I was born, raised, and spent most of my life in Milwaukee. I married and had three children with my first wife there.
After vacationing in Maui, Hawaii, in my 30s, my wife and I decided to move there in 2014. We fell in love with the island and its slow pace of life. I stayed for two years but ended up getting divorced; I moved back home to the mainland.
In 2018, I started dating a friend, Cindy, who I would marry. We dated long-distance at first because she lived in Florida. After all three of my children graduated from high school, I moved to Florida to be with her. My kids liked visiting their dad in a warm climate.
Eventually, Cindy and I decided to sell everything and travel full-time, but we quickly got sick of traveling to a new country every month. That’s when we decided to settle down once more in Colombia.
I decided we should move to Medellín, Colombia
Medellín is a popular destination for expats and digital nomads. I enjoyed my previous visits to Medellín. I knew my wife and I could have a good quality of life there.
I knew Colombia has great healthcare and a lower cost of living than the US, so I decided to make it our home to recover from constant travel.
I applied for and received a two-year student visa to study Spanish. Cindy was still traveling between Colombia and visiting family in the US, so she had a tourist visa.
We got to Medellín in June 2022 and got to work on setting up our lives.
I lived in the best part of Medellín, the Golden Mile in Poblado, and optimized my life. The Golden Mile is a great area because it’s walkable to everything one needs. I secured a beautiful two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in a fancy building in Poblado.
Two malls, with many restaurants, were within a 10-minute walking distance. American brands such as Starbucks are also nearby. My language school was also located there.
I lived a life of luxury for less in Colombia
I hired a cook, cleaner, and personal trainer to come to the apartment daily. These professionals freed up my time to focus on building my business and getting healthier.
I had great healthcare in Colombia and used it frequently with no copays. While there, I had some issues related to a vasectomy and needed to go to the hospital. The stay, procedure, and doctor’s visit didn’t cost me anything out of pocket.
I also used Rappi — a cross between Uber Eats, Amazon, and an errand service — almost daily. You can order food, get medicine from the pharmacy, have groceries delivered, have Rappi run errands for you, and even get cash delivered. It’s an all-in-one app that made me never want to leave my apartment.
In Colombia, I had all the comforts of a wealthy life without the high costs, and I didn’t have to hustle to earn those comforts.
My wife and I moved back to Florida in 2024 to be near our grandkids
After two years in Colombia, my wife and I returned to the US for our families. We are back to paying a large amount for rent, so I can’t afford any of the comforts I could before. I can’t imagine how much it would cost to hire professionals.
We’re in the process of leaving the country for good because I can’t justify living in the US anymore. I can’t keep lying to myself about paying the always-increasing cost of living, and I’m afraid a medical emergency while in the US will bankrupt us.
Life abroad offers us a better quality of life and saves us money. We can save, invest, and work toward our goal of financial freedom without sacrificing our quality of life.
