Want the best coliving Medellin has to offer?
Medellin, Colombia is a top digital nomad destination in the world because of its huge community, fast wifi speeds and affordable cost of living.
But before you can begin your journey in Medellin, you’ve got to sort something out – where you’re going to stay. Now you could book an Airbnb or a Booking.com hotel but there’s a better way to stay in Medellin as digital nomads and that’s…
…staying in the amazing coliving spaces Medellin has. With the rise of digital nomads and remote workers flocking to the City of Eternal Spring – the growth for not only coworking spaces but coliving spaces has increased tremendously.
After nearly 4 months as Medellin digital nomads, we found the 3 best coliving Medellin has to offer. If you want to stay in a central location in a beautiful house/apartment with a community you can always look to – keep reading below!
What Is Coliving?
Coliving ≠ Hostel
I thought I should just make that clear from the get-go. A lot of digital nomads are coming onto the scene since the pandemic and it’s easy to confuse coliving with a hostel but they aren’t the same thing AT ALL.
A coliving is a space where you can meet like-minded people, cowork together and do life together. Most people that are staying in coliving spaces are digital nomads who need to work online during the week but continue to travel, perpetually. A hostel is more of a shared space with dorm-style rooms that may have digital nomads but mostly backpackers traveling for a certain period of time.
In a coliving space, you have your own separate room (usually a bedroom + private bathroom or a studio apartment) and there might be some common spaces such as a kitchen, gym, pool or coworking space.
Why Should Digital Nomads Book Coliving Spaces?
I’m not going to sugarcoat it…
…Life on the road gets lonely (yes – even as a digital nomad couple).
One of (if not the most) important thing is the digital nomad communities. You need to make friends wherever you go. We found that we had the best times in whichever country because of the people we met.
A coliving space brings like-minded people together to stay, create and enjoy life together. You get to work together (usually independently), do activities (cooking, hiking, exploring) together and learn from each other.
As digital nomads ourselves, we always try to book coliving spaces first before turning to other digital nomad accommation options like Airbnb. And there are several reasons for that including:
👯♀️ Community: If you value community like we do, coliving spaces are perfect for you! You get an instant group of (vetted) friends once you arrive who are probably doing the same thing as you.
🏄♀️ Making Plans: When you want to do some activity, chances are pretty high that someone else in the coliving wants to do the same. It’s easy to make a plan and people can jump on if they want – you probably won’t have to do much alone (unless you want to).
👩🏫 Learn From Each Other: The majority of people at the coliving space will work online. It’s so interesting to learn what everyone does for work. We have met photographers, a wrestler, a media buyer, an e-commerce website, dropshippers, coders and so much more!
😏 Convenience: Most coliving spaces are in a central location which makes it easy to get anywhere. You also get the convenience of having everything you need in one place – your room, your coworking space and your friends. It’s easy to get comfortable!
💸 One price: When you book a coliving, it’s usually one price for everything. For example, your coworking membership will be included in the price for your room that they quote. Easy and done!
Now you see why we will choose a coliving space over an Airbnb any day of the month?! If you value a community like us, you should definitely consider coliving. It’s the best way to experience the digital nomad lifestyle to its fullest!
3x Things To Consider Before Booking Coliving In Medellin
The coliving Medellin has to offer is some of the best we’ve seen for several reasons. But coliving isn’t perfect and it can have major issues if it isn’t carefully looked after.
Here are some things to double-check before you book coliving in Medellin.
🚪Privacy
First – you need to decide what level of privacy you are comfortable with. For example, are you happy to cook in a shared space? Or do you prefer to have a small kitchen in your room?
You might also want to think about whether you are introverted or extroverted – I won’t say that coliving is only for extroverted people because you can go to your room and have time to yourself whenever you want. For privacy, are you comfortable being around people, in general?
