Why Foreigners Aren't Welcome in Medellin Anymore... 

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I was Mateo’s 12th grade English teacher. So happy to see him doing his thing! Anyone looking to move to Medellin or invest he is absolutely your guy!

airbnb destroyed a lot of places

It happens everywhere, The mission district in San Francisco...Brooklyn in New York...Puerto Vallarta in Mexico..Denver Colorodo..the 18th, 19th, and 20th arrondissements in Paris...and the list goes on. Make the best of it and be respectful!

Personally this is the same thing that has happened in Florida especially in Miami with all the Venezuelans and welthly south americans that have come into miami and raised home prices by 30% since covid. Its just part of the transition the work is going thru.

“We want your tourist dollars…. Just not you” 😂

Amazes me how people always act like they go to Medellin just for the weather, the scenery and the arepas… We know what ya’lls primary motives are 😅😅😅

You said the same thing I said. It all comes down to the greedy people who own the homes, they are the ones who set the prices, they are the ones who should be feeling the most heat. Some foreigners might not even know what a good price is or not so they just pay the asking price.

What are your thoughts on Gentrification? Let me know here! And also... 🌍 Become a CHANNEL MEMBER to get access to videos about how I make money online and travel the world! ru-vid.com/show-UC8848QXue5LVeCkbo6FL3awjoin 📩 For 1 on 1 consultations, where you can ask me anything about life in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil or any of the other 40 countries I visited as well as how to make money online - book here: www.akjoel.com/consultations

The problem is mostly in two areas of Medellin. Poblado and Laureles and very little change outside of these two areas to be concerned about. I’ve seen a grand total of less then 10 extranjeros in my Pueblo neighborhood in 10 years . If your thinking of coming here don’t be alarmed and let the video phase you. Take some time and learn about the other areas of the city or surrounding Pueblos and you’ll find low prices. These prices are more realistic and will save you plenty of money .

Last year I wanted to rent an apartment in the Club Camperstre area of el Poblado, the rent was $4.5 million pesos. Last week the owner called again to inform me that the unit was now available for $9. Million. 100% increase in one year.

They are not hateful against foreigners like you said, they just want real estate to remain casual. Greedy owners with crazy prices in mind should face the law

Gentrification is created by locals wanting to make more money. Foreigners would be happy to pay less. Telling gringos to go home is not the answer. Great video. Thank you.

Sure digital nomads like me destroy local prices. And we bring very little input into the country cause we work for companies abroad. So I understand the signs of the locals. Man, you think too positive! Live might be easy in your case but it's not for local and not for every gringo.

I moved to Colombia 17 years ago, met and married a Colombian woman and never in 17 year has anyone ever made me feel like I should leave. Also, the new president, Petro, is making significant moves to convert the economy of Colombia to obtain foreign exchange more from production of goods and services and tourism. He wants much more tourism and less production of oil for forex. If he's successful, there will be many more foreigners in Colombia.

Been living in Colombia 14+years , the tourists and gringos that live in Medellin and around Colombia are not to blame for increased prices of rent and other things. Its local Colombian greed tries to take advantage by gringo pricing everyone and inflation is the result of increased costs.

Same thing is happening in the United States. People have been getting price out of the country for a long time now. That’s why mini who work remotely are going overseas to live because of the affordability. I’ve basic home in the United States starts at $500,000. Rent starts at $2,000 a month. Cars are now over $35,000! It’s outrageous. As for Colombia the people who own the Homes and rental properties are the ones who should be feeling the most heat, because they set the prices!

In every city, including New York and London, if there are more airbnbs the rent prices go up. It's even called the "airbnb effect". However an airbnb is about the half the price of a hotel. So as a tourist I am saving money and my money is also important.

I enjoyed the video. The parts I liked most is when Mateo said that we should be open-minded and the things he said after that. People come to the U.S. to work. If I was them I would too if I could. I met a guy from Colombia that works at the same company I work . He told me he works 2 weeks in the states then goes back to Colombia for 2 weeks. I rented an Airbnb from a man in Panama that has business in Miami and his family lives in Panama.

As someone who has spent a lot of time in Medellin I can assure you this is Colombians greed coming back to bite them. The issue is that when they see a gringo the price gets doubled or tripled. And when they get a gringo to scam into their high prices they claim that’s the new norm and the other Colombians are mad at the gringos for raising the price but their only crime is not know they are being scammed by other greedy Colombians.

