Costs
Ecuador has been a bargain destination in recent years, and despite the current economic volatility this is unlikely to change too much in the near future. A budget of $15 a day is quite sufficient to get by on, with the occasional luxury thrown in, while for $25 a day you can live quite comfortably. Typical accommodation prices are usually around the $5 mark for a standard bottom-end double room, falling to as little as $2-3 in really basic places. Above $15 and you're into mid-range territory, while anything over $40 a double is likely to be pretty smart. The price of food is also very low, with an a la carte main course typically costing $2-3; a set lunch or dinner even less. If you want to cut food costs still further, local markets are an excellent source of provisions, particularly if you have some Spanish and are willing to haggle. Transport also currently offers excellent value for money - $1 buys you around an hour's worth of bus travel, though fares may rise following the abolition of fuel subsidies. The most widespread hidden cost in Ecuador is IVA ( Impuesto al Valor Agregado ), a tax of 12 percent which is added to most goods and services. In lower-end restaurants and hotels it's taken for granted that IVA is included in the quoted price, though in smarter places it may not be (look for the small print at the bottom of menus; in hotels, be aware that you may be quoted prices excluding tax). It's then whacked on to the end of the bill by both eating and accommodation establishments, often along with a further 10 percent service charge, making the final total 22 percent more than you might have bargained for. Car rental is almost always quoted without IVA. If in doubt, always clarify whether prices for anything from souvenirs to room rates include IVA. A practice of charging foreigners much higher prices than Ecuadorian residents is in operation at a few of the main tourist centres, most notably in the Galapagos. Covering such things as national park entrance fees, domestic flights, and top-end hotel accommodation, it's not intended as a rip-off so much as a way of neutralizing the inordinate spending power of foreigners, preventing spiralling costs and allowing nationals the chance of affording their country's attractions. If you have a censo , this piece if ID often satisfies officials that you're entitled to pay the lower rate. Finally, when you leave Ecuador by air, you must pay $25 airport tax in cash.
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