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my rent in Villavicencio is about 300 dollars a month and its a house with garage, 2 stories and 5 bedroom. Its in a estrato 3 neighborhood. Rent price and utilities really varies depending where you live.
First off - unless I wasn't paying enough attention, I didn't hear any mention of health insurance in the clip. Fortunately, for most of us with visas this is relatively cheap here, but it should be figured in. I also wanted to offer the contrasting experience of being a non-working retired expat living solely on a close to $2,000 per month Social Security budget. I won't itemize each expense, but they can be summarized as rent (1-bedroom furnished in Estrato 5 Estadio with all utilities included), health insurance (EPS Sura basic coverage), 2 postpago cellular accounts (for my primary and 'burner´ phones), twice a month maid service, food (I mostly buy groceries and cook for myself), and pet supplies for my two cats. I also have a gym membership at Body Tech, for which I paid about $172 for the year up front. Transportation is minimal, as 95% of the time I either bike or use the metro to get around the city. When all is said and done, that leaves about 40-50% of my check for purely discretionary spending. So it is indeed possible to live a very good life here for on a lower budget of about $2000/month, or even less with some discipline and belt-tightening on the discretionaries...
Es cierto, con $2000 dólares un colombiano vive como un estrato 5 o 6 y le sobraría dinero porque tenemos más conocimiento de donde gastar el dinero😅, de hecho a partir de ese monto son los ingresos altos del pais. Pero también entiendo la comparación del video: que un extranjero puede tener un nivel de vida alto gastando menos. Sin embargo es discrecional de cada individuo el gastar menos o incluso más.
Costa Rica is the 2nd or 3rd MOST EXPENSIVE country to live in all ALL OF Latin America. What was ONCE upon a time the paradise to live has been destroyed by foreigner $$$ influx to the point where they also left and almost no one goes there to retire anymore nor have the time you will have in Colombia or Dominican Republic.
Healthcare he forgot - that's $100 a month for the top tier premium coverage or $25 a month for standard. Clothes are in the miscellaneous section cos it's not a monthly expense and I think he's too young to need medications lol
I have a 5k a month passive income and never spend over 2k a month in Medellin. I don’t like el pabloto because it’s to touristy. I go out to eat 2x a day and date many different girls a month and its almost impossible to spend 3k a month
any breadfruit on mainland? i lived on sai for about 8 months[not in hotels/with local friends] & fell in love with coconut wtr and breadfruit, coconut wtr is 6000cop here in canada! [$1.99 canadian]
I moved to Bangkok in January, I have a similar budget on a new 2 bedroom high rise so I think it’s comparable to medellin. Love everything here but I’m so far from home (USA), so thinking on giving medellin a try next year. They have furnished apartments as well yea?
3k ouch, I lived there last year on my $1250 a month income and felt I lived like a king no problem. I stayed in a nice studio Airbnb that was just over $600 a month but cut long term deal with the owner taking it down to $500. It had a 60" TV, hot water, washer nice little kitchen etc. everything I needed he even got me a computer chair after we cut the deal. I had a Smarfit membership, fixed breakfast at home but ate out for my other meals. I found a number of restaurants where I could eat a nice meal for under or around $5, $10 bucks could by be a File Mignon splurge. I lived in Bombona about 5 blocks from the Smartfit and 7 from the Exito San Antonio and walked it for exercise. I drank at home or had a beer with some expats I met at a local cafe with a nice patio area where beers were only about .60 cents depending on what you want and pastries or fried chicken were just as cheap if you wanted to eat. And I have been cutting my own hair since 2002. You two pampered little bit*hes are way to high maintenance lol.. I will be eligible for SS in about 10 months which puts me at about the 3k a month income level but I plan on saving at least about 1200 or so of that a month. Heading back to Medellin next month after touring Southeast Asia, can't wait to be back.
May I ask if you encounter any issues being a vegan over there? More when you go out rather than eat at home. I've been vegan since 2017, and in some countries, it's near impossible to eat out.
