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Inexpensive Neighborhoods in Medellín for Unfurnished Rentals
We review the rental costs of unfurnished apartments in six inexpensive neighborhoods in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley, where you can save on average over 30 percent on rent compared to El Poblado. Unfurnished apartment rental prices are the highest on average in El Poblado. So, you can save substantially by living in other neighborhoods in the metro area if that is your priority.

6 Inexpensive Neighborhoods in Medellín for Unfurnished Rentals

In this article, we look at the unfurnished apartment rental costs in the following six inexpensive neighborhoods in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley: Buenos Aires, Bello, La Candelaria (El Centro), La América, La Estrella and Itagüí. I have met expats living in all six of these neighborhoods.

Each of the inexpensive neighborhoods in this article was chosen because they are relatively near metro stations, which provides easy access to the Medellín metro system.

In the past, we surveyed many unfurnished apartments in the five neighborhoods most popular with expats: El Poblado, Envigado, Laureles-Estadio, Sabaneta, and Belén to find out what is the best neighborhood between this five places in the Medellín metro area.

El Poblado is the most popular neighborhood for expats living in Medellín. But expats live in many other neighborhoods in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley due to several downsides to living in El Poblado.

Understanding Estratos in Colombia

It is very important to understand estratos when looking at neighborhoods in Colombia. Residential properties in Colombia are ranked in a socioeconomic scale, which are known as “estratos”. Estratos in Colombia run from 1 to 6, as follows:

Estrato 1

Low-low class

Estrato 2

Low class

Estrato 3

Low-middle class

Estrato 4

Middle class

Estrato 5

Middle-high class

Estrato 6

High class

Also, it is important to understand that middle class in Colombia is not the same as middle class in a wealthy country like the U.S. In addition, the wealthy estrato 6 in Colombia represents only about 3 to 4 percent of housing in Colombia. And the majority of Colombians live in estrato 1, 2 or 3 neighborhoods, which represents about 80 percent of the housing in the country.

Furthermore, it is important to know that homes in the higher estrato neighborhoods in Colombia pay higher utility rates to help subsidize lower utility rates in the lower estratos.

In our apartment review of inexpensive neighborhoods in Medellín, we only looked in the neighborhoods in the metro area where foreigners are most likely to live. So, we did not include any estrato 1 or 2 neighborhoods in the blog. All information used for this this article were rated as estrato 3, 4 or 5.

The view of Medellin
The view of Medellin

What is a neighborhood in Colombia?

In this article, we consider comunas of Medellín and separate municipalities in the Aburrá Valley as neighborhoods. Many foreigners consider these as separate neighborhoods in the Aburrá Valley.

“Neighborhood” in English has a broader meaning which can mean “a district or community”. However, the word neighborhood technically translates to Spanish as “barrio”. But barrios are way too small to compare.

Expats live all over the Medellín metro area. The five most popular neighborhoods for expats are El Poblado, Envigado, Laureles-Estadio, Sabaneta and Belén. But over the past eight years I also have met expats living in Barbosa, Bello, Buenos Aires, Giradota, Itagüí, La América, La Candelaria (El Centro), La Ceja, La Estrella, Rio Negro and Robledo.

Medellín's Metro / courtesy Medellín.travel, Medellín Office.
Medellín's Metro / courtesy Medellín.travel, Medellín Office.

Several Medellin Guru readers have asked about rental costs in inexpensive neighborhoods in Medellín. So, we now look at six inexpensive neighborhoods with lower rental costs.

1. Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a comuna in Medellín that is located east of El Centro. Buenos Aires is considered safer than nearby El Centro. Also, Buenos Aires has become a more desirable neighborhood after a tram line opened plus a new mall opened.

About 70 percent of the homes in Buenos Aires are rated as estrato 3 or 4. And 29 percent of homes in Buenos Aires are rated as estrato 1 or 2.

Buenos Aires is a comuna in Medellín that is located east of El Centro
Buenos Aires is a comuna in Medellín that is located east of El Centro

Buenos Aires is served by several stations on the Tranvía tram line. And Buenos Aires has one of the newest malls in Medellín, La Central mall, which opened in May 2018.

