Pros & Cons of Living in Medellin, Colombia

[@AKJoel]

✅ Want to move to Medellin? 📞 Book a FREE 15 MIN CALL here to see how our Masterclass can help you: bit.ly/medellinmasterclasscall

[@efexzium]

Why did he got deported is there a video ?

[@nlryan1]

I live in envigado and and am able to walk my dog 1-2-3 am and feet perfectly safe and I’m female. There is always someone watching and trust me the police would show up in a NY minute. Also lived in el Prado. After 10 years I was pick pocketed at the éxito Wow at viva mall.

[@Josiefaz]

I have visited Medellin for extended periods and I can add that Healthcare is big for me . I am Neurodivergent, highly sensitive with lots of health issues and Medellin makes me feel medically safe. My mental health improves because of the greenery and food quality. Also , as a female it is very easy to afford beauty upkeep whereas in the US getting a mani/pedi and massage is out of the question. I always feel my healthiest , look my best , and lose weight when I’m in Medellin! Thanks for making this video!

[@Apricot90]

I too am neurodivergent and highly sensitive and love to keep in shape, eat good food, being surrounded by nature. But community is also very important. Here in Germany people seem to be dead inside.. I feel quite "safe" here but that's about it... There is no real quality of life without any compassion and connection around you. It is all about work, life is so lonely and stressful. I often wonder why I, a 34 year old attractive and educated woman, am even alive. I have no one here. Life is nothing but suffering. So I thought maybe Colombia would be a place of recharging. But as we can see, vulnerable lonely women are safe nowhere, especially not in South America:(

[@lawofficesofjimreilly1153]

The reason to move to Medellín is for the menu del dia.

[@AKJoel]

Oh yeah, I do love a good $4 menu del dia!

[@tomix3568]

I really appreciate that you two are good people offering advice for other decent human beings not looking for sex tourism and such. Medellin sounds like a fascinating place.

[@AKJoel]

Thanks mate - people like you are exactly the type I'm looking to help. I hate the s*x tourist crowd too.

[@TheSimaralynn]

One thing I haven’t seen covered: if you are neuro divergent Medellin may not be for you. It’s wonderful and people are great but Medellin definitely is very sensory stimulating. There’s a LOT of people in Medellin (5 million) so there’s a lot of people everywhere, a lot of traffic and just a lot of people everywhere all the time. There’s a lot of party and loud music in many places, lots of lights. Basically many factors that stimulates your senses.

[@AKJoel]

I've never even heard of the term "neuro divergent" lol - thanks for educating me!

[@TheSimaralynn]

@@AKJoel it’s an umbrella term for people who’s brains just work differently like the ones who have sensory issues or are in the autistic spectrum.

[@DN-kb9tk]

We will be in Medellin in July. Do you have a masseuse that you recommend who comes to your apt …. Non gringo prices ?? We will be renting an Airbnb in Los Laureles

[@PoeticJustice1288]

I love your guy’s channel but I really worry about the framing Joel has around safety. I lived in Colombia for 6 years, and I can say unequivocally that it is a relatively dangerous place even if you minimize danger by not messing with prostitutes or doing drugs. First, the framing of “well only 35 guys died” is ridiculously insensitive. One death is a tragedy. The Asian man who died last year did not invite a woman to his apartment. He simply went on a date. I get the sense that AK Joel is living in a Colombian bubble as he ALWAYS rushes to minimize the reality of violence there. I think it’s a cognitive bias because he doesn’t want to feel bad about his decision to move there, because there are in fact, many pros of living in a country like Colombia. A far better snapshot of the reality of violence would not be how many people were ultimately murdered, but how many people were robbed. Putting somebody in the hospital with scopolamine is incredibly violent. I’m sure he would not be eager to share those statistics, especially because whatever statistics he could find would be a fraction of what is ultimately happening, because so many people are ashamed to report it. Either way, I still appreciate your content but I think it will be better if you take a look in the mirror and ask yourself why such an impulse to minimize the danger that exists. Sometimes it’s not the victims fault. Admittedly, Andrew seems to have a more realistic picture so maybe in a few years Joel will sharpen his analysis.

[@AKJoel]

The 1 Asian guy was a very sad story but that's an outlier. 95% of the scopolamine cases happen when guys invite strangers to their place trying to get quick sex. Those are the facts, not my opinion.

[@AKJoel]

I had the same view and gave the same advice long before I was ever selling anything. I still believe that 99% of people who come here and don't do irresponsible things, have a great time without facing any safety issues.

[@ColKav]

Yeah I agree to be honest. Medellín isn't safe. It's no warzone, but safety is an issue which is felt by the community.

[@Draeb22]

​​​@@AKJoelyou are correct my friend , pros are the number one factor, they did a study and found out it's alot of single American women traveling to medellin and none of the single women who are traveling are coming up dead , and that's because most of the men that come are coming for pros

[@ohno-zx4if]

You guys are nice fellas Thanks for you information 🎉🎉

[@AKJoel]

No problem 👍Glad you enjoyed it!