That's a great idea but not really my target audience - there's a few other RU-vidrs who do videos around "living in Colombia on $500" etc. that you might find useful :)
Great job with the video guys. Your delivery is excellent and your prices are spot on what it would cost most men (foreigners) to live a comfortable life in Medellin in the Poblado area. I hear other RU-vidrs claiming you can live like a “King” for $1,000 USD a month. No you can’t, not even close unless you want to live like a hermit in a strata 3 or 4 neighborhood. Nothing wrong with that but that is not what most people move to Colombia for. Your video is realistic and the only thing you may have forgotten or I missed it was healthcare. I pay about $125 per month USD for my Sura policy in Colombia. I know this is one of the more expensive plans but the coverage is excellent. I don’t mind spending a little more money on healthcare. Healthcare is also a requirement in Colombia for foreigners if they have a Colombian visa or they are going to apply.
Great point - I laugh when people make videos about "living like a KING on $1K" - then it turns out they're living in some pueblo in the mountains where the next person is 100 miles away lol or when they make videos in Medellin and they're living in a no window dungeon in the hood.
Todo depende de la oferta y demanda de la ciudad o del sector donde se viva. Por ejemplo :En Cali se muda mucha gente colombiana de Bogota y Medellín de estratos altos, porque puede experimentar un nivel de vida alto a un precio un poco más bajo. Incluso la salud en Cali es de alto nivel. En Barranquilla pasa algo muy similar.
I am surprised that you need to use air conditioning in Medellin, given that the climate there is very similar to central Costa Rica. I have lived in central Costa Rica for nearly 11 1/2 years out of the last 15+ years. And I have never once used air conditioning or gas.
I lived in Costa Rica for a long time as well, years. You need an Air Conditioner , no question, if you live in San Jose area, unless you close to the high mountain part and lots of trees surrounding you. If you live in Cartago, that is a totally different story, but that is NOT San Jose, and that is not central Costa Rica.
You can probably just ask your AirBnb host, but I doubt most of them will have a dedicated line. To actually install you'd have to speak to one of the major providers in Colombia.
@@AKJoel thanks for the reply. So would you say the WiFi speed are good for digital nomads ? Let’s say if I were staying a few months would it make sense or doable for me to contact the owner of the Airbnb to get a dedicated line ?
In all the AirBnb's I stayed in the WiFi was pretty good and I'm constantly uploading videos to RU-vid. That being said, before you book a place you should ask your host to do a speedtest and report back the upload and download speeds to make sure it's sufficient for what you want to do.
It's not as dangerous as the media tells you. If you just know what to look out for and don't make yourself an easy target, then you'll be fine 👍🏾 Will have a video on this soon.
Any recommendations for a good immobilario? I was paying 7.8M pesos for a 2bdr furnished near provenza (edificio El Vergel) and it was one of the best I could find for pricing/location.
Hi . Am first time here...i like the country..where can i find Coworking spot in Cartagena, Bogota and Medellin..your assistant will be highly appreciated. Anwa
Those aren't monthly expenses so they fall into miscellaneous category - with the exception of insurance. We actually forgot that one but standard insurance is about $20 a month and top tier is $100 a month.
Most of the nightmare scenarios I've hard are from foreigners doing stupid things or lacking education on how to act in Colombia - overall it's pretty safe however, sometimes it can just be wrong place wrong time.
$850 US per month for rent in an UNFURNISHED and no utilities included ... Friends, I watch these videos and try to find a motive to go back to Colombia, one more try, especially Medellin. That price tag right there is a deal breaker for now. Medellin, no lie, 100% truth, is very very nice, perhaps the best place in Colombia. It has beautiful women (and so does Cartagena ). But Brazil's cost of living is soooo much cheaper in upper mid to high "estrato" neighborhoods and it makes it difficult to go back to Colombia. $250 - $350 cheaper here with EVERYTHING INCLUDED (furnished and utilities). If you folks find or know of any cheaper accommodations in mid or upper mid "estrato" let viewers like me know. That would be cool. You guys are doing good work and provide good information. I would love to find some good reasons to go back to Colombia.
@@AKJoel Greetings, AK. Yes, so Brazil , like all or most countries, has areas where the prices are higher , or around middle ground and low. In addition to all of that, "estratas" are in Brazil as well but by a different terms or nomenclature. Brazil more rich areas, more middle areas, and more poor areas than Colombia as most of us know given the sheer colossal size and a superior population that's second only to the USA in America. Brasilia Minas Gerais. (Belo Horizonte, Uberlandia) Nordeste (North Area around Fortaleza) Bahia Goiaís Southern Region These are among some of the places there it is big enough but not anything like São Paulo in terms of size. They are also much cheaper than most areas of São Paulo, and just about anywhere in the tourist area of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is cheaper than Colombia if we compare similar areas But Brazil also has very rich areas. After the USA, of course, it is by far the richest country in all America. It's got a bit of everything as far as cost of living.
