Eight Years in Medellín, Colombia: Why I’m Still in Love with This City

Eight years ago, floating 300 yards above a terracotta neighborhood, I decided to make Medellín my home.

I was on the Metrocable line, a gondola, suspended on the wires connecting the communities sprawling up the mountain side. A breeze rocked the cart gently as we bounced upward, taking in the 360-degree view of the valley. I was curious about life in what already felt like an mesmerizing city. So I decided to stay.

Fast forward to today… and I’m still curious about Medellín. I’ve lived all over the city, spent a global pandemic and lockdown here, and even built a career as a Latin America journalist. It’s never bored me. I can take a motorbike taxi through familiar bustling streets—zipping between fruit vendors and street performers, the heat on my back, and the Metrocable line above me—and continue to want to know more about this place. Because there’s so much more still to experience.

When I first came to Medellín, it wasn’t the vacation and remote-worker destination it is now. Colombia launched its digital nomad visa in October of 2022. That accelerated the shift. Now, cafes and Airbnbs for the growing digital workforce dot the city, and in some neighborhoods, you’ll hear chattering in English. It feels like a natural progression for a city as welcoming, beautiful, and affordable as this one.

Still, there’s a lot to live, learn, and lean into in this city of eternal spring. Here are my recommendations to help you connect with it like a local.

How I Found a Home for $400 a Month

Arriving in Medellín was culture shock for me—I had just come from living in the calm and efficient Netherlands, and the noise, heat, and chaos of Medellín was initially overwhelming. At the same time, so many aspects of Medellín felt like they were saying "come on in."

Unsurprisingly, finding the right barrio (neighborhood) to live in contributed to the ease with which I was able to settle. Nearly four million people live in the city, but a few pockets are particularly homey.

El Poblado is one of the wealthier areas and is popular among expats. While it’s here that you’ll spend the most on rent—the cost remains significantly lower than what you’d pay for something comparable in the US or Europe. An unfurnished, one-bed apartment in this barrio costs around $500 to $800 per month, while furnished apartments average $900 and up. Apartments here are more modern and glamorous than is typical across the rest of the city. They put you in the heart of town, with access to restaurants, malls, gyms, tours, and excursions.

Laureles is another great barrio—and where I’ve spent the most time in Medellín. I find it more residential and quieter than El Poblado. It has good cafes and is close to Parques del Rio, a long stretch of green nature along the Medellín river. An unfurnished apartment in Laureles will cost roughly $400 to $600 per month, furnished between $600 and $900.

Over in the south of the city, Envigado and Sabaneta are more family-oriented neighborhoods, and are ideal for travelers and expats who want a traditional Colombian experience. These places have a pueblo (town) feel, and really come to life around the holidays, when they have festive lights and events in the main squares. An unfurnished apartment costs roughly $400 to $600 per month, furnished shouldn’t exceed $800.

Wherever you settle in Medellín, there are transport links between the neighborhoods, mostly via the metro train and buses (one metro journey costs $3,400 COP, around 78 cents), and there are cycle lanes for bike enthusiasts. Personally, I take motorbike taxis with Uber because the traffic can be a nightmare. I love speeding past the lines of congestion, watching the high-rise buildings appear and disappear throughout the leafy streets.

Medellín: Then & Now

The city of eternal spring offers a lot to live, learn, and lean into.|©iStock/holgs

In the 1990s, Medellín was considered the most dangerous city in the world. Today, there are few immediate reminders of the label. But if, like me, you like to understand the places where you spend time, I recommend a few activities in Medellin that can help you connect its "then" and "now."

In the downtown area, GuruWalks and Real City Tours have free walking tours that tell Medellín’s story and introduce you to lesser-known parts of the city. These places have helped me understand my context here, develop friendships, and stay humble in a city that has boomed in tourism but is still commemorating a heavy past.

In Comuna 13, you can see the city’s infrastructural development with escalators built into the side of the valley to connect lower-income neighborhoods with the central city. This area also has colorful graffiti and tours from local residents, many of whom depict the violence they lived through. A short bus ride away is the San Javier metro station where you can take the metro cable up to La Aurora to soak in the scope of the city and how its transport links have positively impacted mobility and safety.

For a less physically demanding walk through time, I recommend Museo Casa de la Memoria, which has sobering exhibits on the armed conflict and memory in Medellín. Elsewhere, Museo de Antioquia gives a cultural snippet of Medellín’s artists, while the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín screens films from local directors.

