Staying in Medellín

25 Jan Living in Medellín for the short term

Posted at 00:22h in Tips & Tricks by
0 Likes

Medellín in Colombia is a rather populair spot for digital nomads (DN’s) to spend either 3 or 6 months (most people can get a tourist visa up to 6 months). After having spent over 3 months in the city I’ve gotten quite a proper idea on what’s going on and the stuff what you want to be knowing.

This article is mainly focussed on DN’s that are looking for a stay for a couple of weeks or months. However, travellers and backpackers can also learn loads from this guide on living in Medellín. Would you like to become a Digital Nomad but you are still unsure if that would suit you, just check the link.

There’s obviously so much more to tell and explain about the city. Hence I would like to focus on the topics mentioned in the above menu as it’s also a great and interesting journey to be exploring all about Medellín yourself. What might be interesting for you is to read about my experiences on spending a week (my first week in Medellín) by myself – it has taught me much more than I’d ever imagined.

Where to live in Medellín?

The best known area of Medellín is probably Poblado. Especially to foreigners (it feels like) this is the place where it’s happening. However, there’s much more to say about where to be staying in Medellín so let’s dive into some of the different neighbourhoods.

Poblado vs. Laureles

The areas of Poblado and Laureles are the most well-known under tourists and they both cater for pretty much all your needs. However, there are a number of differences, both in terms of facilities, atmosphere and ‘type of foreigners’ that are residing in this area.

I would say that Laureles certainly is more of a local area compared to Poblado. Poblado host the most foreigners and therefore also offers the ‘best’ facilities. To my experience, Laureles also hosts a different type of foreigner than Poblado. Almost all foreigners (spending between 2 weeks and 6 months in Medellín) that would be looking for more of a local experience tend to be living in Laureles. I’ve come across many more people that speak English, that seem to have interest to learn about the culture and would even have one or more Colombian friends.

Almost everyone I’ve met that is residing in Poblado rather aims at enjoying whatever Colombia has got to offer without immersing too much into the Colombian culture. I obviously have met people staying in Poblado that are looking for that local experience too, but the differences between the two still have been significant to me.

Facilities in Poblado and Laureles

In Poblado you will find nightlife that attracts most foreigners. However, in case you would like to dance salsa or be in places where you might be the only foreigners, Laureles would be a great bet. La 70 (an avenue full of bars and clubs) and La 33 (here you will also find many places to have a drink or party) both host many parties and you will find mostly locals here.

Laureles is an upcoming area in Medellín with great facilities but the people looking for a bit more of luxury would probably be best off in Poblado. There you’ll find (for example) El Tesoro, quite a luxurious shopping mall. There are the residential towers in Poblado which focus on people that can afford prices around USD 1.500,- per month, something you can also find in Laureles but much harder to find.

Other areas to stay in Medellín

Besides your option to find a place to stay in Poblado and Laureles, you could also consider one of the many other areas or suburbs. Two of them, which are actually municipalities bordering the city directly. Envigado is about 10 minutes south of Poblado and another 10 minutes south will get you to Sabaneta. Hence these areas can be considered to be part of the city of Medellín even though officially they aren’t.

Staying in Envigado

Envigado is an area just south off Poblado and you can enjoy the little centre of this municipality (officially it’s not part of the city of Medellín, even though it feels like it). There’s a huge shopping mall and you will find loads of trees and parks all over. Many locals call Envigado the place to live in case you’d like to be surrounded by nature.

Staying in Sabaneta

Sabaneta is up and coming but still hosts little foreigners. You are about 10 km south of Poblado and this municipality (same story as Envigado, officially not part of Medellín) can easily be reached by taxi or metro. Sabaneta doesn’t offer that much of luxury but you can still get yourself a pretty nice place. Just realise that you will be surrounded by mainly Colombians. Sabaneta still is pretty safe even though (like any part of the city) there are areas where you shouldn’t go, especially at night.

Staying elsewhere in Medellín

There are other areas too which you could consider to be staying at. I however, haven’t got the relevant experience to say anything about living in places like Bello, the city centre, Belén or Caldas. These are all parts of the city but they tend not to attract too many foreigners at all (and therefore – not as much – offer facilities most DN’s and tourist would likely be looking for).

How to find a place to stay in Medellín?

Finding a place to stay in Medellín can be a tricky process to many. There are different ways to go about and to me this process has gone fairly smoothly but I certainly also have heard different stories. Below I have distinguished between a private place (apartment) or a shared place, an apartment of co-living. You can also opt for a hotel (there are hotel studio’s with kitchens) in case that would have your preference.

Rent a private apartment in Medellín

Most private apartments for the short term (between 2 weeks and 3 months) would go through AirBnB. However, platforms like this certainly drive up the price. Compared to where you are from you still will likely be getting a very nice price but compared to the local market you will likely pay a lot.

