Hi Dan, I live in Cotacachi, and I expect the situation here is the same in many parts of Ecuador. Unfurnished apartments are often available and quite inexpensive. You can find a good unfurnished apartment here for around $200 per month. Utilities add another $35.
However, furnished apartments are not readily available, and as a result are more expensive. We have some nicely and fully furnished apartments available for between $400 and $750 per month, more for shorter term.
The good thing is that the cost of living is very low, so after your rental costs, you should be able to live quite nicely on $500 per month or less. We spend about $160 per month on food.
Take a look at our website, www.pro-ecuador.com for lots of good information about relocating to Ecuador. Click on the blog link too, as there are some excellent posts.