Living in Colombia vs USA: 3 Biggest Differences

[@ElJefe0719]

Colombia is sounding better all the time..

[@AKJoel]

Haha there's a reason people come and never leave!

[@billyhughes805]

One thing I noticed and I think it leads to depression and I think I mentioned it before on one of Joel's shorts is the lack of 'hostile architecture' that you find not only in Colombia but most of Latin America, in Latin America there are parks, park benches, places to sit and eat outside - where I live in the UK, there are no benches to sit outside a park and even inside the few parks we have - they're uncomfortable, seats at bus stops, uncomfortable and it just makes being outside a really depressing experience and you don't find any of that in Colombia or Mexico or anywhere in Latin America - if you want to sit down, there's a seat near by, if you want to spend three hours drinking a coffee, no one is going to tell you to leave. People passing who you might not know will say hello - give me Latin America over Europe or the States any day of the week and then some.

[@AKJoel]

That's a good point! Probably no places to sit outside in the UK cos it's constantly raining mate!! haha

[@billyhughes805]

@@AKJoel True!

[@maryfreedom5]

Amazing Video. Tank You2 ❤

[@AKJoel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gladiator-dh5cb]

You guys r so on point with this info. Man I appreciate your sense and honesty. Been in Bogota for 12 years. Ive been around the world and Colombia is my comfortable shoe. Im in love wth la tierra querida. Thank you guys!

[@AKJoel]

Thanks mate glad you're enjoying the content and finding it useful! We absolutely love Colombia too - my favourite of the 38 countries I've been to.

[@danspencer4235]

I love Medellin, but I currently live in the 7th largest city in Colombia and we have NO international airport. That's the reason there are no criminal gangs here to prey on foreigners. Most people here have never even met a foreigner and they would love to, but almost none come here.

[@andrewinspires]

That’s cool.

[@TimeTwoShoot]

How do the taxes work for you based on my reading if US citizens you have to pay taxes for income made in United States and in other countries. So you may be paying 20% tax to the US. Then it looks like if you stay more then 6 months in Colombia you have to pay taxes to Colombia also possibly 30% so in total you could be paying 50% of your income to taxes that seems like it would off set any cheaper living?

[@kingangel3252]

What city is that

[@drepagaming]

@@TimeTwoShoot Speak to an accountant mate, that's not how it works.

[@AKJoel]

Yeah which city?

[@MotivatedActionGroup]

I am looking forward to visiting next week. Thenks for the tips.I plan to stay for 3 months.

[@AKJoel]

Have fun!

[@MotivatedActionGroup]

Thanks@@AKJoel

[@nubaran]

I know this is an old video but I'd like to comment on a few things: It's not that the waiter or people serving at the restaurant can't or don't change your order, it's just that in Colombia people don't have allergies to certain foods or different styles of eating like here in the US, we just eat what is in the plate but for sure if you want to change something they would. In the States because of people coming from every country in the world there's much variety on food, in Colombia we don't have that, we never hand immigrants before. I have lived in New York for 25 years and what I really miss about Colombia is the weather and the people!

[@adamolsen78]

Keep up the dope content 🤘🏻 the story rants are classic!

[@AKJoel]

Haha glad you're vibing with it mate, plenty more to come!

[@Gierboo]

I have lived in 4 countries and visit over 10. By far Colombia has the friendliest people

[@AKJoel]

Yeh my top countries would be Colombia and Brazil by far!

[@erichuifitness]

Appreciate you going over the cons as well

[@AKJoel]

No worries, it's super important to know the good and the bad!

[@Veneerscolombia]

did you know that i use your channel to improve my listening, Thank you!

[@AKJoel]

To practice your English?! That's awesome!

[@andrewinspires]

that's great!

[@andrewinspires]

I've been here in Colombia for 13 years, without having gone back to the U.S. The thing that I miss the most, that we didn't talk about in the video is the sports culture. The US has such a great culture of supporting many sports. In Colombia it's just soccer, and even though I love soccer, it gets pretty boring when it's on all year.

[@AKJoel]

Yeah well said, US sports culture is the best in the world - no competition.

[@TimeTwoShoot]

How do the taxes work for you based on my reading if US citizens you have to pay taxes for income made in United States and in other countries. So you may be paying 20% tax to the US. Then it looks like if you stay more then 6 months in Colombia you have to pay taxes to Colombia also possibly 30% so in total you could be paying 50% of your income to taxes that seems like it would off set any cheaper living?

