Why Americans retire abroad
The couple looked for a place outside the U.S. where they could live more affordably without his income. She said they visited Mexico and Turkey and finally settled on Ecuador, a country the size of Nevada filled with jungles and beaches and mountains.
Frances Hogg Lochow, 69, spent decades as a legal aid attorney in Detroit before moving to a small town on New York’s Hudson River when her husband retired.
The couple looked for a place outside the U.S. where they could live more affordably without his income. She said they visited Mexico and Turkey and finally settled on Ecuador, a country the size of Nevada filled with jungles and beaches and mountains.
Frances Hogg Lochow, 69, and her husband sold their U.S. home and bought a retirement house in Cuenca, Ecuador. They sold their home in the U.S. and bought a house in Cuenca, a historic city perched at 8,200 feet. They were charmed by its climate, architecture and costs that allow the couple to live comfortably on Social Security alone with money left to travel.
“It’s like 70 degrees every day. You can get an apartment for $600 a month. Doctor appointments are 30 bucks. Drugs are less expensive,” she said. “It’s a very healthy place to live. The people are really friendly. And it's a cultural center.”
