Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
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Primicias reports that mortgage-credit disbursements grew 22% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Sales, project visits and net reservations also rose, giving buyers and renters another signal that the housing market is tightening.
Average salary expectations have dropped 2.66% this quarter to $818, while the basic food basket costs $829. Here's what the gap means for Ecuador's economy and the expat cost-of-living picture.
Three Ecuadorian nationals are among the first group of 15 migrants sent from the United States to the Democratic Republic of Congo, arriving in Kinshasa on April 17, 2026. Ecuador's Foreign Ministry confirms they are housed in a hotel 'in good condition.' The arrangement is described as temporary, with permits lasting 6 to 12 months.
The Banco Central del Ecuador raised its 2026 GDP growth projection to 2.5%, up 0.7 points from its September forecast. Inflation is expected at 1.8%, private credit to grow 10%, and the external account to post a $6.4 billion surplus. 2025 closed at 3.7% growth — so momentum is slowing.
Economy Minister Sariha Moya presented Ecuador's fiscal efficiency formula at the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington on April 14. Her headline numbers: international reserves up from $3 billion to $11 billion, poverty down from 28% to 21% in 2025, and local-government payment delays cut by 85%. She credited the fuel subsidy phase-out that ran from June 2024 through September 2025.
President Noboa has declared 2026 'the year of construction,' with sector sales up 20.5%, real estate transactions up 17.8%, and $6.5 billion in purchase-sale promises on the books through 2028. Government incentives include preferential mortgages, IVA refunds for builders, and a new social housing law.
Ecuador's National Assembly passed a new mining and energy law 77-70 on February 26, replacing environmental licenses with simplified authorizations and allowing rock extraction in the Galapagos Islands. CONAIE and environmental groups are protesting the changes as a rollback of decades of conservation policy.
A New York Times investigation found that a joint U.S.-Ecuador military strike in early March, promoted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as destroying a drug trafficking camp, actually destroyed a cattle and dairy farm in San Martin. Workers reported beatings, choking, and electrical shocks by soldiers.
Ecuador has signed a Safe Third Country agreement with the United States, accepting deportation flights carrying over 4,700 non-Ecuadorian nationals from at least 16 different countries. The agreement makes Ecuador a receiving country for asylum seekers and migrants removed from the U.S.
A single expat can live comfortably in Ecuador for $1,200 to $1,500 per month, while couples typically spend $1,800 to $2,500. Here is a detailed breakdown of what things actually cost in 2026, from rent and groceries to healthcare and transportation.
Ecuador's housing market is pulling in different directions — rents are rising faster than sale prices, the construction sector is growing 4.1%, and affordability is becoming a concern in popular expat areas. Here's where things stand.
Cuenca's creative community just made history. 'Chulla Vida,' a seven-episode comedy miniseries produced entirely in Cuenca with a 69-person local crew and filmed across 42 iconic city locations, premiered on February 19 on Ecuador's leading streaming platform Ecuavisa Play.