[@JWinch]

@@AKJoel Even better than Australia? I always thought that on a per capita basis, Australia has the highest level globally competitive teams (rugby, cricket, soccer, Olympics, basketball, etc). Yes US does better when ignoring population, but they have 10 times as many people to draw players from as Australia.

[@davegarmendia1717]

@@TimeTwoShootI have heard that your US taxes can be lowered if you prove you live in Colombia. Colombias taxes are 19.9% and US is 35%. Not sure if that’s true about lowering tax amount in Us though.

[@AKJoel]

Yeah per capita Australia is pretty good, but the US has the most elite leagues in the world.

[@orlandomodeno7567]

For me, Colombia has a better healthcare than public healthcare here in the US, as a Colombian-American who has used both I can attest to this fact. In the last 2016 ranking of best 46 clinics and hospitals in Latin-Amemerica, Cololmbia had 20, more than larger countries like Brazil and Mexico.

[@TimeTwoShoot]

How do the taxes work for you based on my reading if US citizens you have to pay taxes for income made in United States and in other countries. So you may be paying 20% tax to the US. Then it looks like if you stay more then 6 months in Colombia you have to pay taxes to Colombia also possibly 30% so in total you could be paying 50% of your income to taxes that seems like it would off set any cheaper living?

[@romanzmlv1458]

Healthcare in the US is a disaster

[@AKJoel]

Doesn't US have one of the worst health care systems in the world?

[@kwakuali2893]

​@@AKJoelno it doesn't. If you have $$ you will have the best of the best without it you will die lol😂

[@plugchapman]

I'm going to Medellin on 8/1 what's another good area to stay in that's not El Poblado

[@AKJoel]

Laureles Belen Envigado I think you'll find this video very valuable in comparing the areas: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4qmhnyDptl6r9E

[@plugchapman]

@@AKJoel my man!

[@Mr3rasmo]

I just got back from zona t in bogota and I loved it! I never felt unsafe. Obviously don’t brag and show off but it was a great time. Definitely don’t go to the south of the city it’s pretty rough.

[@AKJoel]

What's happening in the south?

[@Mr3rasmo]

@@AKJoel anything goes. I seen people smoking meth and not even trying to hide it. People defecating on the side of a busy street. And I heard lots of armed robberies go on down there. I felt like I constantly had to look over my shoulder the whole time I was there.

[@AKJoel]

Yeah sounds like some parts of Medellin too lol avoid avoid avoid!

[@geyoda64]

18:15 The example of being in a restaurant and wanting the ingredients to be changed. I found this so odd when I was in the USA. I've rarely seen that in europe.

[@AKJoel]

I asked for it in the Philippines too and the waitress almost had a stroke lol

[@patrickclark9156]

We change ingredients in the menu item all the time so it's become normal & accepted unless it says on menu " no substitions".

[@romansotelo7240]

Dont forget about how fresh the food is when you leave the U.S. I have been to 5 countries and i can tell you there is a different taste in the food when I went to Canada it was ok.

[@AKJoel]

Great point!

[@wwlt.trevor0512]

This is very interesting, but what sources are you using for your statistics???

[@AKJoel]

Which stats in particular?

[@ChadRone2301]

Love the vids, thank you guys so much for doing these.

[@AKJoel]

Our pleasure!

[@amonzart2379]

Your are right about service being inefficient, specially in Restaurants,sometimes when I order fast food in Laureles or Poblado is ridiculous how long you need to wait in order to get serviced for a Burguer or hot dog. Also I have worked with US companies and Hospitality industry as costumer agent and I ve noticed that Americans are usually more demanding than Colombians. Some restaurantes demands high tips providing a terrible service and not mention the internet or comunication companies. We Colombians can be the nicest and politest people as costumer service workers but companies/bussinesses not that much. I remember an awful experience in Laureles . It took 13 minutes in order to get someone appraching our table to take the order and before leaving my suprise was they asked around 3,4 usd as tip ( 14000 cop) Of course the waitress was very nice but the bad experiencie remains and most of Colombians of course just take it easy and simply dont visit the place again. Companis in here usually provide the handiest solution but give a f*ckif they are not solving the real issue.