Medellín Moves You

Medellín taught me how to move—in one sense to navigate a huge, condensed city, and to be patient. In another sense, it quite literally taught me rhythm and getting over the awkwardness of partner dancing. It showed me how to connect.

Paisas, people from Antioquia (the department that Medellín is the capital of) are very friendly, and the fastest way to their hearts is through their feet. Music and dancing are huge parts of Paisa (and Colombian) culture. You’ll hear the beat of reggaetón through the shopping streets, the sounds of salsa from house windows on Sunday morning, and snippets of cumbia and guaracha from passing cars.

Dancing in Medellín was my literal step into life here. I’d recommend taking a dance class or course at schools like Euforia, Ven Báilalo, DanceFree. They have private and group classes for salsa, bachata, cumbia, merengue, urbano, and porro. Most have English-speaking teachers, as well as social events to meet other dancers and travelers.

The real dancing, though, takes place in Medellín’s nightlife. The El Poblado neighborhood has most of the spots to put your dancing feet in motion, from sweaty salsa spots like Son Havana to cool electronic clubs like Salon Amador. Over in Laureles, there are more local joints along Carrera 70 (called ‘La 70’), including Colombian fondas for a crossover of music and reggaetón discotecas. You’ll also find El Tíbiri here, a renowned basement salsa bar.

In the grittier area of El Centro, there are more independent bars and cultural hubs. El Acontista and El Club del Jazz have live jazz, while La Pascasia hosts a range of traditional and contemporary Colombian genres.

However you engage with music and dancing in Medellín, just remember that it will always be played at maximum volume. Asking people to turn it down will most likely result in you being offered a beer and a hand to join in.

I think what drew me to Medellín initially is what keeps me here today. It’s exotic, and in many ways like being on an eternal vacation. And yet I’m challenged by Medellín—there’s always more to know more about it.

As my vecinos (neighbors) stop to chat on the street, as music pours from corners of the city, as I taste and feel the tropical flavors here, I’m reminded that Medellín is a city of constant motion… a place to feel alive.

Where Tradition Meets Flavor

If you’re not impressing Colombians through your feet, it’ll be through your stomach. Paisas are very proud of their cuisine, and although Colombian cuisine doesn’t have the spice of Mexican food (a common misconception), it does boast an incredible fruit selection and lots of dishes to be shared in groups.

Try the staple arepa—like a savory pancake made with corn—with cheese or scrambled eggs for breakfast. My favorite is arepa de chócolo with lots of butter and quesito (salty cheese), topped off with a hot chocolate.

Sancocho is a meat or fish soup stew with vegetables, normally served in a huge pot cooked over a makeshift fire on the sidewalk. Head to Carrera 70 on Sundays for the local experience or Casa El Ramal on Sundays for a trendier version.

Other must-eats are bandeja Paisa, the Antioqueñan equivalent of an English fry up. Do not attempt it if you’re not ravenous. Calentao, a rice, beans, eggs, pork, and plantain dish. Frijoles, beans served in a thick sauce, flavored with spices and containing bacon. Cazuela, another stew usually with a range of seafood, plated up with corn and plantain.

For budget-friendly Colombian cuisine, eat at Mondongos or Hacienda Origen. Alambique or Sambombi are best for mid-price range delicious food, and El Cielo and Carmen for fine-dining local tastes. Worthwhile vegetarian and vegan spots to sample Colombian’s treats are Kaime, Cafe Zorba, INA, and Govinas.

The panaderías (bakeries) are where you can find different types of chewy breads like pandebono, buñuelo, pan de yuca, and pan de queso.

For a healthier food trip, La Minorista, La Placita de Flórez, Plaza de mercado La América, and Central Mayorista de Antioquia hold fruit tours.

Last but by no means least, is the coffee in Medellín. The majority of Paisas prefer tinto to a cafe-bought cup of coffee. Tinto is served in a plastic cup from vendors on the road, typically with lots of sugar. It costs around $2,000 COP (46 cents). For the connoisseurs, Pergamino is a swanky Medellín chain with coffees starting from $8,000 COP ($1.83 USD). Urbania, Juan Valdez, Ganso y Castor, and Rituales are just a few of the other cafes for delicious coffee in Medellín.