👯♀️ Community (Vetting)
Are the coliving spaces vetting the people before they let them join? This is a common practice amongst good coliving spaces because the quality of the community depends on getting the right people through the door. One way they do this is by putting a minimum amount of stay – usually a month which is usually just right for digital nomads.
Another thing to consider about the community is whether the owners/space try to foster community in various ways – workshops, dinner together, events and more.
🎯 Purpose
What’s the purpose of the coliving space? A lot of hostels can be disguised as coliving spaces (don’t even get me started) and you might end up in a completely different place than a real coliving.
For example, one of the coliving Medellin has to offer is big on partying almost every night of the week which probably doesn’t fit the needs of digital nomads that need to actually get work done throughout the week.
We’ve gone through the nitty gritty details, now let’s get into the best coliving Medellin has to offer digital nomads!
Coliving Medellin: 3x Best Places For Digital Nomads To Stay
Medellin is a popular city for digital nomads to explore, work online and find a community. The beautiful spring-like weather Medellin offers year-round, the number of coworking spaces available and the friendly Colombian people make it a great place for digital nomads.
If you’re looking for Airbnb alternatives, you need to consider the coliving Medellin has to offer. A lot of them came on the scene in 2020 and after opening, they have all been a raging success with bookings made months in advance!
We know the coliving Medellin has to offer is some of the best and most popular because they are being booked out and mostly have repeat customers (as digital nomads tend to stay 1-3 months in a location).
Here’s a list of the 3x best coliving Medellin has to offer digital nomads.
Balu Coliving Medellin
Community-minded? You’ll love Balu Coliving Medellin!
From the moment you message to book Balu, you can see that there’s something different about this place. We couldn’t quite figure out what it was till we met the owners, Joe and Diana.
The heart behind a place is what really makes it stand out and honestly, people can tell when your heart is in the right place. We could see the owners weren’t in it for the money but they genuinely cared and wanted to create a solid community that you can call family while you’re in Medellin.
That’s why Balu Coliving is the best coliving Medellin has to offer. PERIOD!
When you stay at Balu, they make you feel like it’s your home away from home. From the moment you arrive at the airport, they even offer to help you arrange transport to go straight to the coliving – talk about customer service!
Matthew and I were booked to stay at Balu Coliving in May ’22 but we had to cancel because our travels moved up in dates. If we ever return to Medellin, you know where we are staying! We still wanted to see the space and Diana, the co-founder, kindly gave us a private tour of the space, showed us around and explained the heart behind Balu Coliving.
🛀🏼 Features & Amenities
When staying at Balu Coliving Medellin, what can you expect?
Joe and Diana built the house from the ground up – quite literally! They carefully planned, designed and thought out each space in the house.
They offer 8 private rooms with private bathrooms and 1 studio room with a small kitchen. Each room is modern and beautifully designed!
You can expect to have all the amenities we consider important:
- private bathroom with hot water 24/7
- comfortable bed (usually Double or King)
- a smart TV
- small private fridge (depending on the room)
- a small work desk & chair
- airconditioning
- fiber optic internet
When we found Balu Coliving, we thought we struck gold because they knew exactly what a digital nomad needs to stay comfortable! The rooms aren’t gigantic but they are just right for what you need! We found the bathroom was bigger than any of the Airbnbs we booked in Medellin.
The common spaces in Balu Coliving Medellin are:
- shared kitchen (with free coffee & tea)
- shared washing machine
- rooftop area
- jacuzzi
- living room (with dining table to work from)
- outdoor terrace area
All of the utilities are also included in the price to stay at Balu.
While Balu Coliving doesn’t have a coworking space, it’s easy enough to work from the big dining table with everyone. Semilla Coworking is only a 5-minute walk away too if you want a dedicated space to work.
👯♀️ Community
Community is at the heart of Balu Coliving Medellin. It’s what makes them so successful! Joe and Diana put a lot of effort into making sure the right people live at Balu – what does that look like? Simply, digital nomads looking for monthly stays that also value community.
