reality gets averaged out.
As Next Avenue's own reporting acknowledged, Kathleen Peddicord of Live and Invest Overseas noted that Ecuador's security situation is "definitely not completely the case" everywhere. The article also highlighted Edd and Cynthia Staton, longtime American expats who investigated other countries and chose to return to Cuenca - because the on-the-ground experience did not match the national headlines.
This is a pattern we see with our own clients. People read a headline about "Ecuador," assume it applies to every city equally, and cross the entire country off their list. That is like ruling out all of Colombia because of statistics from specific neighborhoods in Cali.
What Cuenca Actually Offers Retirees
The reasons Cuenca consistently attracted expats haven't changed. They have, in several cases, improved.
Cost of living. A retired couple can live comfortably on $1,500 to $2,000 per month. Rent for a furnished two-bedroom apartment runs $500 to $800. Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar as its official currency, which eliminates exchange rate risk entirely.
Healthcare. Routine doctor visits average $35. Specialized treatments remain under $25 per hour. Cuenca's hospitals have scored consistently high in global healthcare rankings, and the city is a growing destination for medical tourism in dentistry and general care.
Climate. At 2,560 meters in elevation, Cuenca maintains year-round temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. No heating bills. No air conditioning. The city is often described as having "eternal spring" weather.
Infrastructure. The city has a modern tram system, reliable internet, international-standard grocery stores, and a large established expat community estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 residents.
Security investment. Cuenca's municipal government has invested in community alarm systems, AI-driven surveillance, and a high density of specialized police units. These are deliberate policy choices that have produced measurable results.
We Are Not Saying Ignore the Risks
Ecuador's national security situation is serious, and anyone considering a move should understand it fully. Coastal areas carry real risk. Travel between cities requires awareness. The country is navigating a genuine crisis that affects some regions deeply.
But making a retirement decision based solely on a national ranking is like choosing a neighborhood by looking at a state crime map. The resolution is too low. The data that matters is local.
What We Tell Our Clients
We have been practicing law in Cuenca for over 25 years. We process visas, real estate transactions, and business registrations for expats who have done their research and chosen this city specifically.
What we tell every client is the same thing: come visit. Spend two weeks. Walk the streets. Talk to people who live here. Then compare what you experience to what the headlines suggest.
The rankings have Ecuador lower this year. Cuenca's own data - safety, quality of life, healthcare, cost of living - tells a different story. Both things can be true at the same time.
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Considering a move to Cuenca? Schedule a consultation or call 651-621-3652.