can't speak for ecuador but the quality of a place you're spending 1400 for in medellin is going to vastly surpass what you get for the price in america. 1400 d

can't speak for ecuador but the quality of a place you're spending 1400 for in medellin is going to vastly surpass what you get for the price in america. 1400 doesn't get you luxury whatsoever. you're absolutely right that third world accommodations can't compare to first world 1:1 but you'd have to spend significantly more in the united states to live in a place with a comparable quality of life regardless. And this is based on my experiences in mexico, colombia, peru, srilanka, thailand, and indonesia. of course there are some countries where the market inefficiencies mean that even luxury accommodations just aren't going to match up. my experiences ihe the phillpines sounds a lot like what you're describing in ecuador.