[@angel-xu1kb]

I am daytrader i am thinking of moving to colombia thanks for the info

[@AKJoel]

No worries!

[@vangdavid2]

You guys hear about the rising kidnapping, ransom, and murders in Medellin? My friend Tou Ger Xiong was just kidnapped and killed a few days ago. He was lured by a girl who led him to gangsters. Be careful out there everyone. Always have a travel buddy and meet in public places. Don't do dating Apps.

[@AKJoel]

Sorry to hear about your friend...

[@gregp7605]

Really enjoy your videos, I want to love Medellín and I am not sure what I was doing wrong as I tried. I see successful gringos like yourself who look Latin, versus someone with light eyes, heavy not skinny, I feel like I was drawing extra attention. I was followed. Harrased, people following me into stores. Not feeling safe reading a book while enjoying a park. Or head on a swivel walking alone during the day, gun wielding thieves holding up a restaurant. Warnings by locals about a morning murder in the park I just passed through on my morning commute or not walking alone on a street during a Latin holiday. So my theory is this. Dark eyes, hair, complexion, fit, etc. you'll have a better experience. I studied all of the videos about staying safe, dress, don't show Papaya, not using phone on the street and I struggled to feel safe without focusing on steps to stay safe. Thank you for your efforts to address the issues, I am returning next year with more Spanish to try again because I love the people, social/dancing/living life spirit, weather, and nature.

[@AKJoel]

Sorry you went through that Greg - which area were you spending most of your time in?

[@brizzyboys143]

I’m in Medellin right now and I heard you guys do pick up basketball games I’m also Australian and I was wondering where you guys go for these games

[@AKJoel]

Hey mate, you can go to Unidad Deportiva Andres Escobar in Belen - they have pick up games at around 6pm every night of the week. Enjoy!

[@brizzyboys143]

@@AKJoel thank you mate

[@nymarine215]

Shoot! I make 4000 a month just on veterans disability. Plus a full time a job. I’m planing on retiring in Medellin or perhaps Portugal or Costa Rica. I would never buy a car in Medellin unless I’m going to use it to travel outside of the city. Rental cars in Medellin is approximately 400 dollars for 6 days which is insane. Stay with Uber or taxi… it’s just 2-4 dollars per trip across the city

[@AKJoel]

Omg with $4k you can basically do whatever you want here.

[@nymarine215]

@@AKJoel Yes!! Unfortunately the 4K was due to things that no military vet wants to experience but it’s something to assist me. I was just thinking about how I can actually apply for a retirement visa for Colombia. I believe in order to be eligible, one needs to be making a minimum of 830 USD (more or less I’m not mistaken) from a private (401k, Roth) public or government source. I’m serious going to look at the avenues that would enable me to possibly buy property and rent it out to foreigners.

[@alfredodelacruz1864]

​@nymarine215 Semper Fi brother im thinking of retiring in Medellin too

[@jb894]

Portugal lol isn't that cheap.

[@therehastobesomethingmoore]

$2000/month….in Medellin. Or $1500/month….in the coffee triangle. Or $1000/month in many smaller towns.

[@AKJoel]

Yeah those figures seem very much on point! I'm sure you could even get that closer to $500 in some pueblos.

[@therehastobesomethingmoore]

@@AKJoel Manizales is on our list of possible retirement cities. We are currently in Nicaragua and have lived here for about $1100/mo with no budgeting at all, but we plan on visiting many countries over the next few years.

[@wanderingdoc5075]

I don't understand why people always want to short change themselves and spend as little as possible.. why not think abundantly because it's easier to learn how to make an $3000 per month than it is to save $1,000 per month

[@therehastobesomethingmoore]

I can only suggest that people just want to know what costs are and if that fits into their budget. Living here in Nicaragua for the last 10 months, one thing we noticed is people here, even wealthy or upper middle class people, don’t want to just spend their entire life working. They want to enjoy life. The culture is very different than life in the US. Then you also have retired people on a fixed budget. Just saw a study where centenarians were surveyed about their biggest regrets in life. One of the top 3 was they wished they had not worked so much.

[@wanderingdoc5075]

@@therehastobesomethingmoore 100% agree. That's why I early retired earlier this year at age 37.

[@hernanruiz6683]

My advice to Tourists is please learn Spanish before you visit any latin country, this will help you a lot, so people will not take advantage of you, good luck. ❤✌️

[@AKJoel]

Great point Hernan!

[@redlionthedon]

Agree with and appreciate the general sentiment but spending a few years learning a language to visit a country for like a week is wild overkill.

[@dadadannn]

⁠@@redlionthedonyou can spend 1-2 months to get the basics down at least so you can get around. I spent 8 months learning because I was going for a 4 month trip. And your spanish skyrockets when you’re there.