I moved to Medellin in 2017. It's the only big city that I truly love. At the beginning of the worldwide event, I moved to a smaller city. Lately, I have made several trips to find a way to move back to Medellin. Rental prices are way up, and landlords mostly just use an agency because they are making a killing so why do any work or take risks? The agencies are not expat friendly (I won't go into the many reasons). I can't blame other foreigners for wanting to stay in Medellin, but their massive expenditures have really driven up the cost of living there.

Great video and a topic you don't hear much about. I've visited Medellin several times since 2016, and have thought about retiring there due to weather, scenery and people. But i always had in the back of my mind there could be some concern with a city being overrun by foreigners.

It’s happening everywhere in the world. In Australia 30% of rental properties are listed on apps such as Airbnb causing rentals to skyrocket. The government could intervene, but then the economy loses all that foreign revenue. It’s a difficult problem. In the end it is up to the local community. It seems pretty clear they’ve had enough in Medellin.

That's what they should put on all the posters. "Hey Gringo - stop paying stupid prices!"

People keep bringing digital nomads into the equation, but in reality most remote workers are actually looking to live frugally. As a person who runs a shared house in Medellin, most digital nomads who arrive here are looking for competitive prices because they don't have a fixed income nor they have the proper paperwork to move into the country and have the benefits of a normal citizen. Getting a working/foreigner visa in Colombia is an absolute pain in the ass unless you have a shit ton of money and are looking to invest or buy property in the country or you have a job that requires you to move here. The "gentrification" is coming from investors/retirees/tourists who have a lot of money and don't care about overpaying for anything. Most digital nomads stay in the country from 3 to 6 months a year cause it's what their visa allows them to and most of them will move from one city to another during their stay. Also, I'd argue that the raise in prices is also caused by Colombians. Cause they take advantage of the situation and have raised prices knowing that there are foreigners willing to pay them. That does not only apply to property but to everything. I had a guest today who was gonna pay 20 dollars for a walking tour until I heard the conversation he was having by phone with the guide band I told him he could do it for a much cheaper price. I also had another guest a few weeks ago that came from the store shocked by how much she had to pay for a few groceries. So I went with her back to the store, showed the receipt to the cashier and asked her why there were charging here so much for what she had bought. Some Colombians do take advantage of foreigners who barely speak Spanish, are new to the city and are not accustomed to the local prices. However, some foreigners are also to blame for. I've also had a few guests how were absolutely shocked by the prices of hostels and properties in coastal cities and how many of them were owned by foreigners. That is a phenomenon that is still not happening in Medellin... yet. It's all a matter of balance. If you're an average foreigner who is looking to come to Colombia, educate yourself about the local prices first so you don't overpay. If you're a Colombian landlord, stop being a greedy cunt who charges $1000 a month for a piece of shit apartment/room.

Most of guys go there to enjoy the cheap life, party scene , girls , sex and drugs

More than welcome to our country, please don't take it personal I think that happens everywhere .

If it becomes "not cheap" anymore, some of the gentrification will fix itself.

I started going to Colombia in the beginning of 2021 the exchange rate was about 3,400 peso per dollar and every time I went back it would go up a little the last time there in Jan 2022 it was 3,900peso per dollar now it is 4,550peso per $ that’s a huge increase

I would like to be put in contact with that lawyer. I am considering relocating to Medellin, and I agree with his closing statements.

Is this only happening in Medellin or even catching up in other Colombian cities like cali and cartagena?

More like greed from the business side than gringos raising prices. Gringos would loveeee to see the prices remain low. The lower prices were the reason Colombia became a Digital Nomad hot spot.

Foreigners mentioned on this video mostly belong to the middle class of developed countries who's income places them in the local upper brackets displacing the local "rich" that rent. The rest of Medellín is very low income. Salaries of less than 300 USD a month. Foreigners normally don't rent in neighborhoods where the majority of the population lives. A local with a 1000 or 2000 monthly income is in the "rich" category and represent less than 5% of the population. Those are the ones that see their purchasing power diminished in the prime real estate areas. On the other hand there are low income areas that have seen a higher demand due to Venezuelan refugees that as most locals have very low incomes.

There are no a la gentrification writing in the first laureles park written on the sitting areas

Excellent! Posters need to go up in Cartagena too! I was considering it for retirement but young wealthy Americans have blown real estate costs to comparable with the USA. Purchasing properties or convincing locals to turn every vacant apartment/home into an AirBnB.

