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City in Ecuador

Salinas

Salinas is a coastal resort town on the Santa Elena peninsula with 35,066 people in its urban area (86,801 in the whole canton) in the 2022 census. Private guides describe a retiree and expat community of a few hundred people, centred on the malecón and Chipipe. [N1] [E1] [E2]

Country
Ecuador
Region
Santa Elena
Population
35,066 in 2022. The urban part of Salinas canton (the town of Salinas), Census 2022 (INEC); the whole canton, with Anconcito and its other rural parishes, has 86,801, and the neighbouring La Libertad and Santa Elena cantons are not counted. [N1]
Settings
By the sea, In a small town [G3] [N1]
Weather
Warm all year [G3] [B1]

Why it is here

Why Salinas is on the list.

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

  • A private expat guide estimates 300 to 500 expats and retirees in Salinas, the largest alternative expat community after Cuenca and Quito, mostly in the condo towers along the malecón and in Chipipe; a retirement blog says there are many foreigners and holiday homes. Both are opinion with no headcount, and the guide warns its articles may be AI-generated. [E1] [E2]
  • The 2022 census counts 2,647 people living in Salinas canton who were born in another country (about 3 in 100 of its 86,801 residents) and 1,482 with a citizenship other than Ecuadorian. The counts include Colombians, Venezuelans 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 Salinas.

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

The town of Salinas, on the Santa Elena peninsula, has 35,066 people (86,801 in the canton) in the 2022 census; neighbouring La Libertad and Santa Elena are counted separately. The census finds 2,647 people born abroad in the canton, but that includes Colombians, Venezuelans and Ecuadorians born abroad.

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

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Is there an expat community in Salinas?

A private guide estimates 300 to 500 expats and retirees, mostly in the malecón towers and Chipipe, and warns that its pages may be AI-generated. A retirement blog says there are many foreigners and holiday homes. Neither gives a headcount, so the size of the community is not known.

Living in Cotacachi, Vilcabamba, and Salinas: Ecuador's Other Expat Towns Beyond Cuenca and Quito, Expat Ecuador (private guide; its pages say articles may be AI-generated and can contain errors); Salinas: Retirement Overview Information, Retirement Utopia (private blog). Checked 15 October 2026

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What is the climate in Salinas?

We found no INAMHI or WMO normals for Salinas, so its climate is not scored. Ecuador's tourism ministry describes it, in Spanish, as a refuge of sun, sea and surf with a warm climate. A Wikipedia table gives mean daily highs of 23.7 to 29.3 °C but mixes periods.

Ecuador Travel: Pacific Coast, Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador (ecuador.travel); Salinas, Ecuador, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026

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What do government travel advisories say about Salinas?

Canada lists Santa Elena province under a state of exception and says gang activity has grown on the coast, Santa Elena included. An archived US advisory places Santa Elena among its Level 3 provinces. Advice changes and varies by area, so read the current text for where you plan to be.

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

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What do rent, schools and healthcare look like in Salinas?

We found no dated rent advert, school or hospital evidence for Salinas, so all three are unknown here. Nationally, the WHO's service coverage index is 78 out of 100 (2023). Priced rents elsewhere in our research: Cuenca US$250 to US$550 a month and Quito US$680, all on 15 October 2026.

UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization; 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] Salinas (Canton, Ecuador): population, Census 2022, citypopulation.de (secondary), repeating INEC census results. Checked 15 October 2026. Census 30 November 2022, not adjusted for undercount: Salinas canton 86,801, of which 35,066 urban (the town of Salinas) and 51,735 rural parishes. Citizenship: 85,319 Ecuadorian, 1,482 other. Place of birth: 2,647 in another country. The urban figure is used as the town's population. INEC's own census viewer refused automated access.
  2. [E1] Living in Cotacachi, Vilcabamba, and Salinas: Ecuador's Other Expat Towns Beyond Cuenca and Quito, Expat Ecuador (private guide; its pages say articles may be AI-generated and can contain errors). Checked 15 October 2026. Updated 16 February 2026, by Chip Moreno. Salinas: a resort town of about 35,000 people; expat and retiree community 'probably 300-500 people'; most expats live in the malecón towers or in Chipipe. Estimate and opinion, no headcount.
  3. [E2] Salinas: Retirement Overview Information, Retirement Utopia (private blog). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated, mentions an estimated 2025 population over 37,000. Says there are many foreigners in Salinas and lots of holiday homes; names San Lorenzo and Chipipe as the desirable areas. Opinion, no headcount.
  4. [G3] Ecuador Travel: Pacific Coast, Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador (ecuador.travel). Checked 15 October 2026. Names Salinas as a beach destination ('un refugio de sol, mar y surf', broad golden-sand beaches and a warm climate), in Spanish.
  5. [B1] Salinas, Ecuador, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Coordinates 2.2167 S, 80.9501 W; used for the map point only. Its climate table (General Ulpiano Páez Airport) takes temperatures from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet and rain from a 1971 to 2000 FAO database; mean daily highs 23.7 to 29.3 °C. Used only for the weather type (warm: every month 22 °C or more), not scored.
  6. [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.
  7. [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; no 1991 to 2020 normals were found). Mean daily highs 18.6 to 22.2 °C (coolest July, warmest November); rain 19.8 mm (August) to 123.3 mm (April); 12 comfortable months (every month). Cuenca is the main city for Ecuador's climate grade.
  8. [W2] World Weather Information Service: Quito, climatological information, Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMHI), published by the World Meteorological Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Normals for 1981 to 2010. Mean daily highs 20.8 to 22.3 °C; rain 21.5 mm (July) to 171.2 mm (April); 11 comfortable months (April is over 150 mm).
  9. [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. Mean daily highs 29.1 °C (July) to 32.2 °C (March); 3 comfortable months (June, July, August); the other nine are over 30 °C.
  10. [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.
  11. [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.
  12. [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).
  13. [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.
  14. [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.
  15. [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.
  16. [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.
  17. [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.
  18. [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.
  19. [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.
  20. [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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