[@AKJoel]

Yeh I don't think they understand the value of repeat business, online reviews or word of mouth referrals in Colombia haha

[@amonzart2379]

@@AKJoel Rappi , Claro and Some Utilities companies have horrible reviews on social media but there you have them working like usual without any penalization by our government. If sometime you plan to use Rappi NEVER register a credit card with them, in order to get a Delivery (Only Cash) .They pull transactions out without the owner´s approval. MANY customers have clamed this issue and no solutions ahead.

[@billyhughes805]

The only time I complained is when they gave me arepas instead of fries at Frisby's, I was like 'basta ya' 😂

[@darran719]

Where can I get a private driver speaking English before my trip in June?

[@AKJoel]

You can check the Medellin Facebook groups and ask for recommendations there. Otherwise, I have a list of all my local contacts here: www.akjoel.com/contacts

[@tombernard4612]

Another great conversation Joel! With many truths however... Yes always me with my however..lol. Family is super tight knit in Colombia that's a given however when your friend mentions about the US being consumers and living on credit that is true as well. HOWEVER, I can't tell you the number of times I've stood in a lineup at the cashier at Exito (and many other places in Medellin) and the person in front of me has taken 25 minutes with only 20 items because the cashier has to call banks , credit card companies and their manager to verify this person's credit as they're trying to pay their grocery bill with three different credit cards on 50 "quotas" aka Credit payment installments. In fact credit is so much part of the culture there as you know, if you go to a nice restaurant they will ask you when you're paying the bill how many "quotas"/ installments, when you're using a credit card. I don't fault or judge them for this hey my wife is a Paisa... Just saying...However... Suerte

[@AKJoel]

Yeah I never understood that quota thing, this is the first place I've seen it lol who the hell is trying to pay a meal in 50 cuotas LOL

[@tombernard4612]

True story !! lol... But I can't complain had to come back to Canada for a month to organize stuff heading back to Medellin this weekend... Canadian immigration is unreal, we've been waiting over a year now for my wife's spousal visa to enter Canada… My wife was actually twice rejected EVEN for a visitor's visa for Canada in 2021.. and she's an academic... Yeah our government up here is definitely F'ddddddddd... So it's back to the lineup in Exito for me next week!! lol... Suerte ;)

[@davegarmendia1717]

Have you ever visited Buenas Aires Argentina! I feel it is the most cosmopolitan city I have ever visited

[@AKJoel]

I haven't made it over there yet, it's in my plans for 2024 though! Are the people there friendly?

[@DiosanXaquerry]

Argentina I have heard is not too friendly to black ppl....

[@andrewinspires]

The problem with Argentina is that it's full of Argentinians. lol

[@andrewinspires]

@@DiosanXaquerry I've heard the same.

[@billyhughes805]

@@AKJoel They're all right, everywhere I have been in Latin America they have been friendly, they're friendly for big city people - gets cold in winter though so stick to the southern hemisphere summer. Not a patch on Colombia though. Personally, I prefer Lima to Bs As.

[@Sinnombrefs]

Automatic like! Great work in representing the best city of the world. Btw where are you getting your plants and would guess “Be kind portrait always” portrait in the back? God bless

[@AKJoel]

Glad ya enjoyed it mate! 👍🏾👊🏾

[@andrewinspires]

I get all my plants at the vivero (nursery) in el Poblado on avenida poblado it's called Vivero Tierranegra Poblado.

[@leondejuda5353]

Si en un restaurante no dan un buen servicio, el Colombiano no se pone a pelear, simplemente no da propina, se levanta, se va y no regresa. Habrán más opciones de restaurantes. Evita hacer compras en los malls los fines de semana, o los días cuando los trabajadores cobran su pago, (15 o 30 del mes) porque😮 vas a encontrarte largas filas, en cajeros y supermercados.

[@AKJoel]

Ah the 15th and 30th tip is great, thank you!!

[@elonmusk9869]

I’ve lived in Pakistan for months before, it’s not bad, there’s modern well built areas

[@AKJoel]

Yeah? Which city were you in?

[@elonmusk9869]

@@AKJoel Islamabad and Lahore

[@Jes1919]

Found your channel a month or so ago and love it Joel. I am 20 and already planning to leave the west. Graduate college next year, and will find a job working remotely in cybersecurity. Plan to travel working remotely for a few years before moving permanently to a country. I have Israel, Columbia, Philippines, and Morocco and the 4 places after extensive research as places to settle down.