The best neighborhoods in Buenos Aires

In Buenos Aires, Medellín, neighborhoods are classified into different estratos, with the best neighbohoods ranging from 3 to 4. Here are some neighborhoods classified within these categories, along with approximate starting rental prices for unfurnished 3-bedroom apartments:

I want to rent in buenos Aires

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2. Bello

Bello is a separate municipality in the Aburrá Valley that is located north of Medellín. About 41 percent of the homes in Bello are rated as estrato 3 or 4. And 59 percent of homes in Bello are rated as estrato 1 or 2.

The view of Bello, Antioquia - Photo by Reg Natarajan
The view of Bello, Antioquia - Photo by Reg Natarajan

Bello is served by three metro stations on Line A: Madera, Bello and Niquía. And the Niquía station is located next to the large Purta del Norte mall. Also, there are many conveniently located high-rise apartment buildings near this mall and metro station.

The best neighborhoods in Bello

In Bello, Antioquia, neighborhoods are categorized into different estratos, with the best neighbohoods ranging from 3 to 4. Here are some notable neighborhoods within these categories along with brief descriptions:

I want to rent in Bello

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3. La Candelaria (El Centro)

The center of Medellín is the La Candelaria comuna, which is also known as El Centro. La Candelaria has a rough reputation and can be chaotic during the day with many people. And care should be taken at night when El Centro empties out.

But there some parts of La Candelaria that should not be overlooked. For example, the area near the San Diego mall is part of La Candelaria.

Apartment buildings on Av. La Playa in La Candelaria
Apartment buildings on Av. La Playa in La Candelaria

I have met several expats living in La Candelaria for its central location and the lower cost of living. And there are several high-rise apartment buildings in the area with very nice views of the city.

About 93 percent of the homes in La Candelaria are rated as estrato 3, 4 or 5. And about 7 percent are rated as estrato 2.

There are several metro stations on Line A serving La Candelaria including Exposiciones, Alpujarra, San Antonio, Parque Berrio and Prado.

The best neighborhoods in La Candelaria

La Candelaria in Medellín is primarily known for its historical and commercial significance rather than residential neighborhoods with distinct classifications. The area is famous for its museums, cultural venues, and vibrant street life, which attract tourists and locals alike.

I want to rent in La Candelaria

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4. La América

The La América comuna in Medellín is located just west of Laureles-Estadio. Similar to Laureles-Estadio, La América is primarily a residential area with many areas with tree-lined streets. Also, it doesn’t have many high-rise apartment buildings.

La América is primarily an estrato 3, 4 or 5 neighborhood with 98 percent of households rated as one of these three estratos.

Apartment buildings along a tree-lined streets in La América, one of 5 inexpensive neighborhoods for rentals - Medellin Guru
Apartment buildings along a tree-lined streets in La América, one of 5 inexpensive neighborhoods for rentals - Medellin Guru

The nearest metro stations to La América are the Santa Lucia and Floresta stations on Line B. Many homes in this neighborhood are within walking distance to one of these two metro stations.

The best neighborhoods in La América

La América is a neighborhood located in the western part of Medellín that is highly appreciated for its quiet, residential, and well-connected atmosphere. Here are some of the best sectors within the La América neighborhood:

I want to rent in La América

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5. La Estrella

La Estrella is a separate municipality in the Aburrá Valley that is located west of Sabaneta and south of Itagüí on the west side of the Medellín River.

In addition, La Estrella is a working-class neighborhood. In La Estrella, over 86 percent of housing is rated as estrato 2 or 3 and about 5 percent as estrato 4.

View of La Estrella. A near municipality with safest neiborghoods.
View of La Estrella. A near municipality with safest neiborghoods.

The metro station La Estrella is the last metro station going south on Line A: La Estrella station. And there are some apartment buildings in La Estrella within walking distance from this metro station. Also, there are metro buses from this station to other parts of La Estrella.

The best neighborhoods in La Estrella

La Estrella is a residential area located near Medellín, classified in estratos 3, 4, 5, and 6. It offers a suburban environment with a mix of housing options, from single-family homes to apartment complexes.

I want to rent in La Estrella

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6. Itagüí

Itagüí is a separate municipality in the Aburrá Valley that is located west of Envigado and Sabaneta and south of Medellín on the west side of the Medellín River.

