pulling the trigger on retiring to buuccaramanga

Hello Jim   You folks should do very well with that amount. Here is my mail of allencraig09  aol com, if you want to go thru a detail account of expenses.  On the subject of teaching, you can get students fairly easily, but your evenings and weekends can get tied up quickly. I have not visited your city, but I have heard it is very nice. I am further south in Neiva. Enjoy your retirement , Alan

I live in Medellin, and it is more expensive than where you are going. That being said, I live on a modest Social Security check doing very well. Cook allot at home, and use the . local transit systems to get around. Where you are at, walking is easy. I visited there for a week last year and loved it. On the amount you will have to live on you will be great. Just watch your expenses, buy used when you can and always shop around. As for students, try stopping by a Hostel by the name of Kasa Guane. They are British-Colombian owned. They will help allot. Loved them. Good retirement to you.

Thank you so much for your quick reply, I look forward to corresponding with you as I am sure many other questions will come up. How long have you lived there and what do you do?

Thank you so much for your reply I am sure I will have many more questions. So it is typical that private english lessons are done in the evenings and on weekends. How long have you lived in Colombia and what do you do if you don't mind my asking. I look forward to talking in the future.

Hi,, I have been down here fulltime since June. I have visited, several times over last couple years.  Right now, I am being very lazy and not working. I worked as a Deputy in Florida for 30 years. My wife is a colombiana English teacher .  I spend the mornings working out and the afternoons as a house husband, lol

You have far more than enough to live on. I live in Medellin in an estrato 4 neighborhood in a beautiful apartment with far less than you and your wife have available.

Thanks for the reply I am interested in the cost of good health insurance coverage, any ideas?

Jim, EPS is very economical form of health insurance, with a far more reasonable cost than you are accustomed to up north.  I currently pay about $105.000 (COP) for full family coverage.  I've been hospitalized a few times and it was 100% covered, with no co-pay.  Don't know about Buccaramanga but, here in Rionegro, Antioquia, the medical care is at least as good as it is in the USA.

Welcome to Colombia!

Dear Jim,

Bucaramanga is a nice place with high development potential.
To generate an idea about the cost of living in this city you may use numbeo
http://www.numbeo.com/common/
It is free and easy to use.

Regards,

Thank you for the reply. When I look at the index everything seems good and I think no problem, my concern always comes in when I read the replies down the page, there seems to be a lot of conflicting information there. If anyone is willing to post their own experiences with costs such as food, utilities (including zone), cable, etc, it would really be appreciated. Thank you laceja for your information on the health insurance. Thanks to everyone for your replies all of the information you have sent has made me much more comfortable.

Hello Jim,, Sorry I cant help with health insurance quotes. I am on wife's work policy. I have heard anything from 75,000 t0 160, 000 pesos a month. We have claro with 5mb internet and it is about 88,000 a month. Gas 5000-8000, electric is about 60,000, we have a small 2 bedroom with air in 1 bedroom used only at night,  level 2. water and trash is about 35,000. Her cell is expensive, I phone 5, 120,000  (her toy). I used a small prepaid 30,000.  Food bill depends on habit. we out 1-2 a week . It still is cheaper than states, but we eat differently now.

Spanky - Thanks for the information. Every bit of this information helps and makes me more confident. From what I have read we will probably be better off keeping out bank here and just using our ATM cards down there. I have always done that when I go to colombia in the summer and seems to work fine.  Does any one have suggestions on the best way to move a small amount of household goods such as pictures, dishes, etc. I got one quote to ship 10 large unhaul boxes $2000.00 which doesn't seem to bad. I do know that since my wife has been gone for more than 8 years we can ship  our stuff duty free so I wonder about getting a small container, does anyone have experience with those?

Hi,, There is a company out of Orlando,Fl, that usually ships for me. They charge about $1.50 a pound and things arrive within 7 business days. No issues or damage yet. Ref, banking That is the way to go with using the states. I also suggest having a small panic account, if you lose or your card is stolen. It takes awhile to have a new card issued and shipped here. I have also found that Capitol one silver is the best credit card, so far. There is no international fees, but of course, they will get you on exchange rate. There is also one last thought, ref debit cards. Short visits are great, but after awhile, those fees they charge to remove your own money add up.  So, check with your local bank or a credit union, soe charge less or no international fees. I use Td bank and they refund fee, if you keep a certain level in your account at all times. Nothing is perfect, but a few dollars, everytime you withdrawl, really adds up. Good luck.