Expat Community > Colombia

DallasSteve
Joined 2018
Posts: 562

How To Live In Colombia For $1,000 Per Month Easily?

5 years ago

How To Live In Colombia For $1,000 Per Month Easily?

Earlier this week one of our veteran members posted that you can live for $1,000 per month in Colombia easily. I've lived in Colombia for 6 months and you wouldn't believe how much money I burned living a modest lifestyle there. So I'm looking for tips. My budget below are ballpark numbers for 2 persons. To stay at $1,000 I had to drop rent down to $100. I don't think that's going to happen. I was paying about $200 per month on a flat owned by family (hers). Still, some people might be able to get groceries for 2 down to $200 or do without health insurance. Fortunately right now I don't have any other medical expenses, but that could change.

400 - Food
200 - Health Insurance
100 - Taxis
100 - Electricity, Water
100 - Telephone, TV, Internet
100 - Rent

I can easily swing $2,000 per month, but if I go I'm probably going alone and that means I will need another $1,000 per month for "Entertainment" (wink, wink). I can speak Spanish fluently and I have shopped in many stores in Colombia. So where I really need advice is renting an apartment. In Dallas we have 100 apartment complexes or more. You walk in, look at an empty apartment, they check your credit, and you sign a hundred documents. Easy. But when I was in Colombia renting an apartment was a nightmare. Even if I offered to pay a few months rent up front they couldn't help me.

So....

How do I rent a decent 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in Colombia in a barrio that isn't too dangerous without paying US prices? Easily? What are the mechanics? How do you find them? Are there some good Internet websites?

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