@@AKJoel I did not mention it before but another great city to go to in Brazil is Florianópolis City in Santa Catarina. It has everything you can want. Gorgeous city, well developed, and sufficient neighborhoods in the middle to upper tiers. ________ You also have Region do Sul (na area Sul ) Nordeste (Like Fortaleza and Recife ) Jardims ( São Paulo ) Aguas Claras ( Brasilia ) and there at least another 4-8 more places I could mention but adding what I said before with this here, your options are plenty already. You are welcome
@@AKJoel Thanks bro! Would love to see you collab with "Where Wes" one day he reminds me of you, real raw unbiased content with similar quality and good personality
You are both young and fit. But for those of us who are slightly older, could you outline health insurance and health care expenses? Perhaps in a future video.
Thank you so much for this info, I'm vacationing in El Poblado for 3 months starting in Dec, to checkout if I want to move. This info is so helpful, It would be nice to meet up with you , Dinner is on me "Carmen"
Great video is it possible to buy other kind of food other than Colombian food? I live in Texas and i love Mexican , bbq, and Cajun food. So wondering if they have that also and if it’s good. Thanks!
@@AKJoel hell yeah that’s awesome. Good idea on creating a course for people wanting to move to Colombia. I’ll definitely checkout the course when it comes out.
You could get the same quality of life for maybe two-thirds of the cost in Southeast Asia - Thailand and the Philippines. And you would be in a much safer environment where you don't have to constantly be on your guard, as it seems you have to be in Medellin.
I've been to Thailand and the Philippines- from what I've seen none of those cities offer what Medellin does. I also had 3 Filipino girls in a video of mine (check it out) and they confirmed that the Philippines is in fact more expensive than Medellin.
I'm in Medellin now. I think it's a stretch to call this the city of eternal spring as it is quite hot. Maybe city of eternal early summer at best. That being said, the infrastructure is worse in Thailand and the Philippines and it is much much hotter so you get what you pay for.
I'm not constantly on my guard. Furthermore, I prefer Latina booties over Asians flapjacks. haha. No. but really, Souteast Asia looks amazing. I'll be doing an Asia trip in a couple of years.
I'm in Medellin now. I think it's a stretch to call this "the city of eternal spring" as it is quite hot. Maybe city of eternal early summer at best. That being said, the infrastructure is worse in Thailand and the Philippines and it is much much hotter so you get what you pay for. I used your technique of wearing jeans yesterday to not stand out, was hot af from 1 to 6 pm 😂
I completely disagree. The infrastructure in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc. (let's not even get started about Singapore) is clearly better than Colombia's. However Colombia is definitely cheaper. Don't know in which aspect SEA would be cheaper, everything in Medellin or other cities is clearly below the prices of comparable places there.
@@andrewinspires thank you sir! I work a remote tech job making great money. This was an incredibly informative video for me. Can’t thank you enough gents.
This obviously only pertains to those who can work remote. I am planning a 6 week trip to Colombia in December. I plan to stay in Cartagena, Cali, Medillen 2 weeks each .
Yep, December in Colombia is awesome. I'm sure you'll have a blast. Cartagena is very cool, and taking boat rides to the small islands is great. Cali is great. I've always said that if I didn't live in Medellin, I'd live in Cali.
Interesting information, but "talking heads" gets boring after a few minutes, we need VISUALS, see your $600 apartment, etc. Intersperse your talking with photos or video shots to keep us watching....
If you have pets, please make a video of dog parks available, veterinarians, dog daycare, dog walkers, etc.. it’s the only thing holding me back from moving to another country. Thanks in advance.
Sorry mate it's not really a widely in demand topic so not worth doing a video on, but I have some friends who are dog owners that I could gather this information from. Book a consult here and I'd be happy to assist you. www.akjoel.com/consultations
Don't sweat it. I took care of an entire dog family in Laureles. Plenty of walkers with dogs around, a vet on every corner in my area and one really good one that saved a few lives potentially, several dog spas available as well, who also did day care and boarding. Laureles area for me highly recommended due to topology and availability of options. IMO very decent place, leafy streets with green patches and small parks scattered around.
Finding a Colombian Fiador can be very, very hard. I would like to know if anyone knows a better way. Maybe Medellin is better suited, because they get more expats. But any other city it gets complicated and I can't find much help... unless you can just pay the first full 6 months all at once.