Digital nomads don't really contribute anything to the community. Paying local sales tax isn't really groundbreaking and not really included in the tourism figures since they tend to live more like locals.. I think if prices continue to go up they way they have been they are going to want them out.

Get mad all they want to. How they gonna stop us? They always want to point at the outside person but what about the Colombian property owners who up the prices, they have no guilt in the situation huh?

Sorry, but the locals increase their prices for foreigners while its businesses that selfishness affect the local Colombian. Colombia needs to let go of that don't give Papaya mentality and start fighting back. Hopefully, tourism will bring money and innovation to the country and better contracts with other countries. while I still question Hondura's way of doing things but they going after these gangsters to clean their country. Colombia needs to do similar.

I’ll be in Medellin then flying to Cartagena in June . First time going and will be staying in poblado . What excursions do you suggest in both cities?

Excellent discussion thank you!

I live in New York City which is a Melting Pot of all nationality. It puts pressure on the housing food etc. It is wat it is. Don’t think that they appreciate foreigners going over there to be with their women.

Watching you walk around with a camera in your hand like that gives me hope and calms my anxiety around coming to Medellin 😂

Well rent rules ANY area. Got to realize pesos and dollars are world's apart. Its finally gotten to the point of a local catastrophe. Violence is a possibility if it doesnt subside

Are foreigners raising the rents? No at all. The issue is greedy landlords. Columbia needs to STRICTLY regulate rents for both locals and foreigners.

My wife and I saw the exact same thing in Panama, but it has gotten to the point where some of the locals have started to verbalize it directly to foreigners. We were yelled at and centered out in a busy grocery store in Boquete, Panama by a very outraged local woman who followed us around the grocery store until management finally stopped her and we left. It's strange in Panama, the government encourages expats to come but the locals resent the expats and their "wealth".

I am in California and we are being invaded by the Chinese. The creepiest part is that the women all appear to be getting surgery to look less Asian and more white. This is a really strange time. Imagine if it was the other way around and millions of Americans moved to China and got surgery to look Chinese.

People should be upset with greedy landlords not the visitors of your country.

The government can cap ABnBs and or put taxes on them to fund affordable housing

wonder if the prices will come down when the dollar depreciates? or will it be like gas? Never coming down again?

Same thing happened in Panama years ago.North Americans and Europeans going to the country to live or buy vacation property and property values skyrocketed.

I'll go to Colombia all I want you can't stop me

Prices are going up because local owners want to charge more. I'm sure foreigners would LOVE to pay less. Now if there is a shortage of apartments for rent, that's another problem and is usually why prices go up.

Except that the money coming in will most likely only help the rats: politicians and lawyers, Like the guy you were interviewing.

Same thing is happening in the US. I live in arizona and our housing market and rent is skyrocketing. We have a homeless problem as well. It's not the expats fault. It's happening globally. Employees need to pay locals more so they can live in their own country.

The solution is explore other cities in colombia, specially digital nomad can live in other cities that also offer good quality of life, Barranquilla, santa marta and pereira are some of them, Barranquilla and santa marta with a big plus which is the fact of been close to the Caribbean Sea and the Sierra Nevada

Look the situation in Lisbon. The country allowed foreigners to buy property in the country. And now the Portuguese can't live in Lisbon anymore. This interview is biased. There is always the risk of Medellin become the next Lisbon. One can not give the excuse of "it happens everywhere". Families that lived in a city for centuries can be displaced by privileged first world country people. If it happens in Lisbon (Europe). It can easily happen in South America. Some countries and cities should do like Switzerland and other countries. Forbid gringos from purchasing property. They should only be able to lease. If anyone will become rich with real estate it should be Colombians.

The problem is they come in and don't assimilate. I've seen this living in Mexico; San Diegans come into to Tijuana and do the same. No Spanish, don't adhere to local customs, treat the locals like criminals in THEIR country... I wouldn't want them there either. To combat this, they have gringo prices and local prices... but the cultural issues still remain.

