K1VisaKing
American looking for information about Colombia
Forum posts
32
About me
American
Lives in New York
Registration: 22 April 2012
Moving to Medellin in May and I have questions! by Bob Burford
[1] Pensionada visa: It isn't clear to me if there are things I need to be doing now in the four months before I make the move, or if that's an issue I'll have to deal with after I get to Colombia. [2] Health Insurance: I would ...
I concur that riding a moto in the cities is very risky. I won't even drive a car in the cities because I would probably have an accident every week. I just got back from a taxi ride in Cali and he drove like a maniac, but he knew how to do it ... Read More
Traffic in Colombia by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Which city or area do you live in in Colombia, and how do you find the traffic? How long does it take to commute to work or run errands? Is there a rush hour in your city? What times of the day would you recommend people to ...
For me taxis are a good solution. Taxis are cheap in Colombia and I probably pay less than the cost of owning and operating a car, plus I don't need a parking space. The downside is that most taxis in Colombia are tin-cans with wheels. ... Read More
Traffic in Colombia by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Which city or area do you live in in Colombia, and how do you find the traffic? How long does it take to commute to work or run errands? Is there a rush hour in your city? What times of the day would you recommend people to ...
I've spent time in Cali and Bogota. I've driven in the US for over 40 years. I will not drive in Colombia. The traffic is awful, in my opinion, correction: the traffic is just awful. Taxis are cheap so I take taxis or maybe I would use ... Read More
Colombia or Ecuador? by smithcgc
Hi all, I've been researching a move to either Colombia or Ecuador. Medellin, Cali, Cuenca, Guayaquil. Thus far Ecuador seems to offer a lower COL which makes for a great incentive and other opportunities. It also seems to have more outdoor ...
cccmedia That sounds like a reasonable approach. If you asked 3 different people who work at customer service in DIAN (or whatever agency handles that) you'd probably also get 3 different answers, too. I guess the answer I'm looking for ... Read More
Colombia or Ecuador? by smithcgc
Hi all, I've been researching a move to either Colombia or Ecuador. Medellin, Cali, Cuenca, Guayaquil. Thus far Ecuador seems to offer a lower COL which makes for a great incentive and other opportunities. It also seems to have more outdoor ...
cccmedia I hear that Colombia taxes Social Security income. Do you know if that's true? To me that's double taxation because I already paid taxes on that years past when I earned the money that the US government took out of my paycheck. ... Read More
Colombia or Ecuador? by smithcgc
Hi all, I've been researching a move to either Colombia or Ecuador. Medellin, Cali, Cuenca, Guayaquil. Thus far Ecuador seems to offer a lower COL which makes for a great incentive and other opportunities. It also seems to have more outdoor ...
I sent my brother the list I posted yesterday and he replied with this list from International Living posted on Forbes. This list considers a variety of factors in addition to cost of living, which was the sole criteria of the earlier list. ... Read More
Colombia or Ecuador? by smithcgc
Hi all, I've been researching a move to either Colombia or Ecuador. Medellin, Cali, Cuenca, Guayaquil. Thus far Ecuador seems to offer a lower COL which makes for a great incentive and other opportunities. It also seems to have more outdoor ...
So it sounds like you prefer Equador over Columbia. Read More
Colombia or Ecuador? by smithcgc
Hi all, I've been researching a move to either Colombia or Ecuador. Medellin, Cali, Cuenca, Guayaquil. Thus far Ecuador seems to offer a lower COL which makes for a great incentive and other opportunities. It also seems to have more outdoor ...