[@AKJoel]

Wow that's awesome that you have a goal at such a young age mate - good on you! I've never been to Israel but I've spend some time in Philippines and Morocco - Philippines is cool but I'd never live in Morocco lol

[@Jes1919]

@@AKJoel thank you for the kind words David. I am Jewish so get Israeli citizenship whenever. Will get it after 25 so I don’t have to be in the military. Columbia and Philippines are my top choices at the moment. Morocco is great is in a good area. The only thing is that I would need to become Muslim if I wanted to marry. Columbia and Philippines would be the easiest to acclimate to. Both great weather, food, and most importantly, good people. Columbia is definitely my top choice right now due to it being close to the states so I can visit my family, and it is an hour behind so not a insane time zone like Philippines.

[@Jes1919]

@@AKJoel why didn't you like Morocco out of curiosity?

[@barryoneill-ec9zz]

I am interested retiring there, But don’t speak Spanish, I would be afraid of being very lonely without fellow Americans to talk to and I’m also very social, Is there any Social clubs for Americans there?

[@AKJoel]

Depends where you live but in some areas it's super easy to find other foreigners

[@andrewinspires]

Yeah, the expat/immigrant community has grown substantially in the last 13 years. You'd be able to find a community based on your interests pretty easily, especially since you're a social person.

[@barryoneill-ec9zz]

@@andrewinspires That’s great to hear, I will head over for a trip shortly, Regards Andy.

[@barryoneill-ec9zz]

@@AKJoel looking forward to going soon to check it out.

[@billyhughes805]

If you're there any length of time you're going to learn Spanish and if you just want your social circle to be other Americans then you're missing out big time. Might as well as go to El Paso.

[@JWinch]

Comment about something Andrew said at the very end. Germany is not efficient. That is a myth or some old no longer important value that Americans still believe about German culture. I lived there for a decade. Their customer service is almost as bad as Colombia's ... perhaps worse because of their apparent disdain of customer's needs. Amazon is changing that slowly as they destroy German businesses that have terrible customer service. German culture also has near zero creativity/innovation. What Germany does well is to keep things that have been working, continue to work, and in some cases that means making something that over the decades is 99.9% perfect, to become 99.99% or 99.999% perfect (so no other company can compete at that level of quality). But if something goes wrong, something breaks, and especially if it should be fixed quickly... forget about it. German culture does not care about that. Also, innovation means making mistakes on the road to success and Germans HATE making mistakes. Better to keep doing the same thing (even if it isn't working) because you can just claim you are following the rules, the traditions, etc.

[@AKJoel]

interesting! I never knew it was so bad over there, only visited a few times but never stayed long enough to have this type of insight

[@Travelinlad]

Hello Joel. I love Medellin but you're missing Bangkok. Bangkok is a modern big city with great infrastructure and might be cheaper than Medellin.

[@AKJoel]

Really?? What's the usual monthly living expenses there?

[@Travelinlad]

Hello Joel. I know several people living in Bangkok with a total monthly budget between $1,000 - $1,500. Medellin and Bangkok in many ways are similar. Both great modern cities with a mix of new and old. Both have very good rapid transit systems. Bangkok has a skytrain and underground MRT. I would give the food options definitely to Bangkok. But again I love Medellin.

[@inolvidable.]

@skimterp Bankgog does not have the beautiful women, the perfect weather; the spectacular landscape Medellin or Colombia in general has, everywhere. Colombia is like all countries in one. And it is the 2nd. most biodiverse in the world. *Colombia is called the Country of 1000 Rhythms, because it has 1,025.* Very rich musical culture. Incomparable tropical music. Perhaps, the richest in rhythms too. Most popular Latin singers right now come from Colombia. All that mixture makes this country a wonderful culture.

[@rakeshchouhan930]

Hey How are you I'm from india

[@AKJoel]

My parents are

[@dakota-rt8kd]

Totally, hate the sidewalks because I liked to walked. However, they're lethal at times and whatever it's the correct rise on between the steps 😅😮😂. Mexico, the same thing but it was worse 😊😱👀👀👀😓

[@christiane785]

"They don't even have utensils" c'mon man lol

[@AKJoel]

😂 as soon as he said that I was like bro what!?

