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  • Home
  • Countries

    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
    • France
    • Montenegro
    • Browse All Countries

    Best For:

    • The Best Places To Retire
    • Health Care Abroad
    • Cost Of Living
    • Investing in Real Estate
    • Establishing Residency
    • Gun Laws In The World
    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
    • Best Places In Latin America
  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

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    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
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    Making Money

    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing

    Follow Us:

    • Meet Our Experts
  • Real Estate

    Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

    • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

    Explore Our Latest Posts

    • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

    Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

    • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
  • Conferences

    Upcoming Events

    • Explore Our Events Site

    Live and Invest In Spain Conference

    Offshore Wealth Summit

    Greece Workshop

    VALENCIA, SPAIN

    Sep. 17-19, 2025

    PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

    Oct. 15-17, 2025

    VIRTUAL

    Nov. 13, 2025

    LEARN MORE
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    Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

  • Store

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    Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

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    overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
    The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
    Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

    Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

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Home Countries Colombia

Living The Dream In Medellín, Colombia

A Lifestyle Upgrade In An A-Grade Overseas Haven

by Wendy Howarter
Aug 17, 2023
in Colombia, Lifestyle
0 0
City view of beautiful Medellin, Colombia

iStock/Hispanolistic

As the saying goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun…”

I couldn’t agree more.

It’s hard to believe… but it’s been 10 years already since my husband and I began disclosing our plans about our pending move to Medellín.

Jump ahead to October 2014, when, after selling and giving away everything we could, we packed eight suitcases, boarded a plane, and landed in Colombia.

Our first stop was an Airbnb in Envigado, a smaller town just south of Medellín, until we found a rental apartment in the neighborhood of El Poblado.

Now, nearly eight years later, every day is an adventure in our adopted hometown of 3.5 million people.

The experience of living in Colombia has exceeded our expectations in so many ways…

To be completely honest, though, not everything has gone as planned.

How We Ended Up Living In Medellín

Rooftop of the Inntu Hotel in Laureles, Medellin
Adobe Stock/KIKE CALVO

Originally, we intended to find a place to rent. We didn’t imagine committing to Medellín. We thought we’d travel around South America for several months each year, returning to Medellín between adventures.

However, once we settled in, we realized that Medellín offers so much, all year long, that we bought an apartment. Now we just take vacations instead.

We decided we’d make an investment in a place of our own here.

We began watching for a spike in the value of the dollar versus the peso, then, when the exchange rate was near an all-time high, we transferred and converted our U.S. dollars into Colombian pesos for our property purchase.

I credit my husband Darren for his savvy financial insight. He says it was luck, but I know it was paying attention and taking advantage of some good timing.

Regardless, we found our dream apartment with a pool, a gym, and a Turkish bath and moved in right after Christmas.

Now that we had a permanent home, it was time to tackle the more mundane issues—things like opening a local bank account, setting up utilities, and learning how to pay our bills every month.

While these chores were not fun, we were guided by a wonderful network of attorneys and friends who helped us navigate the challenges.

In addition, as a result of our real estate purchase, we are now the proud owners of permanent resident visas, which have replaced the one-year temporary visas we started with.

Both Darren and I have virtual jobs, so our daily schedules are very flexible.

We can head to the pool if we want a mid-afternoon break and a quick dose of vitamin D or maybe pop down to the gym to break a sweat. Most of our neighbors work during the day, so we usually have the pool and gym to ourselves every afternoon.

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Our Biggest Challenge Of Living In Medellín

One of our biggest challenges has been learning Spanish. We knew it would be difficult, as we knew very little Spanish before we arrived. I continued with lessons three days per week for years, and today I’m able to communicate easily.

At the same time, we see and hear more English around the city. There are more English-speaking foreigners in Medellín now than when we landed in 2014. Also, the locals, known as paisas, are very patient when we try to speak with them in Spanish.

Without exception, we have found the people here to be kind and helpful to foreigners.

Our Life In Medellín

We now have years of experience enjoying Medellín’s many festivals.

We love bringing friends and visitors to the beautiful Feria de Las Flores in August. It’s a great chance to show off the amazing flowers produced in Colombia.