I have lived in Colombia (not a teacher) for 15 years and it has never been dangerous for me. Colombians are the nicest people on the planet. There is no place in the US that is even 1/10th as livable as Medellin so I always knew this would happen. Gentrification is a problem in many latin countries because life is so much better. Mexico City is a prime example. Colombians always want to come to the US because of better paying jobs. Now they don't need to. It's 50 dollars for a really bad Thai massage in MDE and 8 dollars in Thailand or 15 in Istanbul for a great one. You just need to up your skill set to make a lot more money but you may need to move. Although I have homes in Medellin there are much better places to live in Colombia.The tourist need to explore the whole wonderful country and ease up on Medellin but it won't happen as its the best city (year round) in the world.

Colombian follow up… A Gringo Friend of mine who is married to a Colombian also has his bags packed (so to speak) in order to move his family out of Colombia before 2025 when the real Colombian communism 💩 will hit the fan This Friend has today (May 4) sent me this Colombian update ---- "The overt Communism supporter and practitioner, President Petro spoke to a group from the balcony of the Casa Nariño yesterday. He touched on many topics, but his fiery revolutionary speech tried to hammer-home the point about his reforms and how they must be passed by Congress; and the problem he's having getting anything approved. One portion of his speed ended with this quote... "If my reforms are not passed, it could lead to Revolution in Colombia." The true colors of this guerillero-revolutionary are now visible."

a thoughtful and well balanced interview - good job

I think partly is because men in the western world had enough and sick of dealing with western women - cheers 🍻

This globalised world means people should be able to live freely where he/she prefers on the planet as long as value is added to the host country economically, culturally, socially, etc.

Colombia relies heavily on tourism. The issue is not caused directly be foreign people, its landlords and land owners who are pushing up the rents because they can. Prices have also increased due to inflation which is caused by governments imposing lockdowns and disruption of worldwide supply chains.

I like the idea of living in Columbia for one reason, the weather. It's fairly consistent.

Are there any good Gyms in Manilla Neighborhood of Medellin ?

If the locals stay honest and not greedy, they will continue make a good living.. and tourism should be something very positive for economy not the other way around..

That's unfortunate. Like someone said, it's happening everywhere. I looked Medellin. I looked a Lisbon, Portugal. Yep! The citizens of these countries are getting angry. I guess I don't blame them. I guess also that it's a catch 22 where the governments are concerned because maybe they're trying to get the economy moving, but they're not accounting for these inflated prices. Greed is a great motivator for many.

I don’t know the proper name for it but especially the student housing could be gringo tax on the property and added to a student housing fund

Vancouver B.C Canada, 2 bdr aptment is 3200. 00 cad per month !

Good info!

Everyone is welcome at our country, but another thing is if they’re going to take the power here, and the Colombian is too territorial, I’m pretty sure than if that happen some guerrilla could born just to be care of what could happen later

It's funny how most Latin Americans consider themselves as part of the Western World, yet people in the Anglo sphere definitely don't view things the same way. Apparently their idea of Western world is northern European, Protestant and rich. It looks like being Catholic, having southern European ancestry and speaking Spanish or Portuguese don't qualify as Wstern in their eyes.

They have balanced it with tighter immigration and the digital nomad is a win for the government but not for the foreigners. That tax rate is high , I’ll go to 2-3 other countries

South America is considered the west

Do they not know that inflation has been bad globally? You cant show me 1 place in the world where prices haven't sky rocketed since covid...

What I do is invest in Colombians themselves so they can start the business. It's a win-win

9:20 - totally agree with your point. It's bad for the average population to experience gentrification, but good for businesses like restaurants, clubs, and renters. They're definitely getting benefits from that.

Bienvendidos gringos a mi pais Colombia!, hay muchos bellos lugares con una muy buena calidad de vida, buena comida, a precios justos no solo en Medellín sino tambien en toda Colombia: Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cali, Bucaramanga, San Gil, Eje cafetero, etc.

It's the locals jacking the prices up which is the true problem.

AK- would say your estimate is on the low end. Yes, it would be a billion dollars minimum doing 1M *1,000. However for people like you who are actually living there then your spend will be way more than a $1,000 on an annual basis. So you have to have an estimate of about how many digital nomads live there and their average stay. From what i see online the governments plan is to facilitate about 50K or so nomads so assuming they get to that point then those 50K would probably spend lets say $2K on everything a month so total approx $100M a month and about $1.2 billion annualized. So then you add in the approx $1 billion from the short term stays so that is a easy $2.2 billion injection into the economy. I think the guys who come there for women probably spend more on entertainement at bars, restaurants etc so we are looking at probably 2.5 to 3 billion. The government will collect a good fraction of that in taxes which can be used to improve social services or maybe fund the contstruction of affordable housing.