This makes the home really harmonious for everyone that’s living there. You get to meet and make friends with people that love a lot of the same things you do – remote work & travel!
One of the ways they go above and beyond to foster community is…they have a WhatsApp group chat for the members! You can easily make plans, cowork together at a cafe, have dinner somewhere and so much more just on the chat. They are also there for you if you have any questions about Medellin or the space itself.
It was funny when we visited because she mentioned some of their members which we had met 2 of them already. That’s a great sign that they know who their target audience is and the people that will make the space feel welcoming!
I have to mention – they also have the cutest resident dog, Barry, that’s always available for cuddles. You can find him cuddling up to you on the couch or the terrace! As a dog lover who can’t have one (because we travel full-time), this was a big plus for me!
Joe and Diana are fantastic owners that genuinely care about you and they work hard to make your digital nomad experience in Medellin the best it can be. That’s why Balu is the best coliving Medellin has to offer in terms of the community!
🗺 Location
Where is Balu Coliving Medellin located?
Balu is located in the charming neighborhood of Laureles – our favorite neighborhood to stay in Medellin! This quaint area is a great alternative to the popular Poblado, where you can see more of the local life and get away from the super touristy spots.
It’s located far enough away from Calle 70 (the main walking street in Laureles) where you don’t get the noise at night but it’s close enough to all the popular restaurants and cafes in Laureles.
💸 Costs & Membership Options
What does a month at Balu Coliving Medellin cost?
It depends on the room you book! Here’s a quick glance at what some of the rooms cost for a monthly stay:
- Studio apartment: $2,750,000 COP ($617 USD)
- Room #6: $2,750,000 COP ($617 USD)
- Room #7: $2,600,000 COP ($584 USD)
This price includes a weekly deep clean of the room, fresh bed linens and towels provided plus the free tea and coffee in the kitchen.
A deposit of 20% is required to secure your booking and reservation. If you have Revolut or Wise, it’s so much easier to pay which is great! This is important because they do get booked out weeks in advance! If you don’t secure your spot, you might have to wait weeks or even months to get into Balu Coliving.
🔐 How To Book Balu Coliving Medellin
The best way to book your place in Balu Coliving is by messaging them on WhatsApp. You’ll likely chat with the owners and they are very transparent with everything that is and isn’t included. You should send them the dates you’re looking at because they taking bookings months in advance (and you could miss out).
It’s one of the most popular coliving Medellin has to offer and it gets booked out months in advance. We tried several times to book with Balu during our dates and we weren’t quick enough! When we asked for the next availability back in February, the next dates they had were June. In other words – get in quick!
The WhatsApp number for Balu Coliving Medellin is +57 312 696 5333. You can also email them if you prefer at [email protected].
Vecino Coliving Medellin
Want a coliving space in the Poblado neighborhood?
Vecino Coliving Medellin is your best option!
A beautiful house with modern touches that make your stay at Vecino extra comfortable. This coliving space in Medellin is a great place to meet new people, have a comfortable space to work from and live in the best barrio of Poblado – Manila!
We met with the owner Pierre to tour the house and get a feel of what it’s like. Unfortunately, we didn’t find out about them till after we booked our Airbnb which sucked but it turns out we were literally 2 houses down from them! Our friend, Jeremy, stayed with them for nearly 3 weeks because that’s all they had available. He said he had a great time and met some nice people!
Vecino Coliving Medellin makes your experience memorable because they make an effort to build community by organizing events like yoga or painting (and wine). You’ll also meet fellow travelers that work online and there’s a big work desk that everyone meets at to cowork together. There’s no need to buy a membership at a coworking space!
For all the coliving Medellin has to offer, Vecino is one of the better ones!
🛀🏼 Features & Amenities
Vecino Coliving consists of 8 private bedrooms in total with 6 private bathrooms and 2 shared bathrooms. It’s a pretty big and spacious house so you don’t feel too crowded.