We offered to pay an entire year in advance - the whole duration of a years contract and the inmobilaria wouldn’t accept it - so that didn’t work for me
@@AKJoel After watching this video, believe me, I'm considering it. I'm currently researching remote jobs. If I was a full time investor I wouldn't think twice about it.
and DUUUDE, bringing it up, I don't eat meat either! I would love to pick your brain about food. I'm in my mid-40's so this realy hits home for me. La mujer con que hablo dice que le gusta guisar un chicharron o algo y yo no como eso jaja.@@andrewinspires
@CalebHammer would have a shît fit to see you spend almost everything without putting anything towards investing or retirement at a age of 40 especially how cheap your living expenses are. Would have been nice to hear if you were investing or doing more with your money other than blowing it on entertainment.
😅 everything, you work from home so literally you can work from wherever you want, there are many places in Medellin or around Colombia where the landscape, facilities etc are super nice to live and better prices, besides places that offer you another services like gym, you're paying a expensive one, even if you want to pay, there are still some gyms not from a chain but still good, new and a lot cheaper. Internet connection, that's a lot what you pay, there are services with good speed and enough for what you need a lot cheaper. Food!! You may save a lot of money here in food, cooking for example, for three days in advance so that you don't spend time everyday and more importantly you cook healthy without certain chemicals and additives used in restaurants, but you spend 2-3 times more buying food outside besides that vegan dishes are usually very expensive because is kind of "fancy" , mainly expats are vegans, so the prices. Most of us enjoy delicious Colombian dishes that of course aren't vegan. Alcohol, well I don't spend money in something that literally affects my body and besides that , taste horrible 😅, not needed, hence not expenses. Miscellaneous, I'm not a consumerist, so I don't buy things every single month like clothes, shoes, beauty products, I'm not the one who buy things to accumulate or to throw away in a couple of months or even a couple of years, but things that last a lot so not to contaminate soon. There are many ways to save money and still living happy and comfy
I think you just have different requirements from your life and that's completely fine! The target audience for this video are expats who already make good money in the US but wans to improve their quality of life by spending less and freeing up their time. We catered this towards people who don't want to cook everyday to save money, they'd rather just spend to free up their time. That being said, it's quite possible to live much cheaper and all your tips above are quite useful for people who are looking to live that way, so thanks!
@@AKJoel yes , of course, that's why I said I would save a lot more with that money, but I didn't say doing the same, that's the difference. Any way, my budget per month is higher than 3thousands dollars, and still spend less than this, so you may imagine. And even though the audience is different (expats) it doesn't mean that a expat may not be interested in living still good but saving a lot more by doing some different things. Not everyone who comes here even expats, buy every single meal or spend in same things, so the target audience may be whoever who is just in Colombia/watch this. The video is just one in a million experience. And my opinion/experience the same.
@@AKJoel Ya its probably more than what I need to live here but it doesn't hurt. I'm actually here now and thanks to you I'm saving money at the atm I use to accept the conversion rate all the time over the last 10 years. don't even want to calculate how much money I wasted over the years for no reason.
You are paying way too much for that property. I suggest you meet actual colombians to get a much much better deal. I am living in a high rise, brand new building, with an indoor parking garage, dorrman, security, utilities all included in a great non-touristy barrio and am a paying 300 per month. I've got incredible views of the entire city and best of all there are no tourists walking arond being loud and obnoxios. The barrio is one of the safest and has less crime than el poblado which is where all my criminal friends go to rob tourists.
I don't think your comparison makes any sense mate. Andrew pays $600 a month and lives in the most happening area of the city. You live in an extremely local (most likely lower estrato) area and pay $300. It's like saying you're paying too much to live in the Hollywood Hills, you need to get a place in Compton 😅😅😅
When I got here in 2010 I was broke, and had to live barrios. I'm not looking to go back, lol. That being said, apart, from Manila my favorite was el centro, lived there for a bout a year and a half.
I'm a 20 year whole food vegan. It can def be a issue when I travel. I'm moving to Medellin in September, and I'm hoping I can find my staple ingredients without too much struggle. I cook all my meals and buy a lot of fruits and veggies and and starches like beans, potatoes, and lentils. I also like to hit smoothie bars that use whole plant ingredients without processed junk. A run down on vegan grocery items, outdoor markets, cafe's, and restaurants would be awesome!