In addition, Itagüí is primarily a working-class neighborhood. And about 91 percent of housing in Itagüí is rated as estrato 2 or 3 and only about 4 percent as estrato 4.

Parque de Itagüi (Itagüi Park) - Photo by Alex S.
Parque de Itagüi (Itagüi Park) - Photo by Alex S.

There are three metro stations serving Itagüí: Ayura, Envigado and Itagüí on Line A. But most of the homes in Itagüí are not within easy walking distance from these three metro stations. So, a short metro bus ride would be needed.

The best neighborhoods in Itagüi

The best neighborhoods in Bello are often noted for their quality of life, access to services, safety, and family-friendly environment. Here are some of the most recommended neighborhoods:

I want to rent in Itagüi

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The safety in inexpensive neighborhoods of Medellin and Aburrá Valley

We recently looked at the homicide rates and robbery rates in several neighborhoods to find the safest neighborhoods in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley.

La Candelaria comuna (El Centro) by far has the highest homicide and robbery rates in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley. But I have met several foreigners living in El Centro.

The highest counts of reported robberies and thefts in the comunas in Medellín occur in the La Candelaria comuna (El Centro). And this is followed by Laureles-Estadio and El Poblado, which are two of the most popular neighborhoods for foreigners in Medellín. So, statistically El Poblado and Laureles are not really two of the safest neighborhoods in terms of robberies.

All of the inexpensive neighborhoods in this article have lower robbery rates than El Poblado. But all of these inexpensive neighborhoods have higher homicide rates.

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Robberies Statistics in Medellin and Aburrá Valley

In the area of thefts and claims, the figures are very high. Following the SISC reports, we have the top 10 commons with the highest number of thefts in the year 2023, in which La Candelaria (Comuna 10) leads with the highest number of robberies, followed by El Poblado (Comuna 14), and Laureles Estadio (Comuna 11).

Top 10 Rates of Robberies in Medellin by Comunas

According to Medellin Major's Office & SISC

Outside the top, there are the rest of the comunas with lower robberies rates. Among them are La América (Comuna 12) with 271 robberies, Manrique (Comuna 3) with 206 robberies, 12 de Octubre (Comuna 6) with 180 robberies, San Javier (Comuna 13) with 155 robberies, Popular (Comuna 1) with 111 robberies and Santa Cruz (Comuna 2) with 80 robberies. Outside and near Medellin, the robbery rates were Bello with 4.058 robberies, Itagüi with 2.595 robberies, Envigado with 2.231 robberies, Sabaneta with 1.033, Copacabana with 708 robberies, Caldas with 549 robberies, La Estrella with 536 robberies, Girardota with 323 robberies, and Barbosa with 19 robberies.

In Medellin Guru we have prepared a Security Guide for U.S. Citizens in English with information from the U.S. Embassy and all the contact information you need to be safe in Colombia.

Medellin Guru Guides

Download Safety Guide for US Citizens in Colombia we have created with helpful information about Medellín and Colombia.

Homicide Statistics in Medellin and Aburrá Valley

In contrast to the opinion of citizens, the Information System for Security and Coexistence (SISC) reported detailed homicide figures for the year 2023, in which La Candelaria (Comuna 10) leads with the highest number of deaths, followed by Aranjuéz (Comuna 4), and Robledo (Comuna 7).

Top 10 Rates of Homicides in Medellin by Comunas

According to Medellin Major's Office & SISC

Outside the top, there are the rest of the comunas homicide rates. Among them, Popular and Santa Cruz (Communes 1 and 2) with 14 homicides each, followed by San Javier and Guayabal (Communes 13 and 15), with 12 homicides each. With rates below 10 are El Poblado (Commune 14) with 8 homicides and La América (Commune 12) with 7 homicides. Outside and near Medellin, homicides rates were Bello with 55 homicides, Caldas with 27 homicides, Copacabana with 21 homicides, Barbosa with 19 homicides, Girardota with 15 homicides, Itagüi with 13 homicides, Envigado with 9 homicides, La Estrella with 6 homicides, and Sabaneta, with 2 homicides.

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Avoid Paying Gringo Apartment Rental Costs

It is very important to understand the apartment rental market rates when looking for an apartment in Medellín, particularly in inexpensive neighborhoods.