What else is included in your stay at Vecino Coliving?
- fast wifi (120 Mbps)
- weekly cleaning (rooms & common spaces)
- coworking space (big communal table and chairs)
- shared kitchen
- a terrace to get some fresh air
You can book your stay at Vecino for a month or the minimum amount of nights is 10. It all depends on their booking and how full they are at the moment.
👯♀️ Community
Vecino Coliving puts a lot of effort into making the community pretty vibrant. While our friend Jeremy was there, he attended a rooftop yoga class organized by Vecino and I think they also did a painting & wine class at home.
Like Balu Coliving, Vecino also has a group WhatsApp chat that makes it easier for everyone to communicate and get together. The great thing about Vecino is that it’s a pretty big house with lots of space – if you don’t feel like socializing you simply don’t have to!
The only thing might be that because of the 10-day minimum, you might still get the occasional person that isn’t necessarily a digital nomad which is fine too. They might just be traveling through which makes it harder to make real, genuine connections as opposed to people staying a month!
🗺 Location
You couldn’t ask for a better location than where Vecino Coliving Medellin is located!
They are at the center of the best barrio in Poblado – Manila. There are several barrios within Poblado and we highly discourage you from staying anywhere near Parque Lleras unless your goal is to party.
Manila is the best area if you want to avoid walking up the strenuous hills in Poblado but it’s developed enough to have lots of cafes and restaurants within 5-10 minutes of walking! And guess where Vecino Coliving is located…
…right in the heart of the Manila barrio in Poblado! It’s only a 10-15 minute walk to the main areas of Poblado and you’ll rarely have to catch Ubers to get anywhere if you stay at Vecino.
💸 Costs & Membership Options
What does it cost to stay at Vecino Coliving?
Their pricing options are a little different but this is the quote we received:
- If you stay for 30 nights or more, the price is $80,000 COP ($18 USD) per night
- If you stay less than 30 nights, the price is $100,000 COP ($22.50 USD) per night
As digital nomads tend to stay in a coliving for at least a month, the total price would be $2,400,000 COP ($539 USD) for 30 nights.
🔐 How to Book Vecino Coliving Medellin
The best way to make your reservation at Vecino Coliving Medellin is through WhatsApp. You can message them directly at +57 305 327 5974. They don’t reply very fast so don’t worry if it takes some time to get through.
Vecino Coliving is also booked out during peak seasons. Make sure to book ahead if you want to stay at this coliving space in Medellin!
Pierre, the owner, also mentioned they are planning to build another coliving space in Medellin but this time in the barrio of Provenza. They’ve definitely got big plans and you should keep your eye on them!
Casa Santafe Coliving Medellin
Looking for a comfortable coliving in the Laureles neighborhood?
Casa Santafe Coliving is a great option for digital nomads! After no luck with booking the top 2 coliving Medellin has to offer (Balu & Vecino), we finally struck gold with Casa Santafe! We stayed here for a month and it was the best place we stayed during our whole time in Medellin!
We didn’t think it was a coliving space in the true sense of the word because it didn’t have the big community elements (not that they didn’t exist) but it felt like it was more of a combination of a coliving and a hotel. You can expect the awesome amenities and services that come from a hotel but the small touches that you need at a coliving space.
🛀🏼 Features & Amenities
One of the biggest reasons we loved staying at Casa Santafe was the amenities they offered. We were surprised by how much value they pack in.
If you stay at Casa Santafe, you can expect to get access to the following:
- coworking space (6x individual tables – tad small but worked well for us)
- beautiful rooftop with fireplace and BBQ area
- friendly hotel staff willing to help you
- free coffee, tea and water
- shared kitchen
- a sauna (yes, literally)
- 24/7 lobby/staff
- lobby area to chill (or leave your bags)
At times it felt more like a hotel because of certain conveniences like a lobby with staff 24/7. We always felt secure at Casa Santafe because 1) people can only enter if the staff let them in and 2) there’s always staff at the lobby, even throughout the night!