It’s funny how people understand supply and demand when it comes to housing but with labor they put their political blinders on and always deny it.

Same thing Americans said when Latinos came to the USA and lowered labor costs so "Americans' wouldn't work for the prices that immigrants work for...this is all a circle and everyone is out to make a buck. The landlords can rent to locals but they target extranjeros...

El "problema" ya se venía presentando, ya que las construcciones se hacen en las partes más estrategicas de la ciudad, por lo que los mejores barrios se estaban volviendo más costosos aún.

You hear the same complaints about Cuenca, Ecuador as well. . .asi es la vida.

Good job Joel. 👏

The same problem happens everywhere. I live in boston we call them yuppies. They come because of the schools relocation and tourism. The problem is these people don't appreciate the culture. They live in a bubble. The prices raise because society has to accomodate these yupppies. They gentrify neighborhoods. In a way they are colonizers. They look down in locals especially working class locals. They make the living Conditions tough for local people

Los colombianos en su mayoria estamos felices de que vengan gringos a aportar a nuestra economía, pero hay algunos politicos socialistas que usan el discurso de la "gentrificación" porque en el fondo quieren más impuestos, quieren participar de las ganancias que obtienen los propietarios lugareños pero sin invertir un solo peso. Este fenomeno de altos precios se atacaría con una mayor oferta inmobiliaria, donde el mercado ajusta los precios por ley de oferta y demanda, pero la excesiva burocracia no van al mismo ritmo de la inversión privada.

I started to travel to colombia back in 2016 and never experienced any issues. Visited multiple cities (Bogota, Cali, Medellin, Cartagena and more). Yes, I have seen the change over the years especially in Medellin and the sense of danger is more prominent now than before.

Foreigners are not raising prices, local real estate owners are.

I have been traveling here for 4 years now, and I am completely accepted by the beautiful people of Colombia with hugs 🫂 and kisses! Thanks parceros! 🎉 Que mas pues, bien o que?

Medellin just need to built more high rise with commercial space within the 2 floors and the rest being residential 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️. Lastly increase public transportation

Gentrification happens everywhere. It always creates some tension. It's unavoidable. Take away the foreign money coming into Colombia and what problem does that solve. I ve been to Medellin 5 times in the last year & will be ex-patting very soon. Personally I ve observed no resentments directed at me. Further many Colombian incomes are directly tied to tourism and gentrification

Excellent video. Hey Gringos stop paying stupid prices, Great advice AK Joel

They obviously don't watch the news in Spanish. For most its less about being a part of the culture or even learning to speak Spanish with out that terrible accent that lacks any type of flavor or shows they even care to pronounce things correctly and more about what they can get out of Colombia, women they couldn't of dreamed of getting in their own country because their either weird or just lack any type of game or purely for the economics. Just telling it like it is.

The campaign was carried out by the government without counting on the citizens...you have to be honest about it, most Colombian departments are friendly to tourists just because we are friendly, but that doesn't mean they want them to stay, just As in the United States, they like tourism but not that the tourist becomes someone permanent. Unfortunately, the American does not have our economic culture, he spends without measuring what affects the cost of living in the area in which he lives and eventually the city. An example of this is Santa Marta in El Rodadero. The other side of the coin is that the foreigner promotes another culture, one that the archaic social and political models in our nation are not very happy with, much less eager for the people to receive, it is a pluralistic and cosmopolitan culture, one of education and civic culture, one that goes against the traditional models deeply planted in our politically feudalist nation; foreigners are a threat to traditionalist politicians and their corrupt neo-feudalist model

Gentrification is good for those who are already wealthy. Those are the people who gain the most because they own the most and set the prices. He mentioned 5 or 6 neighborhoods being affected but how many people inhabit those neighborhoods? Not to mention locals have to compete against a more valuable currency, so it’s very understandable why the locals are upset.

The locals are not the reasons price are rising. Blame the greedy people who are raising the price.

Why No info about Mateo’s law firm???

No One Would want to Visit Any Country where they are not Welcome. Js. Tks for the Vedio, As always enjoyed it. 🙏✌😎

It comes down to government, they aren't providing a stable economy for the people. I travel to Colombia to get 4x the value on the New Zealand dollar, why would I spend money in my own failed economy when I can enjoy life much more abroad?