Where to Live in Medellín as a Digital Nomad

The heart of nomad and tourist Medellín. Provenza’s leafy, steep streets are lined with restaurants, cafes and bars; Manila below it is a little calmer, with coworking spaces, hostels and cafes; Parque Lleras is the nightlife hub. Everything is close, and the scene is easy to plug into.

It is also hilly, touristy, noisy at weekends and the most expensive part of the city, and it has the city’s biggest party-tourism problem.

• Good for: first-timers, short stays, people who want the scene on the doorstep
• Work nearby: Atom House, WeWork, Pergamino, Café Velvet, Hija Mía
• Watch out for: noise around Parque Lleras, steep walks home, and higher prices for foreigners

Further up the hillside and south along Las Palmas and Los Balsos, upper Poblado is all residential towers with pools, gyms, doormen and city views. It is calm, secure and comfortable, but you will need an Uber for almost everything.

• Good for: comfort and security, families, people who work long hours at home
• Work nearby: coworking in Manila and near Milla de Oro, a short ride down
• Watch out for: very steep streets, and isolation from street life

Across the river on the flat west side, Laureles is a planned 20th-century neighbourhood of circular streets, tree-lined avenues, low-rise houses and small apartment buildings. It has a strong local feel, lots of restaurants and cafes along La 70 and La 33, parks, and the sports complex in Estadio. It is easy to walk and cycle.

It is cheaper than El Poblado and popular with long-stayers, Spanish learners and couples. The main strips of La 70 and the Primer Parque de Laureles get busy at weekends.

• Good for: long stays, walkers and cyclists, Spanish learners, couples
• Work nearby: Semilla Laureles, 1 Segundo, Café Revolución
• Watch out for: weekend nightlife on La 70, and fewer English speakers

Just south of El Poblado, Envigado is a separate municipality that feels like a big Paisa town: a lively main plaza, local restaurants, markets, parks and family life, with lower rents and a growing number of foreigners. The Metro and buses connect it to Poblado in 15 to 20 minutes.

• Good for: value, local life, families, a calmer base
• Work nearby: a few local coworking spaces and cafes; El Poblado’s spaces a short ride away
• Watch out for: fewer cafes and less English

At the southern end of the Metro line, Sabaneta is a small town with a busy plaza and lots of new apartment buildings at low prices. It is a quiet budget choice for people who are happy to ride the Metro into the city.

• Good for: budget long stays, new apartments with pools
• Work nearby: working from home; Metro to El Poblado’s coworking
• Watch out for: a long ride to the nomad scene, and few foreigners

• Furnished monthly rentals through agencies, Airbnb and Facebook groups are what most nomads use.
• Long unfurnished leases are much cheaper but usually need a Colombian guarantor (fiador) who owns property, or an insurance company’s approval, plus months of paperwork.
• Rooms in shared flats are the budget option and a good way to meet people.
• Coliving and hostels with long-stay rooms exist in El Poblado and Laureles, and suit a first month.

1. Book a week or two first, then view flats in person, at different times of day.
2. Use agencies, Airbnb and well-known Facebook groups for Medellín rentals. Agencies that specialise in furnished rentals for foreigners are more expensive but easier.
3. Check the building. A doorman (portería), secure entrance and parking are standard in good buildings; ask about water and power cuts and noise at weekends.
4. Check the essentials: Wi-Fi speed, hot water, natural light (the hillsides block the sun in some flats), noise from motorbikes and parties, and whether utilities and internet are included.
5. Never pay a deposit for a flat you haven’t seen, and pay by traceable bank transfer.

• Deposit: usually one month’s rent for furnished rentals.
• Guarantor: long leases need a fiador or an insurance policy; monthly furnished rentals usually don’t.
• Bills: furnished rentals usually include utilities, internet and the building fee (administración).
• Estrato: Colombian homes are rated from 1 to 6 by socio-economic level, which sets utility prices. Most nomad areas are estrato 4 to 6.
• Inventory: photograph everything on day one.