👯♀️ Community
This was one of the areas that Casa Santafe could do better in – but again it might be because they are partly a hotel at the same time.
There weren’t any activities organized for the guests and there wasn’t a WhatsApp group chat to get to know other people. You had to make the effort yourself to make friends at Casa Santafe. This was fine for us and we were able to meet some pretty cool people (hey – Shiv, Char, Ivo and Dio 💗).
You can tell there was a mix between people that were just in Medellin for holidays versus the digital nomads staying a little longer who also worked online. They also take nightly bookings which is why it’s not completely a coliving space in the true sense of the word.
🗺 Location
Casa Santafe Coliving Medellin is located in the heart of Laureles.
The coworking space, Semilla is only a 4-minute way away and popular cafes like Revolucion Cafe are literally 2 minutes away. This was the best location you could have in Laureles – we were very happy with it!
💸 Costs & Membership Options
The pricing at Casa Santafe works a little differently depending on the kind of room you book.
Casa Santafe does cost a little more than the other 2 coliving Medellin has to offer but it’s well worth it because of all the amenities included.
The price for a monthly stay depends on the type of room you get:
- Deluxe Suite: $3,150,000 COP ($696 USD)
- Standard Suite: $2,160,000 COP ($500 USD)
They have about 3 different types of rooms – Standard Suite, Junior Suite and Deluxe Suite. The standard room is a private room with a private bathroom and a TV. It’s a little small but it works! The junior suite and deluxe suite are located on the top level and it’s basically like studio apartments complete with a private bathroom, air-conditioning and a private kitchen. We highly recommend booking a Junior or Deluxe – it’s worth it just for the kitchen!
You can pay by card when you arrive at Casa Santafe depending on how you book.
🔐 How To Book Casa Santafe Coliving
There are 3 ways to book Casa Santafe:
- on Airbnb
- on Booking.com
- on-site (directly walking in and seeing them)
We highly recommend option #3 because you will get the best price possible! I think it’s about 20% to 25% more if you book on those platforms. We arrive in Medellin in February and started looking around when we found Casa Santafe. They were also booked up but had availability starting in April – we took our chance and reserved the Deluxe Suite! We asked them directly and we got a much cheaper quote.
Their WhatsApp number is +57 300 456 6956 if you want to book your stay.
Why Selina Medellin & Indie Coliving Medellin Aren’t On This List
You’ve probably heard of Selina Medellin and Indie Coliving, right?
They are very popular options for travelers visiting Medellin but why didn’t they make it onto this list?
Well it’s several reasons that we’ve accepted we might be a little biased:
- Selina Medellin is just a glorified hostel – you will need to book dorm rooms to be able to compete with the pricing at the above coliving spaces. The private rooms are ridiculously overpriced!
- Indie Coliving Medellin is a ‘coliving’ that is known for its rooftop parties. We heard they have crazy, loud parties even on weeknights which makes it really hard to sleep throughout the week. It seems like they are more catered to backpackers or people that don’t necessarily work online! They are also probably the cheapest option which isn’t always a great thing.
That’s it – that’s all I’m going to say about those places. You can check them out if you’d like but it’s a no for us.
Is Coliving In Medellin Good For Digital Nomads?
Yes – it’s the best way to experience Medellin as a digital nomad! You’ll get instant friends, a home away from home and a good space to get work done.
The coliving Medellin has to offer are some of the best we’ve seen even after 4 years on the road. They are also very popular! If you want to stay at a coliving space in Medellin, you need to make sure you book a few weeks or even months in advance!
The best coliving Medellin has to offer is definitely Balu Coliving and we’re sure if you book with them – you’ll have an awesome time. We want to head back to Medellin just to stay with them!
All the options on this list are great and we hope you consider coliving as a digital nomad. It’s our favorite way to stay in a country, meet people and get work done!
