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City in Ecuador

Guayaquil

Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city on the Guayas river, with 2,650,288 people in its urban area (2,746,403 in the whole canton) in the 2022 census. InterNations lists 5,781 members in its Guayaquil group. [N1] [E1]

Country
Ecuador
Region
Guayas
Population
2,650,288 in 2022. The urban part of Guayaquil canton, Census 2022 (INEC); the whole canton has 2,746,403, the most of any canton in Ecuador. [N1]
Settings
In a city [N1]
Weather
Warm all year [W3]

Why it is here

Why Guayaquil is on the list.

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

  • Guayaquil canton has 2,746,403 residents in the 2022 census, the most of any canton in Ecuador (Quito has 2,679,722); its urban part alone is 2,650,288. [N1] [G4]
  • InterNations lists a Guayaquil community group of 5,781 members from 110 nationalities. [E1]
  • The 2022 census counts 69,579 people living in Guayaquil canton who were born in another country (about 3 in 100 of its residents) and 47,142 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 Guayaquil.

How big is Guayaquil, and how many foreigners live there?

The urban part of Guayaquil has 2,650,288 people, and the whole canton 2,746,403, the most of any canton in Ecuador (2022 census). The census counts 69,579 people in the canton born in another country, about 3 in 100, including Venezuelans, Colombians and Ecuadorians born abroad, so it is not a count of expats.

Guayaquil (Canton, Ecuador): population, Census 2022, citypopulation.de (secondary), repeating INEC census results. Checked 15 October 2026

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What is the climate in Guayaquil?

Hot: mean daily highs run from 29.1 °C in July to 32.2 °C in March, and only June to August count as comfortable on our scale. Rain peaks at 332.0 mm in February and falls to 1.2 mm in August (INAMHI normals, 1981 to 2010, via the WMO). A private reference puts the city at 4 m above sea level.

World Weather Information Service: Guayaquil, climatological information, Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMHI), published by the World Meteorological Organization; Guayaquil, Wikipedia (private reference, not official). Checked 15 October 2026

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What do government travel advisories say about Guayaquil?

Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel to named northern and southern Guayaquil areas and lists Guayas under a state of exception. An archived US advisory puts Guayaquil south of Portete de Tarqui Avenue at Level 4, and Australia's archived advice says to reconsider travel to the city. Read the current text.

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; Ecuador travel advice (Smartraveller), Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026

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Is there an expat community or international school in Guayaquil?

InterNations lists a Guayaquil group of 5,781 members from 110 nationalities, a private network, not a count of residents. We found no international school evidence for Guayaquil, so schools are unknown here.

Expats in Ecuador: community groups, InterNations (private expat network). Checked 15 October 2026

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What does rent cost in Guayaquil?

We found no dated rent advert for Guayaquil, so rent is unknown here. For comparison, the only priced rents in our research are three Cuenca adverts at US$250 to US$550 a month and one Quito advert at US$680, all on 15 October 2026. Prices overall are about 0.43 of US prices nationally.

Price level index (GDP), Ecuador, World Bank; Furnished suite, Edificio Alta Vista, Avenida Primero de Septiembre, Yanuncay, Cuenca, REMAX Ecuador (private property portal); Semi-furnished suite, Edificio Bélgica Gardena, La Carolina, Quito, REMAX Ecuador (private property portal). Checked 15 October 2026

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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] Guayaquil (Canton, Ecuador): population, Census 2022, citypopulation.de (secondary), repeating INEC census results. Checked 15 October 2026. Census 30 November 2022, not adjusted for undercount: Guayaquil canton 2,746,403, of which 2,650,288 urban and 96,115 rural. Citizenship: 2,699,261 Ecuadorian, 47,142 other. Place of birth: 69,579 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. [W3] World Weather Information Service: Guayaquil, 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 Guayaquil). Monthly mean daily highs (°C) January to December: 31.2, 31.2, 32.2, 32.0, 31.2, 29.8, 29.1, 29.7, 30.5, 30.2, 31.1, 31.8. Rain (mm): 200.7, 332.0, 315.7, 207.2, 62.6, 34.0, 15.6, 1.2, 1.5, 5.6, 29.1, 68.0. Only June, July and August are comfortable.
  4. [G4] Ecuador: Administrative Division (Provinces and Cantons), Census 2022, citypopulation.de (a population statistics site; secondary), repeating INEC census results. Checked 15 October 2026. Cantons: Guayaquil 2,746,403 and Quito 2,679,722 (2022 census, not adjusted for undercount).
  5. [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.
  6. [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.
  7. [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.
  8. [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).
  9. [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.
  10. [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.
  11. [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.
  12. [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.
  13. [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.
  14. [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.
  15. [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.
  16. [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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