Articles

Ecuador's international reserves reached a historic $11.86 billion in February — a 166% increase in just 14 months. For expats keeping savings in a dollarized economy, this is the most reassuring economic signal in years.

Ecuador's public health system has a bizarre problem: too many general practitioners and not enough surgeons, anesthesiologists, and specialists. Cuenca's José Carrasco Arteaga Hospital is short on oncologists while 13,000+ patients wait for operations nationwide.

The Banco de Alimentos de la Arquidiócesis de Cuenca just turned eight years old. With 60 volunteers, two vehicles, and partnerships with local supermarkets, they're feeding 38 organizations that serve the city's most vulnerable. Here's how to donate.

ETAPA is shutting down the Cuenca-Azogues highway on Saturday afternoon for a 20-minute controlled blast at the new wastewater treatment plant. Here's exactly when, where, and what to do if you're driving that direction.

Medicine shortages, payment failures, and overwhelmed hospitals plague Ecuador's public system. But for expats in Cuenca, private healthcare remains remarkably affordable — if you know how to navigate your options.

Cuenca remains one of the most affordable cities for expats in the Americas, but costs are rising faster than they used to. Here's an honest, line-by-line breakdown of what it actually costs to live here in 2026 — and how to stretch your dollars further.

Ecuador's social security system just changed how it calculates voluntary affiliate contributions, and the new numbers are giving expats sticker shock. Here's what you're actually looking at now, whether IESS is still worth it, and how it stacks up against private insurance.

Ecuador received a record $7.9 billion in remittances last year — more than bananas, shrimp, or cacao exports. Now a combination of ICE enforcement, deportation fears, and a new US tax on cash remittances is cutting those flows. In Cuenca, families report receiving half what they used to.

The city's security director admitted that most cameras you see in El Centro are just traffic counters, not crime-prevention tools. A new 'Cuenca Segura' project will install 63 cameras at 29 strategic points. Here's what's changing and what it means for safety in the neighborhoods you walk every day.