Huh?! Cost of living higher in Ecuador? Is that a typo? cccmedia from La Zona Cafetera, ColombiaThere is a slideshow today on MSN of the 50 cheapest countries for ... Read More
Colombia or Ecuador? by smithcgc
Hi all, I've been researching a move to either Colombia or Ecuador. Medellin, Cali, Cuenca, Guayaquil. Thus far Ecuador seems to offer a lower COL which makes for a great incentive and other opportunities. It also seems to have more outdoor ...
cccmedia, thanks for the reply. I have another question. I may have missed the answer above. Are these $20,000 condos in Pereira only available at that price before they are built? How much more would the prices be if they already exist? Read More
Colombia or Ecuador? by smithcgc
Hi all, I've been researching a move to either Colombia or Ecuador. Medellin, Cali, Cuenca, Guayaquil. Thus far Ecuador seems to offer a lower COL which makes for a great incentive and other opportunities. It also seems to have more outdoor ...
cccmedia: Regarding those $20,000 condos, do you have an idea what is the average cost for the monthly condo dues? Does that cover property taxes? What other costs would an owner have besides utilities? That seems like a great deal. I can hardly ... Read More
Your best business development ideas in Colombia by Priscilla
Hi everyone, As a foreign entrepreneur, launching a business in Colombia is a fantastic project and an exciting challenge. Some ideas are likely to succeed. Some others are promising but may not work as well as intended. In your opinion, what ...
cccmedia: Based on your profile photo it looks like you might be doing Elvis impersonations (or Roy Orbison?) I told my wife that I always see the same gringo actor playing DEA agents on Colombian telenovelas, and maybe I could get a job as a ... Read More
Are you happy in Colombia? by Priscilla
Hello everyone! According to the 2016 UN World Happiness Survey, Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland are the happiest countries on earth. How about you? Are you happy in Colombia? Do you feel happier today in your host country than before in ...
OsageArcher - What you posted is correct, but what I posted is also "generally" correct. "Generally" people in the US who are retired don't earn more than $25,000 in Social Security and other income per year, but some do, ... Read More
Are you happy in Colombia? by Priscilla
Hello everyone! According to the 2016 UN World Happiness Survey, Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland are the happiest countries on earth. How about you? Are you happy in Colombia? Do you feel happier today in your host country than before in ...
That's not the same thing. Social Security is generally not taxable in the US when received because it was already taxed when earned years earlier. I don't think Colombia is going to allow you to take credit for that tax when you collect ... Read More
Are you happy in Colombia? by Priscilla
Hello everyone! According to the 2016 UN World Happiness Survey, Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland are the happiest countries on earth. How about you? Are you happy in Colombia? Do you feel happier today in your host country than before in ...
That's very unfair considering the money we get from Social Security was taxed when we earned it. If Colombia wants to attract retirees to spend their money in Colombia and help their economy they need to correct this. Otherwise the most I ... Read More
How much money to live in Colombia and not have to work by chriscam19
Hi everyone. Maybe this question has already been asked. I know there are many variables in deciding on how much money to have. But my question is how much money do I need to take with me to Colombia and not have to work for the rest of my life? ...
Chris, If you're from Vegas you've got 20 years until you can live on Social Security. If you have a military pension you may be set. But if you're trying to stretch $100,000 for 20 years with today's interest rates or S&P rate ... Read More
Are you happy in Colombia? by Priscilla
Hello everyone! According to the 2016 UN World Happiness Survey, Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland are the happiest countries on earth. How about you? Are you happy in Colombia? Do you feel happier today in your host country than before in ...
Amusing, Frank says "Fact not uninformed opinion", yet that seems to be all he posts. Read More
How much does it cost to buy an apartment in Medellin or Envigado by chriscam19
Hi. I am wondering how much it would cost for a nice 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom apartment in Medellin? I dont need an exact amount just like a ballpark figure? I want to purchase an apartment in a secure area. I was just wondering how much one would ...
Looking at the ads posted it looks like the answer is a nice, but cheaper apartment ranges from $50,000 to $100,000. Does that sound about right? My wife is from Colombia and wants to buy a place to return when she retires in a few years, so ... Read More
About Columbia? How much money need for 1 year stay?
I'd say you'd need at least $20,000 for one year. If you want to live like middle class USA you could spend $40,000. Many Colombians live on $10,000 or less, but most Americans wouldn't be comfortable living like they do. I lived in ... Read More
Top Ways For Expat Visitors to Keep Cool in Medellin by cccmedia
The mercury is rising to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, or 32 Celcius, again today in the one-time City of Eternal Spring. Medellin (elevation 4,900 feet or 1,500 meters above sea level) has a lot going for it, but don鈥檛 blindly buy into the nickname ...
