Strong, well-developed market for furnished monthly/mid-term rentals in expat hubs (Cuenca especially), with utilities, Wi-Fi and sometimes housekeeping bundled in
Rents in US dollars and a generally low cost of living make budgeting predictable for incoming foreigners
Care is inexpensive by North-American/European standards: a private GP visit runs about USD 25-40 (~EUR 30), specialists USD 30-60, and a private ER visit USD 50-150.
Single nationwide emergency number 911 (ECU 911) dispatches police, fire and ambulance/medical services across all provinces.

Watch out for

No government deposit-protection scheme — the deposit/guarantee (customarily one to two months) is held by the landlord, so keep written receipts and document the unit's condition at move-in (an acta de entrega-recepción)
Statutory two-year minimum term vs. the one-year (or informal/verbal furnished) contracts seen in practice creates a gap; read the written contract carefully and clarify break/notice terms
Public IESS access requires legal residency plus a cedula (national ID) and monthly contributions (roughly USD 80-100/individual); pure tourists and short-stay nomads cannot voluntarily enrol and must rely on private care or travel/private insurance.
Temporary-residency visa holders are legally required to hold either IESS affiliation or private health insurance; because the cedula needed for IESS comes only after residency, applicants in practice buy private insurance first and may switch to IESS later.

Cost of living

Cuenca

€1,050–€2,300/mo