Expat Life: Was Coming to Medellín, Colombia a BIG Mistake?

You may think of Colombia as a dangerous country filled with violent drug cartels. Had we made a huge mistake coming to Medellín, former headquarters of cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar? That wasn’t our concern.

We were worried about the weather.

We knew October was part of the rainy season here. Cuenca supposedly has a rainy season too, but since nobody really seems to know when it is we hadn’t paid much attention.

Well…

It was raining heavily the evening we arrived. Our ride from the airport in horrible traffic took twice as long as it should have. In the days that followed “if” was not a question regarding precipitation. One was left to wonder only “how much” (buckets) and “for how long” (almost constantly).

Fortunately, the pattern shifted to rainfall during most nights, and as of this writing in early December the weather is absolutely glorious—sunny skies with high 70s during the day, mid-60s in the evening. And because Medellín sits near the equator at an elevation of almost 5000 feet, it stays that way year round. Perfect for these two “Goldilocks people.”

So what’s Medellín like? The city is huge (2.5 million people). Traffic on the main arteries seems to always be snarled. There’s no real historic area. Especially after the Escobar era in the 1980s, this is a forward looking city anxious to leave its past behind.

You may be thinking, “That doesn’t sound great. I thought Medellín was supposed to be a top expat destination.”

Here’s what we’ve discovered. When you reside in a major metropolis, most of your daily life revolves around the specific area where you actually live, not the entire city.

That reality applies here too. Turns out, from an expat perspective, Medellín could be described as a “Tale of Two Neighborhoods.”

Tourists and foreign residents often head to El Poblado, the most upscale part of the city. Here you find dense vegetation, absolutely massive malls, luxurious high-rise condo buildings, sophisticated restaurants, and energetic nightlife. English is widely spoken.

With the low cost of living in Colombia for Americans (the peso is taking a beating against the USD), what’s not to love? For many expats the answer is, “Nothing. That’s why I live here.” For us, it’s the topography.

El Poblado is basically perched on the side of a mountain overlooking downtown. The incline is extremely steep—not conducive to our preferred pedestrian lifestyle. You pretty much taxi or Uber everywhere. Three outings to the area to visit friends confirmed our earlier research that, despite all the attributes, this was not the place for us.

That’s why we chose to stay in Laureles, a fashionable, lush, and thankfully flat neighborhood west of downtown. When we say lush, we’re not exaggerating. All that rain keeps this city remarkably green. It’s no wonder Medellín has been characterized as a “rainforest in the sky.”

Our weeks here have been short of excellent. Two malls (not on par with those in El Poblado but entirely acceptable), several grocery stores, a gym, and lots of restaurants are within a 20-minute walk of our apartment.

We eat many of our meals on a balcony overlooking a quiet street. After strolling along beautifully landscaped paths to shop or have dinner, we often call an Uber for a ride home that rarely costs more than $1.25.

Was coming to Medellín a mistake? To the contrary, in our never-ending search for the “next place,” this city, or more specifically the Laureles neighborhood, has vaulted right up to the top.

The cost of living, climate, walkability, and abundance of amenities check “must-have” boxes on our Wish List. An international airport and proximity to the States are bonuses.

After the holidays we’ll be spending the winter in Buenos Aires and will let you know how that fabulous Argentinian city stacks up. Be assured that much beef and Malbec will be consumed. 😋