American Living in Colombia
I’m Shep, an American living in Colombia. I built GeoGringo from what I have learned doing it myself, not reading about it online.
Who I am
Why Did I Choose American Living in Colombia?
I came for Carnival in early 2020, saw three cities in a week, and decided Colombia was worth a real second look. The pandemic interrupted that first trip, but I returned as soon as the country reopened and eventually made it home.
Property, visa, tax and medical topics require professional judgment. I share experience and research, not legal, medical, tax or investment advice.
Six years later, I am still here, now on the coast in Santa Marta. After returning from the United States, I settled my Colombian visa and built my life here rather than treating the country as a long visit.
Over those six years, I have lived in six cities, bought property and a car, learned Spanish, handled immigration and taxes, used the healthcare system, rented apartments, negotiated deals, and figured out the everyday details you do not learn from a relocation guide.
Today, I work independently. I am not employed by a developer, realtor, clinic, visa agency or language school. Some recommendations may involve referral relationships or referral compensation; when that applies, I disclose the relationship before you act on the recommendation.
How I ended up living in Colombia
That first trip was cut short: everything closed for the pandemic in March and did not reopen until October. I came straight back and stayed the rest of the year, kept extending my stay, then went to the United States for remote work and spent the next couple of years going back and forth. In 2022 the job I had gone back for, comfortably six figures, went away too, and after two surgeries in the US that year I came back to Colombia for good and got my visa instead of living on tourist stamps.
- 2020Came for Carnival, saw three cities, then the country shut down.
- 2020 to 2021Back for good once it reopened; tourist entries and extensions.
- 2021Bought my first place, off plan, on the Cartagena coast.
- 2022Best-paying job gone. Two surgeries in the US.
- 2022 to 2023Came back and got a proper Colombian visa.
- 2023 to 2026Barranquilla, Cali, the coffee region, now Santa Marta.
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Experience
What have I done here?
Enough to answer from experience, not theory. American living in Colombia has meant buying property, being a patient in the system for years, handling my own visa and tax paperwork, registering and owning a car, teaching myself Spanish, and living across more than one city rather than just passing through. For the broader move itself, see my guide to moving to Colombia from the U.S..
Bought property in Colombia as a foreigner
- In 2021 I bought a pre construction apartment in Cartagena: checked the title history, registered the foreign investment with the Banco de la República, negotiated the price and closed it myself.
- Because Colombia has no MLS, no escrow and no title insurance, you verify the title yourself. I also know the remate route: reselling a pre construction unit before possession.
Been a patient in the Colombian system for years
- Every three months, I see a doctor and pay privately: MRI, EKGs and echocardiograms, blood work, a cardiologist, a urologist, a respiratory therapist and a GP, plus injections and infusions.
- Both surgeries were in the States; my follow-up care has been here, a route many people use.
Handled my own paperwork
- A visa through the Cancillería, tax residency with DIAN, and plenty of time at Migración Colombia, after years of tourist entries before that.
- A car through RUNT, with SOAT, Tecnomecánica and the license process after six months.
Speak Spanish, and I taught it to myself
- Spanish is self-taught to a solid B1, and I am working toward B2.
- Not perfect, but enough to read a lease, sign an escritura at the notaría, handle my bank and answer a migration officer without a translator.
Lived here, not just visited
- From the coast to the coffee region, I have rented, bought, driven and dated here, taken the intercity buses, and paid for it all with Nequi, InDrive, Uber, DiDi and Rappi.
- Six years in, I have not had a safety problem, because I learned which blocks are which the only way you really can, by living on them.
How I help
How can I help you?
By the time most people find me, they have already made the big decision and want a straight answer on the details from someone who has done it. My work covers buying property, medical care, the move and visa, and daily life.
Buying property without getting scammed
You found an apartment and want to know if the price and the deal are real. I pull the closed prices and the Certificado de Tradición y Libertad, the title record, with you, tell you what it should cost, and show you where foreigners get scammed, because no listing database, escrow or title insurance exists here to catch it for you.
Making sure the clinic and surgeon are legit
You have chosen a procedure and want to know the people are real. I show you how to check the surgeon in ReTHUS and the clinic in REPS yourself, what the quote quietly leaves out, and who is on the hook if there is a complication.
The move, the visa and the money
You know roughly which visa you want and just need it done right. I tell you which one actually fits your income, what the filing really asks you to produce, how your money should enter the country and be registered through the Banco de la República, and the small mistakes that get people denied or stuck at renewal.
Actually living here, safely
You want to live here, not just land here. Where and how to meet people, how dating works and how to stay safe doing it, how to negotiate like a local, and the day-to-day safety habits that take newcomers months to pick up.
If you would rather read than talk
Get the free Colombia Field Guide by email, then dig into the specifics when you are ready.
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Or use my free tools to run your monthly budget by city, the visa income line, and which city fits how you want to live. See all the guides in the guide hub.
Everyday life
The Everyday Reality of American Living in Colombia
The Colombia I know is not just the tourist version. It is more than visas, rent and property, and these are the details that tell you whether everyday life here fits you.
The Taganga viewpoint above Santa Marta. Owning a car here is its own adventure.
Dating and meeting people
Meeting people here is its own skill, on the apps and off. For example, I can tell you where people meet, how dating works, the red flags, and how to stay safe while you do it, because the wrong move on a dating app here has gotten people hurt.
Negotiating like a local
For example, apartment rent, new construction, services and everyday purchases do not work the way an American expects. Knowing the real going rate, and when to push, changes the whole conversation.
