Manta, Ecuador – Travel Guide for Nomads and Expats

Manta, Ecuador

A port city on Ecuador’s Pacific coast. Manta is on the up and up as a tourist and expat destination. Lots of tourists from Ecuadorian cities as well. You’ll probably see more people here from Quito than Guayaquil.

POPULATION: 250,000

 

WEATHER IN MANTA

Warm temperatures throughout the year (21°C to 28°C). Rainy season runs from January to May.

 

BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT MANTA

The months with the best weather in Manta, Ecuador are August, September, and October. The months with the worst weather in Manta are January, February, and March. From Jan – March it rains qquite a lot, and then it practically doesn’t rain at all the rest of the year! So pretty much anything May – December is a good time to be in Manta. 

 

SAFETY IN MANTA

Compared to other cities in Ecuador, Manta is relatively safe. However, we do not suggest walking around alone at night. Take a taxi instead. During the day, you should be fine here.

 

MUST DO

El Murciélago is a popular beach area in Manta. A good place to relax and enjoy some delicious seafood or cervezas in one of its many restaurants.

 

RENT AN APARTMENT IN MANTA

You can rent something in Manta for around $400/month. This won’t be enough for a mansion on the beach, mind you, but it’s enough to find something decent in town.

 

COST OF LIVING IN MANTA

We suggest a budget of $1200 a month for Manta.

 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN MANTA

There are not many job opportunities in Manta for a foreigner. However, this would be a good place to buy property and rent it out on Airbnb during the high season.

 

IS THERE UBER IN MANTA

No, UBER does not operate in Manta.

 

IS MANTA A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE?

Manta is a good choice for folks who want to live by the beach. One benefit of Ecuador is you can get residency with a $40,000 bank deposit and live here for the long term.  The city is big enough to have all of the amenities you’d want, and real estate is fairly inexpensive. Salinas may have better nature, but Manta is a more complete city. However, this is a bit of a party town during the high season. If you’re not into noise and/or public displays of drunkenness, you may find Manta tiresome for half of the year. 

 

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