This will help ensure that you aren’t taken advantage of by real estate agents and owners. If you are educated about market rental costs you can avoid being taken advantage of with Gringo Pricing for apartment rents.

In addition, there is no MLS in Colombia to help determine market rates, as we pointed out in our article “11 Things Real Estate Agents in Colombia May Not Tell You”.

For apartment rentals in Colombia, real estate agents will have a contract with the owner. In addition, they will have a separate contract with the renter. And they pocket the difference between the contracts as the “commission”.

So, the higher the agent can make the rental price, the more “commission” the real estate agent receives. And if an agent sees a foreigner who is not knowledgeable about the market it’s easy for the agent to increase the rental price to the foreigner tenant and pocket the difference.

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Medellin Guru Blogs: Real Estate Series

On the Medellin Guru website, we have a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to buying, selling, and renting apartments and choosing a neighborhood in Medellin found in several articles, including:

Buying and Selling Apartments

Renting Unfurnished Apartments:

Renting Furnished Apartments:

Choosing a Neighborhood in Medellin:

Also, we have several articles that can be used to help foreigners choose a neighborhood in Medellin:

The Bottom Line: Inexpensive Neighborhoods in Medellín for Apartment Rentals

This article looked at six inexpensive neighborhoods in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley where you can save on average at least 30.1 to 33.5 percent compared to the rental costs in El Poblado for a similar sized apartment. But the apartments also tend to be larger sized in El Poblado on average. So, the price difference can be greater.

Unfurnished apartment rental prices are the highest on average in El Poblado. So, you can save substantially by living in other neighborhoods in the metro area, if that is a priority for you.

The bottom line is you have many neighborhood choices in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley and to each his own, everyone’s priorities are different.

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5 thoughts on “6 Inexpensive Neighborhoods in Medellín for Unfurnished Rentals”

    1. Do you have any info one or two bedroomd (I’m single). The best way NOT to get ‘Gringo’ pricing is: (1) Stay at an airbnb and make some local friens, (2) when looking for an apartment, have your local friend stand next to you and let him/her do the talking.

    2. ana myers August 22, 2019

      Hola Jeff, que emoción que un GRINGO como usted nos entregue toda esta información útill sobre Medellin, mi ciudad natal. Me nacionalicé americana y vivo en USA desde hace mucho tiempo. Mi esposo (otro gringo) y yo estamos pensando a futuro, retirarnos en Medellin y él ahora es un vívido lector de esta informacón.

      Gracias por su servicio!!

      (in English) Hi Jeff, what a thrill that a GRINGO like you gives us all this useful information about Medellin, my hometown. I became an American and lived in the USA for a long time. My husband (another gringo) and I are thinking ahead, retire in Medellin and he is now a vivid reader of this information.

      Thanks for your service!!

      Ana myers

    3. Nice article that clearly took a lot of time to research. Choosing a neighborhood depend on your priorities. Many expats I have met prefer to immerse themselves in the local culture so they decided to live somewhere other than El Poblado. I would never live in El Poblado as it is too westernized and has too much traffic plus is too hilly and expensive compared to other neighborhoods. The table at the end of this helpful article shows that you can save substantially living in other neighborhoods compared to living in El Poblado.

    4. Poblado is over hyped by the gringo real estate companies and the foreign retirement publications. Any expats that decide to live in Poblado are living in a bubble that isn’t the real city. Poblado is an Americanized version of Colombia. If you get out of Poblado and you can find the real Medellin and have cheaper costs with less traffic and hills.

      But I wish you didn’t Buenos Aires. I have been looking for apartments there and it’s a very nice neighborhood and was hoping gringos don’t discover it.

      • Hi James, thanks for your comment. El Poblado has some downsides so many expats are starting to discover other neighborhoods in the city – https://medellinguru.com/downsides-of-el-poblado/.

        I also like Buenos Aires. It’s centrally located and close to El Centro but higher up so it’s cooler plus the tram line and new mall are nice. We looked for apartments in Buenos Aires but unfortunately it has mainly small 2-bedroom and 1-bedroom apartments. There aren’t many 3-bedroom apartments available in Buenos Aires.

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