Is Ecuador on your radar as a digital nomad destination?
If not, it should be. This small South American country is one of the best places in Latin America for digital nomads and remote workers.
While destinations like Mexico and Colombia have been exploding in popularity as digital nomad destinations, Ecuador still flies under the radar.
Here’s what makes Ecuador perfect for digital nomads:
1. Digital Nomad Visa
If you want to stay in Ecuador long-term, you can apply for the country’s new digital nomad visa.
This visa allows remote workers to live in Ecuador for up to two years as long as they can prove they earn at least $1,275 per month from sources outside of Ecuador and pay the $460 application fee.
There are a few other steps to complete to obtain a digital nomad visa for Ecuador, but once you have it, you can call the country home for up to two years.
For digital nomads who just want to spend a couple of months working from Ecuador, that’s possible too. Americans can spend up to 90 days in Ecuador without a visa.
2. Eastern Time Zone
For remote workers who are tied to a job back in the United States, you’ll be pleased to find out that Ecuador is in the same time zone as the Eastern United States.
This means you can easily work the same or similar hours as you would at home.
While working somewhere like Europe or Asia as a digital nomad can be exciting, it can also be extremely difficult with the huge variation in time zones that may have you working late at night or waking up extremely early.
Being located somewhere that’s on the same schedule as home is a huge benefit for remote workers.
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3. Amazing Destinations
Ecuador is an incredibly diverse country with many types of landscapes, from mountains to tropical rainforests to beaches and more.
Whether you like big cities or small towns, you’ll be able to find the perfect place to base yourself in Ecuador.
For a big-city atmosphere, Quito is an amazing place to stay. In the southern part of the country, Cuenca is a smaller city that is very popular with expats due to its great quality of life and cosmopolitan atmosphere.
For beach-lovers, Manta is another place that’s popular with expats, while the small beach town of Montañita has been growing in popularity with the digital nomad crowd who want to work during the day, surf in the evening, and party at night.
4. Low Cost Of Living
One great thing about living in Ecuador as a digital nomad is the low cost of living. It’s possible to live very well in Ecuador on much less than in the United States.
However, even though prices for everything from food to accommodation to activities are much cheaper than in the United States, Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar as its official currency.
This makes things even easier for digital nomads from the United States since you won’t have to worry about converting currency in Ecuador.
5. Small Country Is Easy To Explore
Unlike most of South America, Ecuador is a relatively small and compact country, making it easy to get around and explore.
If you base yourself in Quito, for example, you can easily take weekend trips to destinations around the country, like the cloud forest in Mindo, Quilotoa Lagoon, the adventurous town of Baños, and Cotopaxi National Park.
There is so much to explore in Ecuador, from the Galapagos Islands to the Amazon rainforest.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
CNH Tours
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
We lived in Galapagos for four years. BTW - the picture of Bartolome Island with a canoe on the beach is a digital fabrication. We spend a lot of time in Galapagos and as far as we know, there is not one single canoe in the archipelago - and given that this island is about 50 miles from the nearest human settlement, across open ocean, even if there were one, it would be very very difficult to make that journey.
But if you want to organize a trip to Galapagos, and if you want the help of a travel company that has been specialized in Galapagos since 1999, reach out to us. CNH Tours.