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City in Ecuador

Cuenca

Cuenca is an Andean city of 361,524 people in its urban area (596,101 in the whole canton) in the 2022 census. InterNations lists 2,401 members in its Cuenca group, and Colegio Alemán Cuenca offers the IB Diploma Programme. [N1] [E1] [Cuenca S1]

Country
Ecuador
Region
Azuay
Population
361,524 in 2022. The urban part of Cuenca canton (the city), Census 2022 (INEC); the whole canton, with its rural parishes, has 596,101. [N1]
Settings
In the mountains [G2]
Weather
Mild, never too hot [W1]

Why it is here

Why Cuenca is on the list.

A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.

  • InterNations lists a Cuenca community group of 2,401 members from 95 nationalities. NBC News reported in 2014 that about 7,000 Americans had settled in Cuenca by May 2013, a figure it gives for unnamed officials' estimates, and a 2011 Scripps College senior thesis studied the city's retired expatriates through twelve interviews. [E1] [E2] [E3]
  • Colegio Alemán Cuenca says it has been part of the International Baccalaureate network since 2010 and offers the IB Diploma Programme alongside the German school-leaving qualification. [Cuenca S1]
  • The 2022 census counts 19,187 people living in Cuenca canton who were born in another country (about 3 in 100 of its 596,101 residents) and 9,339 with a citizenship other than Ecuadorian. The counts include Venezuelans, Colombians and Ecuadorians born abroad, so they are not a count of expats. [N1]

The Fernshore Index

How it grades, factor by factor.

Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.

The country

More on Ecuador.

Cities

Other cities in Ecuador.

Questions about Cuenca.

How many foreigners live in Cuenca?

The urban area has 361,524 people (596,101 in the canton). The 2022 census counts 19,187 people born abroad in the canton, but that includes Venezuelans and Colombians. InterNations lists 2,401 members in its Cuenca group, and NBC News reported about 7,000 Americans in May 2013, an unnamed officials' estimate.

Cuenca (Canton, Ecuador): population, Census 2022, citypopulation.de (secondary), repeating INEC census results; Expats in Ecuador: community groups, InterNations (private expat network); American retirees flock to Ecuador, fight gringo stereotype, NBC News. Checked 15 October 2026

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What is the climate in Cuenca, and how high is it?

Every month counts as comfortable on our scale: mean daily highs of 18.6 to 22.2 °C and 19.8 mm of rain in August to 123.3 mm in April (INAMHI normals, 1981 to 2010, via the WMO). A private reference puts Cuenca at about 2,545 m, with a yearly mean low of 10.6 °C, so evenings can be cool.

World Weather Information Service: Cuenca, climatological information, Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMHI), published by the World Meteorological Organization; Climate data for Cuenca, elevation 2,545 m (1981 to 2010 normals), Wikipedia (private reference, not official). Checked 15 October 2026

Read the long answer

What does rent cost in Cuenca?

Three one-bedroom suite adverts on 15 October 2026 asked US$250 to US$550 a month. The US$250 one is furnished and includes water, internet and the building fee, not electricity (its page also shows a US$250 fee; confirm the total); US$450 plus a US$50 fee is unfurnished. Single adverts, not averages; deposits unknown.

Furnished suite, Edificio Alta Vista, Avenida Primero de Septiembre, Yanuncay, Cuenca, REMAX Ecuador (private property portal); Unfurnished suite, Edificio Solé, El Vergel, Huayna Capac, Cuenca, REMAX Ecuador (private property portal); Furnished suite near Plaza Las Américas, Avenida Abelardo J. Andrade, San Blas, Cuenca, REMAX Ecuador (private property portal). Checked 15 October 2026

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Are there international schools in Cuenca?

Colegio Alemán Cuenca says it has been in the International Baccalaureate network since 2010 and offers the IB Diploma Programme alongside the German school-leaving qualification. We did not find fees, places or other international schools, so those are unknown.

International Baccalaureate (IB), Colegio Alemán Cuenca (the school's own site). Checked 15 October 2026

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What do the travel advisories say about Cuenca?

Canada lists a state of exception in Azuay only in Camilo Ponce Enriquez canton, not Cuenca, says tourist police work in Cuenca and that crime rates are high across Ecuador. An archived US Level 2 advisory does not name Azuay among its higher-risk areas. Read the current advice before you go.

Ecuador travel advice and advisories, Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca); Ecuador Travel Advisory (Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution), US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs; Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026

Read the long answer

Sources

Where each figure comes from.

Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.

