So, you’re interested in leaving your home country to live out your days as an expat in the green pastures (figurative pastures, of course) of Medellín, Colombia, eh?
After the overwhelmingly positive response I received following my recent post titled The 12 Best Things About Being an Expat in Medellín, I’d say that, YES!–many of you are indeed quite interested in potentially making Medellín your future home, if even just temporarily.
Maybe you’d been thinking about it for awhile already, or maybe I’m just THAT persuasive. I like to think it was a little bit of both.
First and foremost, I want to make it very clear that I fully support anyone’s decision to move to Medellín to experience Colombia and Paisa culture. I wouldn’t have written the article if I didn’t think living here as an expat was truly awesome.
That said, there are a number of things it would be prudent to consider before making that leap from visitor to full-time resident. Here are a few of the most important things I think you should know about my beloved Medellín before moving here.
You’ll need to learn Spanish.
Hopefully, if you’re planning a move to a Spanish-speaking country, this is already on your to-do list. If not, please take into consideration that it’s not only going to make your life here much easier, you’ll earn the respect of locals rather than being written off as another gringo who doesn’t care about becoming a part of the community. It’s fine if you choose to associate mostly with other expats, but you’ll hardly be able to run daily errands if you don’t learn at least the basics.
Furthermore, if you’re moving to Medellín with the intention of securing a work visa, you’ll likely need to be highly functional in Spanish as there’s a good chance it will be the preferred language in your workplace. I recommend investing in a good Spanish dictionary to carry with you.
Read more: My Favorite Free Language Learning Resources
You’ll be expected to dress conservatively despite the hot weather.
Generally speaking, Colombians dress fairly conservatively year-round. Even when the temperatures are trending toward sweltering, men and women are consistently dressed in long pants and shirts with sleeves. Very few Paisas wear shorts, and, with a few exceptions (like out at clubs at night) they don’t wear revealing tops of any kind.
Another good reason for women to dress conservatively is to diminish the catcalls, hissing, and leering from men while walking down the street. As a gringa you’ll attract plenty of attention anyway, and while it’s typically non-threatening, that doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable.
Many products you know and love will be hard to find or outrageously expensive.
You’ll certainly be able to find decent alternatives to most brands you’d find at home, but if you absolutely can’t bear the thought of giving up a specialty product from your home country, it’s best to stock up on a large supply of it to bring with you.
Things like face wash, OTC acne medications, and shampoo and conditioner can be double the price you’d pay at home. Women’s cosmetics may not be available in your preferred brand or in the right shade–if you’re fair-skinned or have light hair, for instance, you might not find suitable makeup or hair products here, so again, bring them with you when you come.
Renting apartments can be tricky.
If what you’re looking for is a room in a shared apartment, you’ll be able to find this quite easily. Many locals offer up spare bedrooms to renters on a short or long-term basis and at affordable prices (between $150-$400/month, depending on which part of town you’re in) and you can easily find listings on CompartoApto.com. If, however, you want to rent an entire apartment to yourself, you may run into some roadblocks.
Most real estate agents will require a foreign renter to have a fiador, or a Colombian co-signer who would be responsible for paying rent if the tenant (you) were unable. To qualify as a fiador, a local must typically be a property owner. Unless you know a Colombian property owner who trusts you enough to co-sign your lease (good on you if you already do), you may have to pay up-front for the entirety of your lease or resign yourself to subletting a room in a shared apartment.
It’s still a developing country.
Yes, yes, Medellín has made leaps and bounds in the last few decades in terms of safety. There is very little known paramilitary presence within the city limits, shootouts aren’t regular occurrences in even the poorest barrios, and there is far less crime in general than even ten short years ago.
That said, robbery, armed or otherwise, is still quite common. There are ways to reduce most safety risks, but at the end of the day, they do exist. Locals and foreigners alike all need to exercise caution regularly.
It’s not as dirt cheap as you might think.
Colombia is a developing country, sure, but it’s still not quite as inexpensive as, say, Central America, Southeast Asia, or even some of the other countries in South America (Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia are all noticeably cheaper than Colombia). On the bright side, it’s likely still a good deal less expensive than your home country–just don’t expect to live like a king on $600 per month.
You’re probably not going to meet the love of your life.
Paisas are widely regarded as being among the most attractive people in all of Latin America, and I’m not about to refute that claim, either. BUT, if you’re coming to Medellín looking for love, you might be getting your hopes up for nothing. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but in addition to cultural differences that might be irreconcilable, the dating culture here is flat-out old fashioned. Perhaps a better way to put it is not very progressive.
Many women expect to be taken care of–picked up, taken to dinner, have everything paid for, provided with cab fare home, and will likely not kiss on the first date. Certainly don’t expect her to do the check dance after dinner. As for men? Most like to think they’re at liberty to date as many women as they want with zero consequences. Fidelity? I’m not sure the word exists in Paisa vocabulary.
You might never leave.
Yes, there’s something rather magnetic about the City of Eternal Spring, and there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to peel yourself away once you’ve had your finger on its pulse for a while. The people of Colombia will welcome you with open arms and you’ll have a world of opportunities at your fingertips. In fact, you might want to get to Medellín before word reaches the rest of the world that this Andean paradise exists.
Would you ever consider moving to Medellín? Have you thought about it already?