Property beyond the listing
Beyond the asking price, I look at planned roads, public works, new supply, commercial development, neighborhood changes, and what nearby units sell for. Those factors can matter more than the brochure.
Taganga Bay, near Santa Marta, where I am writing this.
Here’s an example of my research
What do I verify about a city before buying?
What places have sold for, how much new housing supply is coming, and whether the neighborhoods are safe block by block. I also check whether planned infrastructure is funded and on time. Those are the things a property listing will not tell you.
I research what people skip
Whether the city is really being built up
Roads, the electrical grid, water and sewage, the public works (obras públicas) and urban planning (planeación), and the city’s transparency portals. What the POT allows versus what the Plan de Desarrollo funds, and whether Aerocivil’s monthly passenger numbers back up the story people tell about the place.
What new construction is coming online, and how much of it
Meanwhile, new supply sets the ceiling on what you can ask later. Similar towers nearby can mean growth or more competition when you sell. I also explore off-plan opportunities as well.
What places have sold for, and the price per square meter
Colombia has no MLS, so you assemble it yourself: closed prices, time on market and price per square meter. Listings are priced by the meter, not the foot, so convert before comparing with a US number and watch the trend over several years.
Safety, block by block
Safety also changes street to street, so I ask residents and work the neighborhoods block by block. In addition, I use maps, local conversations, police input and city-planning information alongside the estrato ranges.
That research discipline is personal, too. I have personally vetoed two seemingly flawless cities, and walked away from a closing because the legal framework did not meet my standards.
Free vs a call
Why pay for a call when so much is free?
The distinction is simple: free information explains Colombia in general. A Ready Call gives you an hour to ask about your own situation, even when you are not ready to make a move or buy anything.
Where an hour with me pays off
- You understand Colombia before you arriveKnowing how things work here is cheaper before you land than after an avoidable mistake costs you time or money.
- You learn how the culture worksIn my experience, “give papaya” and reading the situation around you matter. The shift from expecting the system to fix every problem to taking responsibility for your own decisions is significant.
- You learn where discretion mattersThe rules are the rules, but in my experience they are not always applied as uniformly as they are in the States. I will explain what that can mean for your situation.
What the free content does
The free Colombia Field Guide and the site explain Colombia in general: costs, legal visa paths, cities, healthcare, property and the mistakes worth avoiding. They give you a useful foundation and help you form better questions.
What the Ready Call does
The Ready Call is a conversation about whatever you want to understand. You can be planning a move, researching a trip, curious about daily life, nervous about traveling here, comparing cities, thinking about property or medical care, or simply looking for a knowledgeable person to talk to. I read your intake first; then we spend the hour on what matters most to you.
| What you need | Free content | Ready Call |
|---|---|---|
| Understand Colombia generally | Yes | Yes, with your questions in mind |
| Compare cities and costs | General figures and guides | Discussed around your budget and priorities |
| Talk through a specific question | Use the research to form questions | Work through the issue together |
| Know when a licensed professional is needed | General guidance | I point out where legal, medical or tax advice belongs with a licensed professional |
A guide can explain how something normally works. A conversation lets you ask follow-up questions about the part that concerns you most.
You do not need a big decision to book. Curiosity is enough. So is wanting to feel more comfortable about visiting, living in or navigating Colombia before you take the next step.
Where I am today
Why I Keep Living Here
As for why I stay, the simple answer is that it still feels like home. Six years in, Santa Marta is my sixth Colombian city, and I may eventually spend more time back in the coffee region. Along the way, I have built friendships and a reliable professional network here, learned what still frustrates me, and learned which parts of daily life I would not trade back to the United States. Colombia is not perfect, and it is not right for everyone. That distinction matters when you are deciding whether to make the move yourself.
Important disclosure before you act
GeoGringo gives personal experience, research and public-source information. This page is not legal, medical, tax, financial or investment advice. Verify current visa rules, tax obligations, medical recommendations, property records and other requirements with the appropriate Colombian or U.S. professional before you act.
Recommendations can involve referral relationships or referral compensation. When that applies, the relationship is disclosed before you act on the recommendation.
Client outcomes, shared with permission
What people have used a conversation with me to sort out
Property-money transfer
For one property question, Felicia was about to move funds without the registration needed for the route she was considering. We caught it before the wire went out.
Fixed-budget move
In another case, Tony needed housing around $500–$600. The conversation narrowed the search to places where that budget was realistic.
Dating, safety and Spanish
Finally, an anonymous client wanted the everyday reality before moving: dating, safety habits and the survival Spanish that mattered most.
Shared with permission. Outcomes vary by person and circumstance.
Talk to Me About Your Colombia Plans
Bring a city, property, clinic, visa question, or simply the question of whether Colombia is realistic for you. A short questionnaire comes first, so the hour goes to your situation.
If you finish the call and it was not worth the money, tell me and I will refund it. There is no commitment to buy anything else.
If your question belongs with a lawyer, doctor, accountant or another licensed professional, I will tell you.
Not ready for a call? Start with the free Colombia Field Guide, real costs, the legal visa paths, and the first-year mistakes that cost people the most. Or email me at [email protected].
Disclaimer: I am an independent advisor sharing experience from living in Colombia, not formal professional advice. I am not a licensed attorney, medical practitioner or accountant in Colombia or the United States. What I share is not legal, tax, medical or financial advice. For legal filings, medical evaluations or tax returns you will need a licensed Colombian professional; on a call I will say so plainly and help you understand what to look for before you hire one.