  1. [N1] Cuenca (Canton, Ecuador): population, Census 2022, citypopulation.de (secondary), repeating INEC census results. Checked 15 October 2026. Census 30 November 2022, not adjusted for undercount: Cuenca canton 596,101, of which 361,524 urban and 234,577 rural. Citizenship: 586,762 Ecuadorian, 9,339 other. Place of birth: 19,187 in another country. The urban figure is used as the city's population. INEC's own census viewer refused automated access.
  2. [E1] Expats in Ecuador: community groups, InterNations (private expat network). Checked 15 October 2026. Community groups listed on 15 October 2026: Quito 12,035 members from 146 nationalities, Guayaquil 5,781 from 110, Cuenca 2,401 from 95. Member counts of a private network, not a count of residents.
  3. [Cuenca S1] International Baccalaureate (IB), Colegio Alemán Cuenca (the school's own site). Checked 15 October 2026. Page text: the school has been part of the IB network since 2010 and offers the Diploma Programme with a subject combination agreed between the German KMK and the IBO. The IB's own school directory page (ibo.org/school/004880) refused automated access.
  4. [G2] Ecuador Travel: Andes, Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador (ecuador.travel). Checked 15 October 2026. Describes Cuenca, in Spanish, as a cultural destination in a spring-like valley within the Andes region.
  5. [W1] World Weather Information Service: Cuenca, climatological information, Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMHI), published by the World Meteorological Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Normals for 1981 to 2010 (the latest this service publishes for Cuenca). Monthly mean daily highs (°C) January to December: 22.0, 21.2, 21.4, 20.9, 20.9, 19.8, 18.6, 19.7, 20.3, 21.6, 22.2, 22.0. Rain (mm): 58.1, 85.4, 112.8, 123.3, 85.5, 46.9, 27.9, 19.8, 49.7, 90.8, 86.2, 89.8. Every month is comfortable (high 18 to 30 °C and under 150 mm).
  6. [E2] American retirees flock to Ecuador, fight gringo stereotype, NBC News. Checked 15 October 2026. Published 16 May 2014, updated 14 July 2014: about 7,000 Americans settled in Cuenca as of May 2013 (Cuenca has roughly 350,000 residents, it says); officials estimate 10,000 to 15,000 Americans across Ecuador. The estimates come from unnamed officials. Dated.
  7. [E3] Amenities Migration: A Case Study on the Retired Expatriate Community in Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador, Scripps College (Denise M. Bustamante, senior thesis, December 2011; academic, not official). Checked 15 October 2026. Abstract read: twelve interviews with retired expatriates in Cuenca and nine with Cuencanos. Dated 2011.
  8. [C1] Price level index (GDP), Ecuador, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 42.52 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
  9. [Ecuador S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Ecuador ranks 135th of 163 countries (score 2.539), 10th of 11 in South America.
  10. [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Ecuador: 78 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API (indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 15 October 2026.
  11. [K1] Concesión de visa de residencia temporal rentista para trabajo remoto (Visa Nómada), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana, via the Guía Oficial de Trámites (gob.ec). Checked 15 October 2026. gob.ec refused connections from here on 15 October 2026, so the text was read from the Internet Archive copy taken on 11 October 2026. Foreign-source income of at least three basic wages a month for the three previous months (or 36 a year), proof of work for a foreign employer or client, health insurance; valid up to 2 years; fees US$50 and US$270. Open to nationals of the countries on a Ministry of Tourism list, which the page records as all countries (2022 letters).
  12. [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Ecuador, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 17.25 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
  13. [R1] Concesión de visa de residencia temporal jubilado, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana, via the Guía Oficial de Trámites (gob.ec). Checked 15 October 2026. gob.ec refused connections from here on 15 October 2026, so the text was read from the Internet Archive copy taken on 27 February 2026. A pension from abroad of at least three basic wages a month; health insurance for the period of the visa; US$250 a month more for each person covered; valid 2 years; fees US$50 and US$270. The page states no age minimum and no deposit.
  14. [R3] Concesión de visa de residencia temporal rentista, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana, via the Guía Oficial de Trámites (gob.ec). Checked 15 October 2026. gob.ec refused connections from here on 15 October 2026, so the text was read from the Internet Archive copy taken on 28 January 2026. Monthly income from rents, investment titles and similar, in Ecuador or abroad, of at least three basic wages; health insurance; US$250 a month more for each person covered. The page states no age minimum and no deposit.
  15. [P1] Concesión de visa de residencia permanente por tiempo de permanencia mayor a 21 meses, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana, via the Guía Oficial de Trámites (gob.ec). Checked 15 October 2026. gob.ec refused connections from here on 15 October 2026, so the text was read from the Internet Archive copy taken on 28 January 2026. Permanent residence for people with temporary residence of at least 21 continuous months, applied for before the temporary status ends; the visa has no end date; fees US$50 and US$225.
  16. [V1] Visa Residencia Temporal: categories, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (Cancillería del Ecuador). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists the categories of temporary residence, including Rentista, Jubilado and Rentista para trabajo remoto (Visa Nómada). Opened live on 15 October 2026.
  17. [V2] Visa Residencia Permanente: categories, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (Cancillería del Ecuador). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists the categories of permanent residence, the first being time in Ecuador of more than 21 months. Opened live on 15 October 2026.
  18. [M1] Salario Básico se fija en USD 482 para el 2026 en Ecuador, Vistazo (news magazine), reporting the Ministerio del Trabajo announcement of 15 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026. The 2026 basic wage is US$482, so three basic wages is US$1,446 a month. The article gives no ministerial agreement number.
  19. [F1] EF English Proficiency Index: Ecuador, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. 2025 edition (the page's own data lists 2024 and 2025; its 2026 score is empty): score 466, global rank 83 of 131 countries and regions.

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