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- 15 Disadvantages of Living in Colombia
Before you think about going to Colombia for either a small visit or for living here long term, you have to understand that there are some disadvantages of living in Colombia
Some of them are obvious – such as crime, corruption, etc
However, other issues are not as obvious
Regardless, pay attention to these 15 issues that I consider to be potential problems that you may encounter while spending time here
Because even though Colombia is a great place, no country is perfect and you have to be aware of the disadvantages of living in Colombia as well
First: Xenophobia
Though Colombia isn’t the worst country in Latin America for xenophobia from my experience, it definitely can be one of the disadvantages of living in Colombia
Especially when you are in a smaller city or town that doesn’t have many foreigners in which some of the people there simply don’t have much experience with Americans, Canadians, Europeans, etc
As a result, there can often be more xenophobic people in smaller communities
But also in larger cities as well as xenophobic people are everywhere and should be an issue to consider
Second: Being Treated as an ATM Machine
This is a much bigger issue in more urbanized and touristy cities in Colombia – think Medellin or Cartagena
As there are more tourists, there are more people dealing with tourists and selling products or services to them
As a result, foreigners are more frequently seen as just walking ATM machines
Where people all the time are trying their best to get money out of you
It’s annoying and is honestly one of the worst things I don’t like about Colombia since this type of behavior irks me more
Third: Gringo Prices
This issue really goes well with the last issue of being treated like an ATM machine
However, it also deserves to be its own point as its really a concept in of itself in that other foreigners have noted that many times locals will try to charge a different price to you if you are a foreigner
In part because they know you have more money and also because they assume that you don’t know what the local price is
Also because foreigners have a reputation for not bargaining their prices down as much so they assume we will put up less resistance to a bad price
As written about elsewhere on this website, there are certain ways you can deal with this. First, don’t deal business with someone who doesn’t have the price of their product pre written on the product or a menu.
Second, avoid people trying to charge you in USD. Third, avoid doing business in touristy areas if possible. Fourth, learn Spanish so you can negotiate better. Fifth, do your research on the cost of what you are buying.
Simple advice to save you money.
Fourth: Visa Issues
This one is simple – you have to be aware of how long your visa lasts in Colombia and other was you can stay in the country legally
Some foreigners end up overstaying their visa and have to pay a fine when they leave the country
There have even been foreigners working illegally in Colombia that have been deported to their home country
So even though there are foreigners living illegally in Colombia without problems, it can be a risk for you if the wrong person finds out and takes action against you
So depending on how long you want to stay here, make sure you do your research ahead of time
Fifth: The Sex Tourist Stereotype
In some parts of the country like Medellin, there is a stereotype that all foreigners are sex tourists. This can be annoying as maybe you didn’t even travel the country for women and partying at all
Perhaps you actually came to enjoy the tourism here
Regardless, being assumed as a sex tourist can obviously get annoying and it can make it harder to make friends among just some people in cities like Medellin
It’s not a major issue from my experience as most Colombians will not assume this of you but some will
Sixth: Being a Bigger Target of a Crime
In Colombia, you will be a bigger target of a crime for being a foreigner
Where a taxi driver might try to work with a thief to steal money from you somehow
Or a nice “girl” on some dating website will try to scam you out of sending a few hundred dollars because she says that she loves you
Whatever it may be, you are a bigger target of scams and crime here
So just be cautious and use common sense
Doing both of those things will reduce your chances of being hit by a crime or a scam and protect you quite a bit
Seventh: Corruption Issues
In Colombia, things don’t always work as they should
And as a result, you have more corruption in this country where certain people like cops or judges act in corrupt ways
This is not likely to be an issue if you are here for a short period but can be if you live here longer
Such as a cop targeting you for a bribe by accusing you of a crime you didn’t do
In this case, learning Spanish and knowing how to negotiate a cop down when it comes to the bribe can help you a lot
Eighth: Family & Friends Thinking You Went Crazy
By choosing to spend significant time in Colombia, your family and friends in whatever country you are from might think you went crazy for choosing to spend a significant time abroad in a country like Colombia
So just keep in mind that you will have to explain why you chose to live here long term as people simply won’t understand
Given that quite a few people only think of drugs and violence when it comes to Colombia, this will be something to encounter when it comes to you
Ninth: Inefficiency
Another big issue that I have with living in Colombia is the inefficiency
At times it feels like everything in this country is run in an inefficient manner in which nothing is ever done properly
Where buildings might be improperly constructed, traffic goes chaotic again, the police can’t find a criminal that stole from you or whatever else the issue might be
Simply put – things don’t work as properly as you would expect them and it can be frustrating
Tenth: Lower Quality of Standards
This issue also goes well with the last issue about inefficiency
In this case, it can be confusing as to why Colombians generally speaking tolerate many of the inefficiencies that happen in this country
Or why they tolerate so many things being of lower quality – such as when it comes to electronics for example or anything else
And one thing I have learned is that it seems like Colombians are simply used to it – it’s normal for people in this country tosee things improperly done or being of lower quality than it should
Eleventh: Cultural Differences
In this case, there will be times when you simply have to accept certain cultural differences between your home country and Colombia
For example, you might get tired of people showing up late to everything
Have a meeting or a date at 5 PM? Opps, now it’s 5:30 PM because the other person showed up late
Why did they show up late?
Doesn’t matter – the just did with no real reason
And that’s just one cultural difference where simply you will be confused and frustrated but it comes with living here
So if you are planning on living in Colombia, make sure to begin adjusting to cultural differences with this great book on Colombian culture and this travel guide to Colombia
Twelfth: The Food
This is a relatively minor issue compared to everything else on the list but it should be mentioned as there have been many times where I missed food in the US
When coming to Colombia, you can find good food here but it can be difficult at first as most of the food is not that good
So just keep small issue in mind
Thirteenth: Supporting Yourself
If you plan on living here long term, you have to decide how you are going to support yourself
Retirement funds?
Being an English teacher?
Joining the cartel of Pablo Escobar’s ghost to sell ghost drugs?
Opening up a restaurant or a physical business down here?
Making money online?
All are great possibilities!
But it can be difficult supporting yourself even with the low cost of living
So you have to think carefully about it
Fourteenth: Being the Outsider
After living in Colombia for the first few months, it will feel nice to be in a new country traveling around
However, the honeymoon ends at some point and you start to feel like an outsider here who can never be accepted
No matter how long you live here – even if you get citizenship – most Colombians will never accept you as one of their own
And that’s fine but it should be known given that you will miss feeling part of a bigger community and not being an outsider
So keep this issue in mind also as it is one of the bigger disadvantages of living in Colombia
Fifteenth: Loneliness
Mixed in with the last issue and also the issue of how to make friends in a new country and a new culture, you will experience loneliness when living n Colombia
Especially in the first few months of living here
This won’t be an issue long term though when you start to make friends, hookup with girls down here and when you ever decide to settle down with someone
But can be a big issue at first – so just remember that it is normal and you should make an effort to meet as many people as possible while down here
Overall
Despite all the issues that come up with living in Colombia, this country is still great for living in as I have mentioned in other articles
While there are a lot of disadvantages of living in Colombia, there are plenty of positives as well that always outweigh the negatives for me
If you have any questions or insight of your own about the disadvantages of living in Colombia, let me know below in the comment section.
Thanks and take care!
Hasta luego parceros,
Seth
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