• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result

International Living: Medellin

Kathleen Peddicord by Kathleen Peddicord
Oct 31, 2013
in Retirement/Living
0
Living In Medellin, Colombia
262
SHARES
3.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Forget Everything You’ve Heard About This Place

American Rich Holman made his full-time move to Medellin, Colombia, seven years ago. After a divorce in the States, this is where Rich chose to relaunch his life. Why?

“If I had to identify three reasons why I chose to relocate to Medellin at a time in my life when I really wanted a fresh start,” Rich explains, “they would be these: the weather, the lifestyle, and the investment opportunities.

“After my divorce, I was in no position to retire. Rather, I wanted a dramatic change to a place where I’d enjoy life more while, at the same time, regrouping financially and building something with upside. I saw the potential for all of that in Medellin.

“For me, one of the best things about living in Medellin is the weather. You have one season: springtime. We’re at 4,300 feet and near the Equator, so temperatures are consistently 72 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity. Your main dressing decision is whether to wear a short-sleeved or a long-sleeved shirt.

“At this altitude, bugs are almost nonexistent, hence no screens on windows or porches. The city is amazingly clean, even in the poor areas–no dirty bathrooms, no rotting garbage or litter in the streets, no animal feces. This is not your typical developing-world outpost. Medellin is a remarkably civilized place.

“Five of the top-rated 35 hospitals in all South America are in Medellin. Plus, the cost of health care here is about one-third the cost in the States.

“Transportation is affordable and efficient. Plenty of taxis (the average fare is US$3 to US$5) and lots of buses (fares around 70 cents). The aboveground Metro, which traverses north to south and east to west, is spotless, completely sans graffiti. The cost of a ride is about US$1.20.

“Medellin has a great educational system, with more than 32 colleges and universities, almost as many as in Boston. There is a tremendous sense of community. In almost all 60 of Medellin’s barrios (neighborhoods), on any given evening or weekend, you’ll find friends and families sitting at small outdoor bars and restaurants and on their front porches enjoying themselves, always laughing and smiling.

“If you like to party, you will have trouble keeping up with the paisas. Their energy for entertainment is inexhaustible.

“I think at least some of their energy comes from their city. This place has a vibrancy about it, a great positive energy. It just feels good to be here.

“This is an emerging economy. That translates to tremendous opportunities for entrepreneurs willing to put up with some negatives and some challenges. Speaking as one who has been running a business here for a few years, I can tell you that it isn’t an easy thing. However, I believe I’m investing now to position myself for the wave of growth I see coming. There are reasons why the world’s largest computer manufacturer, the world’s richest man, and the United States’ largest private real estate investor all have this year announced business operations in Medellin and Colombia.

“The key to getting yourself established is local contacts. Without them, I’d say you’d find the process of trying to get yourself set up here overwhelming. For instance, you could meet with three accountants, four attorneys, and five branch managers of the same bank, ask them all the same question, and get 12 different answers.

“You need to source advisors you can trust and then invest in building personal relationships with them. You also need patience. Don’t come here expecting to operate by logic. That won’t work. And don’t be surprised when people over-promise and under-deliver.

“For me, the negatives and the challenges are all worth it, because, again, I see big opportunity on the horizon in Colombia, specifically in Medellin. I’m in the real estate business. Right now, real estate in Medellin, on a cost-per-square-meter basis, is the least expensive of any cosmopolitan city in the world. That alone is enough to get my attention. Layer on top of that critical current reality all the many other advantages and benefits of this city, and it’s not hard to understand why I’ve chosen to restart my life here.

“Colombia continues to suffer a stigma thanks to its past problems. There’s still a lot of ignorance in the international community. Which explains why foreigners still represent less than 1% of residential real estate buyers in Medellin. This is changing, though. And the rate of change is accelerating.

“Being a gringo in Medellin is sort of cool,” Rich says. “The locals here, the paisas, as they’re known, they like us. They’re friendly, accommodating, protective, considerate, warm, and engaging. I can’t say enough nice things about them.

“Their city is their biggest source of pride. If you want to bring a big smile to the face of any paisa, just tell him how much you appreciate and enjoy his city and culture.

“Outside El Poblado (Medellin’s central zone), gringos are still a bit of a novelty, so we stand out. But in a friendly way.

“Bottom line, this city offers enormous potential, for the expat, for the retiree, for the investor. Seven years on, I’d say that my decision to move here was the wisest of my life.”

Kathleen Peddicord

Continue reading: Help From Live And Invest Overseas For Retiring To Panama

Comments

Tags: 'Colombia''real estate''retirement''South America'lifestyleMedellinoffshore investmentoverseasTravel
Share105Tweet66
Previous Post

Ecuador’s Coastal Market

Next Post

Retiring To Panama Thanks To Live And Invest Overseas

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has covered the live, retire, and do business overseas beat for more than 30 years and is considered the world's foremost authority on these subjects. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 21, established businesses in 7, renovated historic properties in 6, and educated her children in 4.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets across three continents, from the East Coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland... then to Paris, France... next to Panama City, where she has based her Live and Invest Overseas business. Most recently, Kathleen and her husband Lief Simon are dividing their time between Panama and Paris.

Kathleen was a partner with Agora Publishing’s International Living group for 23 years. In that capacity, she opened her first office overseas, in Waterford, Ireland, where she managed a staff of up to 30 employees for more than 10 years. Kathleen also opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France.

Kathleen moved on from her role with Agora in 2007 and launched her Live and Invest Overseas group in 2008. In the years since, she has built Live and Invest Overseas into a successful, recognized, and respected multi-million-dollar business that employs a staff of 35 in Panama City and dozens of writers and other resources around the world.

Kathleen has been quoted by The New York Times, Money magazine, MSNBC, Yahoo Finance, the AARP, and beyond. She has appeared often on radio and television (including Bloomberg and CNBC) and speaks regularly on topics to do with living, retiring, investing, and doing business around the world.

In addition to her own daily e-letter, the Overseas Opportunity Letter, with a circulation of more than 300,000 readers, Kathleen writes regularly for U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.

Her newest book, "How to Retire Overseas: Everything You Need to Know to Live Well (for Less) Abroad," published by Penguin Random House, is the culmination of decades of personal experience living and investing around the world.

Related Posts

Active senior couple riding bicycles.
How to

8 Things To Consider Before You Commit To Moving Overseas

by Heather McClenahan
March 4, 2021
0

Retirement is looming. With it comes the challenge of deciding where to live. I plan to take the next three...

Read more
Cascais, Lisbon Area, Portugal

Finding Our Dream Life Overseas In Cascais, Portugal

February 26, 2021
Azenhas do Mar, Portugal coastal town.

Portugal: The Best Place To Live Is Also One Of The Safest

February 25, 2021
Riverside in Tavira on a summer morning, Faro District, Algarve, Portugal.

Why Tavira Is The Best Place To Retire In Portugal

February 24, 2021
Cost Of Retirement In Portugal vs. Panama

Cost Of Retirement In Portugal vs. Panama

February 24, 2021
Dordogne, France.

The Challenges Of Living Abroad And How To Overcome Them

February 22, 2021
Beautiful Caribbean sight with turquoise water in Caye Caulker island, Belize.

10 Reasons To Reinvent Your Life In Beautiful Belize

February 17, 2021
Next Post
panama skyline reflecting on the water

Retiring To Panama Thanks To Live And Invest Overseas

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

how to retire overseas

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2021

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

WANT TO RETIRE OVERSEAS?

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately send you a free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE in style overseas. Each day you’ll learn about the best opportunities for international living, retiring overseas, offshore diversification and asset protection, and investing in real estate around the world.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.