[@wanderingdoc5075]

I visited Medellin for 19 days with my mexican girlfriend and to be honest we weren't treated that well and got a bunch of weird looks on the street. Whereas in mexico or in the philippines where i live right now i feel like a socialite and king based on how people treat me. I want to give Medellin another shot. Maybe it was an anamoly

[@AKJoel]

I've never felt that way personally so I'm sorry you did! I'm not sure why but hopefully next time will be different!

[@Apricot90]

Please look into Astrocartography. Your birth chart can show you which places bring you luck and which problems...

[@marvinaugustin830]

To be fair I love Medellin I always go there one of my favorite places in the world but my Spanish sucks i understand more then I can talk but for people who don’t know any Spanish we live in 2023 you can buy a translator fairly cheap plus it’s going to help you learn the language faster buy communication

[@AKJoel]

True, you can still enjoy the city without Spanish but at least speaking some Spanish will greatly improve your experience here.

[@ColKav]

Dude are you American? Can you imagine how pissed fellow Americans would be if foreigners had that mentality? You think people would accept you willing to get by on a translator?

[@stanleyisma7243]

Do you have videos on buying property?

[@AKJoel]

It's funny you mention that, I'll be releasing my first video on this topic this upcoming weekend. I've also planned a series of 5 more videos on buying real estate in Medellin that I'll be releasing next year, so stay tuned!

[@rezaahari2207]

How u can get I’d?

[@AKJoel]

You need to get a visa first, then you get a cedula (Colombian ID)

[@theoficialarmvni]

Bruh the dude on the left looks like J Balvin a little bit

[@AKJoel]

Haha I'll tell him, he'll love that!

[@rasimalsaaid8033]

Thank you guys.

[@AKJoel]

Our pleasure!

[@vladimirkalinin4468]

The most Men are moving to Colombia only for one Reason: The beautiful Woman hahaha

[@mrxiong2567]

P4P

[@vladimirkalinin4468]

@@DankMan-tb4ko well, Colombia has the most beautiful woman in the world. Curvy Latinas are nice, but yeah, a little bit easy and cheap

[@AKJoel]

I don't make videos for those people so that's why it didn't make my list lol

[@commanderclaude8781]

has anybody ever told you that you resemble Daniel Ricciardo ?

[@AKJoel]

I've actually never heard that before! Haha

[@buddhaweatherby368]

It’s great that you guys acknowledge the risks of silly behavior, but really lean into how friendly the Colombians are and how brilliant the social options are in Medellín.

[@AKJoel]

Yeah mate I know plenty of expats who make educated, responsible decisions and have enjoyed this city for years without having any troubles. It's unfortunately that people come here, do stupid things and then complain that all Colombians are out to get them...

[@BestFriendOfJesus]

This is gonna be a good video

[@yolofrank]

2k a month in Socal is basically being homeless

[@AKJoel]

Exactly! But 2k a month is living large in Medellin.

[@TomBath]

"I ordered it medium-well and they gave it to me RAW" hahaha

[@AKJoel]

How many times have you seen stupid complaints like this in the Facebook groups Tom? LOL

[@TomBath]

@@AKJoel Too many haha

[@michaelondic5884]

The climate is also a big draw.

[@AKJoel]

That's very true! Not many places in the world with weather like this.

[@kurrwa]

Comparing anything to California always will make any place better also New York is the 1# expensive city in the world to live in :D The American dream is over. More people will look for other places to live bringing dollars and making a higher cost of living. Something like this happened to Costa Rica which is expensive a lot considering the location. I wonder how Colombia will change 20 years from now

[@AKJoel]

You're right but most of my viewers are from California and NYC, so it makes sense to do that comparison haha

[@rezaahari2207]

Colombia compared to few years ago more expensive because of global inflation ,plus peso is stronger.second if bunch of people can leave us,or Canada 1000 of immigrants ,students ,visitors coming into u.s from Latin American countries who r educated looking 4 dream to gain higher wages .cleaner cost $20 in Colombia if she works 8 hrs ,here I live cost $ 30 per hour.if u leave ,will be replaced by 10 times more new immigrants.

[@rezaahari2207]

Thank u 4 useful info about Medellin,I just got back from Medellin ,I lived in nice area laureles in apt ,I enjoyed my life just as any vacationer. But night time I would not go out unless by taxi or huber.i was not harassed by any one day or night.in Medellin there is strict law 4 entering public places ,u have to show ur passport to get in or get out.my question is in case of victims killed by girls or thieves either they r looking 4 trouble like abusing young girls people ,or Colombian security in regard to tourist security do not care to lift the forces?

[@SavageSanto]

Making only $2,000 in Miami will get you a spot in the street. Haha

[@AKJoel]

Yeah that's not gonna go very far at all!

[@paulashwell1604]

$2000 in miami - you can live under a bridge

[@AKJoel]

like the Red Hot Chili Peppers haha except they were in LA

[@squishyplums2415]

Living $2k a month in Miami is difficult but possible if you are a minimalist.

[@AKJoel]

You probably wouldn't be able to live in a nice area though right?

[@squishyplums2415]

@@AKJoel In an area less fancy.