[@andrewinspires]

[@SavageSanto]

Come on man of course they have utensils in Ethiopia. 🇪🇹

[@AKJoel]

📞 FREE 15-minute Call: medellinmasterclass.com/ ☀️BOOK a Life Redesign Consult with AK: www.akjoel.com/consultations 🌄SCHEDULE a Medellin Life Call with AK & Andrew: medellinmasterclass.com/book-call/ 💵 How I Make Money to Travel (Full Course): www.youtube.com/@AKJoel/membership 📽 Promos & Sponsorships: [e-mail]

[@Tatteddaddydc]

I'm American, and I married a Colombian in 2019. My Colombian husband refuses to let us visit Colombia today. He said it's too dangerous and, as a white American, I'll be kidnapped.

[@AKJoel]

That was maybe true 30 years ago but not anymore, things have changed!

[@JWinch]

@AKJoel Where's the list of cheap countries?

[@AKJoel]

worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cheapest-countries-to-live-in

[@ColKav]

Great vid but you are both ignorant on India and Pakistan. There are some amazing places where you can live out an incredibly HIGH quality of life. There are places in Bangalore which have very westernised areas with lots of western restaurants etc. Most people feel the same way about Colombia as you do about India, but we know that there's more to it than initially meets the eye.

[@AKJoel]

Fair point! Well said mate.

[@JWinch]

Because Colombia doesn't do capitalism well, you do spend a lot of time WAITING for stuff. Waiting an ATM, waiting in the slow moving lines at grocery stores, anything involving getting or giving money, then I am not sure how much more time you have with family and friends. Probably more than the US, but not nearly as much as you would think.

[@AKJoel]

I just order everything online, never wait in lines lol

[@JWinch]

@@AKJoel How does a gringo without a cedula order from Mercado Libre? Is it impossible? I had the same problem in Mexico and Ecuador.

[@naldebol]

IN response to the challenge about finding a place with good infrastructure, well developed, and cheap, Brazil wipes the floor with Colombia. IMPORTANT NOTE -- this is without taking into consideration the peak/main areas of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Those two are more expensive than any thing else in Brazil. The rent is simply cheaper in Brazil all round, much cheaper. There are way more places to live of upper quality/estrato in Brazil than Colombia; not even close. Not only is Brazil vastly wealthier than Colombia, and way more developed, it is among the cheapest countries to live in in all of the American continent. The food, the produce, is cheaper, Brazil is among the top 3 or 5 food exporters around the world. The country of Brazil is vast and the options are colossal to the point that Colombia is simply not viewable looking through the rear view mirror. Sure, Brazil has lots of poor areas. Yet, it has more of everything. More upper class places to live, more middle class places, more poor places. You just can't compare the wealth difference of both countries and the development.

[@Theofficaldannyalldunso]

Biggest difference I notice is in America. No one has ever tried to rob someone for a cell phone with a gun. Colombian thieves are a different level of poor.

[@AKJoel]

Yeah they do much worse than that with guns in the US

[@picudopr]

I guess you have not been to cities in the MEXICO TEXAS border,,, like LAREDO,,, there are VERY RUN DOWN areas there. Like there are NO unnamed roads,, and unpaved roads in the USA!!!!

[@AKJoel]

Yup definitely never been there lol

[@rafaelmateodev]

Yeah, I fail to see the capitalism vs family thing. You are mixing economic systems with cultural systems.

[@AKJoel]

I believe the fact that everything is money money money in the US affects people's quality of relationships

[@Ren0799]

What the heck is an expat?

[@AKJoel]

lol here we go again...

[@andrewinspires]

Expat is usually a boomer that doesn't know how to google stuff.

[@leondejuda5353]

Hay que tener más respeto por los boomers, la mitad de la riqueza de los EEUU le pertenece a esa generación, y son quienes van a salvar a la mayoria de milenials y gen Z más pobres, pues van a recibir el traslado de esa riqueza por concepto de herencia, haciendolos 5 veces más ricos en el 2030, y siendo estas dos últimas generaciones quienes más dinero habrán recibido por herencia, que cualquier otra generación en el pasado. Ojalá sepan administrar esos recursos por el bien de la siguiente generación.

[@AKJoel]

haha Andrew Macia - Boomers' public enemy #1

[@andrewinspires]

did it make you cry