Likely you will come across many apartstudio’s. Just be aware that these normally are pretty tiny. I started off my stay in Medellín in one of these places but the space only stretched as far as 20 m2, not much (on the other hand: it does the job for 1 person).

I’ve also got in touch with a number of rental companies directly (to negotiate, as well as to avoid AirBnB/platform fees). In most cases their responses pretty much made me cry (I was there for a great deal but these people just weren’t responding). You could have a try yourself, but to me it didn’t really work out:

  • AF Inmobiliaria Medellín: +57 304 2105380
  • J David (owns a building at La 70 in Laureles): +57 316 776 4819
  • Real Estate in Colombia: +57 318 2812296
  • Amoblados Medellín (I got my first, tiny, place through them – cheap and good service): +57 311 3965033

Get a shared apartment during your stay in Medellín

Something also many people do is to hire a room (e.g. through one of the housing platforms) or book a place at a co-living. There are several and most of them can be found online.

Two I have visited myself (without staying) in Laureles are:

What’s happening in Medellín? Events for socialising

Medellín is one of the cities in Latin-America which attracts the highest numbers of tourists, nomads and expats. Therefore there’s loads going on, you can litteraly visit an event every day. I would say that most events can be grouped in the 3 categories as listed below.

Social events

I have been to many events and it’s a great way to meet people. My strategy was to visit many of them during the beginning of my visit to Medellín so I could meet a great number of people with whom I could hang out later on by myself. I’ve been to events including: F*ck the Smalltalk, the weekly Men Circle in Laureles, several events by Connect to Colombia and many more.

Salsa lessons

When spending time in Colombia or Medellín, your stay will be much more fun if you’ve got some salsa skills under the belt. I have been dancing salsa for almost 3 years when getting to Medellín but still decided to take lessons. My teacher I can very much recommend, she truly’s the best teacher I’ve got to learn from.

She mainly teaches in Laureles but is flexible on traveling and she’s very experienced in teaching salsa En Linea, salsa Cubana and Colombian salsa. You can reach out to Dayana through: +57 319 7828704

Language and cultural exchanges

There are several events where you can learn about the Spanish language and Colombian culture. Hostels and bars organise these events on a weekly or monthly basis. Your best option is to keep an eye on one of the Medellín expats/Digital Nomads Facebook communities.

All you need to know about Medellín

There is way too much to be writing up here so I’ve tried to point out the most important things for you.

Money Stuff in Colombia

This information depends on where you are from and what types of fees your bank will be issuing. I myself (Dutch bank) got my cash from Davivienda as the pin machine (cajero in Spanish) would give you the option to deny the exchange rates, which saves me up to € 30,- on a transaction of 2.000.000 COP.

I also try to pay as much as possible with my credit card, which gives me (seemingly) pretty decent exchange rates.

How to get around

There are different ways to get around. You can basically opt for taxi’s or public transport. From Laureles I use public transport especially on Friday nights, as traffic’s a nightmare at that time of the week. Also when visiting Sabaneta for example, taking the metro (less than 3k COP for a single ride) lands you a great deal.

Public transport in Medellín

When using the public transport you will need a card. There are the grey ones which are anonimously and you can top them up whenever you like (at one of the stations). If you travel more often you might want to get a personalised one (green) which you can also charge online (using a local bank).

Yellow Taxi’s in Medellín

I’ve heard pretty terrifying stories about yellow taxi’s. I’ve used them quite often (during the day, at night, alone and with others) and never had any bad experience. However, I’ve certainly heard stories (always about a third person) of nasty stories (drivers pulling out a gun or even carrying 1-2 bad guys in the trunk). It can also happen that they trick the taxi-meter, increasing your ticket immensly.

Again, I haven’t had any troubles using the yellow taxi’s in Medellín but I still prefered the apps. The apps make sure the drivers always knows your location and the fare is set.

Taxi-apps in Medellín

Taxi apps are officially not allowed but they are being used all the time. When ordering an Uber, I make sure to sit in the front, so it’s less obvious it’s a non-official taxi carrying passengers. The only thing is, drivers don’t like card payments at all times so often my rides are canceled. Still I have used it all the time.

What to be aware of/careful for

Well, Medellín probably is a city that’s more dangerous than where you are from. Still, nothing bad has happened to me, yet there are things to take into account.

Most robberies take place by guys on motor bikes. Also, it’s well advices you don’t show off. Keep phones, money etc. at all times in your pocket. Don’t leave your phone on the table when you’re at a terrace and don’t give money to beggers or homeless in a too obvious way (people will notice and might follow you or start bothering you).

No Comments

Post A Comment