Hacking Colombia: Paying Bills

When you decide to live in Colombia, you’ll naturally have bills to pay: rent, health care and utilities. This guide gives you the many ways to take care of these payments. Types of Payments Ease of payment depends on what type of […]

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Rents: City to City Comparison

These are sample rents obtained via real estate search engines. They are random: It’s possible to find apartments at lower or higher rents. We did not find listings within our parameters in all medium sized cities (Ex: Armenia). In all examples, a […]

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The Definitive Guide to Apartment Rentals

Updated on September 7, 2022 Renting an apartment in Colombia for foreigners can be challenging. Much has been said on social networks on the topic including many falsehoods. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to successfully get a […]

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Hacking Colombia: Notarías

Colombia still uses a lot of paper documents and having them notarized is a fact of life here. In this article, we explain how the process typically works… Tramitología is what they sarcastically call the documentary requirements of just about any registration […]

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Banking: What is the “cuatro por mil”?

24 years ago, the Colombian government started a tax on bank accounts that was supposed to end in a year’s time, and it’s expected to continue indefinitely. Withdraw cash or pay bills or withdraw money in any fashion from your Colombian bank […]

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Hacking Colombia: At Home

Whether you plan to live in an apartment or a house in Colombian urban areas, the way we live in our homes may differ a bit from what you’re used to in your country of origin… Washing dishes: Almost nobody has a […]

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Hacking Colombia: Supermarket

Colombia has a lot of supermarkets from small neighborhood ones to giant department stores. For foreigners, take it for granted that you’ll have to adapt your diet to Colombia’s: While some of your favorite foods from “back home” might be available in the imported […]

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Bright Lights, Big City, Big stores

While many other writers wax eloquent on the beauty of Colombia’s natural environment, its rich culture and picturesque pueblos, all of which I do as well, I also go through the motions bringing you the mundane details of everyday life here, thinking […]

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