You don't mention anything about renting an apartment with air conditioning. That's what I had to do in Cali on my last visit. When I lived there for 6 months I suffered with no A/C in their 90+ degree weather. We sweated it out with ... Read More
Medellin's weather, what is it like? by GMistral
Im coming to Medellin in a few days. How is the weather there? Is it windy? Is it nice? Or is too humid?
Colombian weather doesn't change much during the year because they are near the Equator. I have visited Medellin, I have lived in Cali, and I have studied a few other cities. You can check out monthly average temperature and rain by looking up ... Read More
About Colombian job
Not only are jobs tight, but they don't pay very well. Actually, the pay is awful. The minimum wage in Colombia is about $250 per month, and some people there can actually live on that, but not me. I make about $8,000 a month programming ... Read More
3-6 month sabbatical in Colombia - $500 per month ok? by Kenny Ross
Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and looking for some information on cost of living in Popayan. I'm a 33 year old working professional and I'm looking to do a sabbatical and would like to know would $500 a month be enough for me ...
OsageArcher gave you some good advice. Basically you can do it if you can live in near poverty. I lived in Cali for 6 months and I lived lower middle class and I probably spent over $1,000 per month when you factor in the cost of our furniture and ... Read More
Driving in Colombia by Maximilien
Hi, What do you think of the way people drive in Colombia? How different is it from your home country? Respecting the road safety rules, driving etiquette such as general courtesy, speed excess聟 what are the characteristics of the driving ...
OsageArcher wrote: "it's a little better in Bogot谩 and Cali than in Puerto Rico". I've been to all 3 places and I drove a rental car in Puerto Rico. I felt it was not much different than driving in the US. I will never ... Read More
Safety in Colombia by Christine
Hi, We would like to talk about a sensitive but important topic: do you feel safe in Colombia? How would you define the level of safety in the country? Can you walk safely during the day and at night without any fear? Do you think there ...
Highest Murder Rates By City It is not a "moronic" question at all. Above is a link to the list of highest murder rates among major cities. Sure there are dangerous places in the USA. They are on the list. Different cities are more or less ... Read More
Any info on Cali would be very welcome. by El Jer
Hello, I'm Jerry presently living in Ottawa, Canada and plan to move to Cali in the next few months, hopefully I've seen my last winter in Ottawa. Any info on Cali would be very welcome. Jerry
Jerry, My wife is from Cali and I lived there with her for 6 months. It is the murder capital of Colombia, hot, dirty, noisy, and crowded. It also has a lot of beautiful women, so that explains why I ended up in Cali. It does have some wild ... Read More
Purchasing Beds, lamps, refrigerator, etc. in Cali by nancy3030
Hi Folks, Finally I move to Cali next week. Does anyone living in Cali have any suggestions where I should buy everything that I need to furnish the apartment that is rented. I will need beds,refrigerator, stove,couch...everything for the ...
In Cali there is an area of town where dozens of furniture stores line the streets, one next to the other. When I lived in Cali with my wife she took me there and we walked around and looked at the options and I picked out my favorites for bedroom ... Read More
see if moving out of the U.S. is even an option for me by John Smithx
Hello all. I am just trying to see if moving out of the U.S. is even an option for me. I have no degree or a trade. I currently work as a dealer in a casino. What type of job could I train for that is global that also earns a decent wage ? (not ...
JRC I don't know how I spent so much in 6 months. I used to be a CPA and I know how much I had in my bank when I left and when I got back I had about $40,000 less. About $10,000 was paying child support and auto lease in the US, so that ... Read More
see if moving out of the U.S. is even an option for me by John Smithx
Hello all. I am just trying to see if moving out of the U.S. is even an option for me. I have no degree or a trade. I currently work as a dealer in a casino. What type of job could I train for that is global that also earns a decent wage ? (not ...
Someone wants to go live in Colombia because the US is too feminist, but they don't have the money to survive there? What could motivate a man to do such a thing? Maybe wanting to find cute, desperate, young women to date? That's why ... Read More