Each year we look forward to the world-renowned display of lights this city puts on. Each year it’s different… delightful in new ways.

Before Christmas is the charming tradition on Dec. 7 known as La Noche de las Velitas, the Night of the Little Candles. Families and neighbors take to the streets to light rows of small candles intended to illuminate the path and help the Virgin Mary reach Jerusalem to give birth to the baby Jesus.

As you wander through different neighborhoods, you are welcomed by total strangers who invite you to join their celebrations. This all-night party is unlike anything we have experienced in the United States.

Over the past eight years, we have also established a few of our own traditions.

Every Sunday morning we participate in ciclovía, when the southbound lanes of Avenida El Poblado are closed to motor traffic. From 7 a.m. until 1 p.m., people walk, run, bicycle, skateboard, and rollerblade along the main avenue of the town.

Then it’s off to the farmer’s market to stock up on all of the fresh fruits and veggies we need for the coming week.

And, because we no longer dread Monday mornings, we have created “Sunday Funday.”

On Sunday nights a small group of friends gathers around 5 p.m. to watch the sunset, order some dinner for delivery, and toast another week in paradise with a bottle of wine. (Luckily, we have also made an excellent connection with a local wine distributor who keeps us well supplied with reasonably priced wines.)

Speaking of food and wine, Medellín has organized a culinary experience called Medellín Gourmet. For one month, several restaurants offer fixed-price menus for lunch or dinner. This is a great way to try new places and sample local specialties for almost unbelievably affordable prices.

It has been easy to meet new people and to become involved with our new community. Welcoming locals have opened their homes to us to celebrate different occasions, and we have introduced the concept of potluck dinners to our paisa friends.

We have also taken some amazing day trips to resorts and spas where we have enjoyed royal treatment, again at very reasonable prices.

After eight years of living in Medellín, we rate it a solid “A” overall.

I can happily report that we are enjoying a comfortable, pre-retirement life, with perfect, year-round weather, in a big city that feels more like a small town.

We are thankful for the opportunity to live overseas that Live and Invest Overseas has helped us to realize and so thankful that we are still:

Living the dream in Medellín!

Sincerely,
Wendy Howarter
Contributor, Overseas Living Letter

Editor’s note: In Colombia you can afford to indulge in everyday luxuries… Daily household help, travel, trips to the opera, a luxury home in the best part of town… A move here could see you slash your cost of living by as much as 50%.

And it’s not just about low costs… In Medellín, one of our favorite spots for expat life, you’ll find a rich cultural scene, with theater, orchestra, and exciting events, world class health care, and year-round spring-like weather, requiring no heat or air conditioning—plus, the altitude means no mosquitos!

Join us for the 2023 Access Colombia Online Workshop where our team of local professionals, expats, and retirees will be on hand to reveal everything you need to know to kick-start your overseas adventure in this opportunity-rich haven.

Registration is now open. Reserve your spot at the 2023 Access Colombia Online Workshop today to lock-in a discount.

Tags: apartments medellinexpats Colombiaexpats el pobladoexpats Medellinliving Colombialiving el pobladoliving Medellinretire Colombiaretire el pobladoretire MedellinWendy Howarter
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Wendy Howarter

Wendy Howarter

In 2014 Darren and Wendy Howarter left their rural, small-town life in Northern Illinois, USA, and full-time careers to start a new adventure in Colombia, South America. Darren enjoyed selling fine wine and spirits, while Wendy was an attorney for more than 23 years. Since settling in the city of Medellín almost six years ago, they now enjoy a semi-retired lifestyle in the City of Eternal Spring. Darren tracks and trades the U.S. stock market while Wendy is pursuing her passion for writing. They have been conference presenters for the past several years, and enjoy sharing their overseas trials and tribulations, along with tips about moving to Colombia.

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To Live Overseas?

Super Cheap

  • Chitré, Panama
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Cheap

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  • Boquete, Panama
  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
  • Hua Hin, Thailand
  • The Algarve, Portugal

Affordable

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Cascais, Portugal
  • Las Terrenas, The DR
  • Pisa, Italy
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