I had lived for the previous 15 years on a beautifully wooded ranch in a pretty rural area near Houston in Texas, but by the time I stopped work, it was surrounded by upscale subdivisions, shopping malls and Walmart. 

Prior to my retirement, I had travelled much of Europe, Central and South America, and was always evaluating potential retirement locations. When I realized that my Company was going to force me into retirement (I love them for it), I spent a great deal of time surfing the net, my favourite site being “escapeartist.com”, reading articles, and trying to determine the real cost of living in various countries.  It really is impossible unless you actually go to these places, and stay for at least three weeks. I went to Panama, Chile, (I really liked Chile),  Costa Rica, Mexico (the colonial towns), Guatamala (yuk!), Spain, and Canada.  My eventual selection was based on family situation and climate.  I am married to a Colombian and came to know Bogota really well through Christmas and other holiday visits.  Although the city has a reputation for crime, drugs and violence, I felt that it was an exaggerated perception;  there are many population centres in the United States that suffer just as much from these afflictions.

Bogota, also has, for me, the nicest weather.  I had always hated the heat in Texas, along with the massive electricity bills that came with air conditioning.  In comparison, Bogota’s climate is spring-like every day of the year. Daytime temperatures average 68F deg. (19C), and at night it drops on to about 50Fdeg (10C).  Perpetual fall, perfect for me.  The city is at an elevation of approximately 9,000 feet and close to the equator. It sits in a large fertile valley with the Andes rising to the east. It is very green and covered with lush plants, flowers, and trees, mostly eucalyptus.  The city itself has a cosmopolitan nature, equal, in my view to London, Toronto or Paris.  Only a two hour drive to the west of Bogota is Medellin, known as Colombia’s most beautiful city, a vibrant and modern centre again with a comfortable climate.  But if you really like the heat you can take yourself on a 60 mile drive to Melgar, a small resort town where you can enjoy 100Fdeg.(35C) + heat and 100% humidity.  For beach lovers, Santa Marta - a nice, and very cheap Caribbean beach resort is not far away – 5 star service for only $120 a night. 

QUALITY OF LIFE:
While we may be looking for a place we can live more cheaply, most of us are not looking to reduce our creature comforts, nor the availability of the kind of things we enjoy doing.  Supermarkets with products and brands we prefer.  Quality health care.  Theatres, movies, restaurants.  For some, arts such as opera, ballet and symphony.   Cable tv, broad band internet, hot water, and good water pressure.  Bogota & Medellin have it all and generally at very affordable prices.

Big difference?  The cultural attitude toward older people.  Certainly, while there are good and bad people everywhere, those here tend to be noticeably more friendly and helpful.  I believe I have made more friends here in a couple of years than I made my whole life in the US.  We of the older generation are considered to be productive members of society.  Parties and other social occasions include young and old and everything in between.  People in Bogota tend to be well educated.  In some ways, from a university stand point, it reminds me of Boston.  There must be a hundred universities,  some large and famous, with students from Europe and other South American countries.  Although I believe the US university system to be the best in the world, I think the elementary education system in Colombia is better. 

There is of course a lot of poverty here, as in many other South American countries, and indeed the rest of the world, but it seems to be more visible here.  But there is also a very large middle class; the average income for professionals (engineers, accountants, lawyers, etc) is about $10,000 a year.  It would appear that they live comfortably on that income, and while I am sure they have the same wants and needs as anybody, I get the impression that they live less stressful lives than their American counterparts earning five times the money. 

COST OF LIVING:
Basically. some things are cheaper than the US, some more expensive.

Food and Clothing.  Food and clothing cost are about the same here as they are in Houston.   For myself and my wife (and the odd guest for dinner or a bar-b-q twice a month) our grocery bill is about $400 a month.  But we eat only the best beef (rib eye), chicken breast, center cut pork chops, no bone, no fat, American brand cereals, etc. 
Dinner Out.  Much cheaper.  Our favourite restaurant is La Fagrata.  It is a truly five star restaurant in the International Trade Centre.   A varied three course meal, with locally produced food, is about $50 for two including tip.  The only thing not local is the wine!  Colombian wine is probably the worst in the world, so we go for Chilean - French and Californian imports are too expensive. 

Fast food restaurants (McDonald’s) etc are about the same price here, maybe a little more expensive - hamburger, fries and  a coke will set you back about $3.00.  Local fast food restaurants, generally one in every block, serving rice and beans, or soup, or grilled chicken or beef, will only cost about $2.00.

Housing.  For some strange reason there seems to be much more value for the rental dollar than the purchase dollar. I would not recommend any expatriot purchase a home anywhere until they have lived there at least a year.  Cost, here in Bogota, is around $35 to $45 a square foot for good quality new construction; luxury construction is going to be more.  You can rent a luxury apartment in the best neighborhoods for between $1,000 and $1,500 a month.  In less exclusive areas rent is around $450 a month for a 2 bedroom, 2 ½ bath, modern apartment. 
Transportation.  Taxis are cheap, and there are thousands of them on the street all the time.  You can rent them for $12,000 pesos an hour (about $5.00) or you can go from point to point anywhere in the city for $1.50 to $2.50.  The rule of thumb is don’t flag a taxi down in the street-there have been reported muggings so it is safest to book a taxi by phone from a reputable company or take one from the shopping malls where they have taxi stands and known drivers. 

Buses go everywhere, they cost about 40 cents, but I have never learned the system or how to use them.
Car rental is not advisable.  It is very expensive here, and you are liable for 20% of the car’s value if stolen, or damaged, which is a real possibility. And driving is difficult especially if you don’t know your way around.  Find a driver you like and rent a taxi for the day - it will cost you about $35.  Gasoline is about $2.50 a gallon.
New cars here generally are about 30% more expensive than in the US.  That is basically the amount of import duty imposed by the government.  But General Motors assembles some of their cars here in Colombia, and on those you can get more value for the dollar.

Furniture and Appliances.    You can get custom made real wood furniture for about a third of the cost of fabricated real wood furniture in the US.  There must be a thousand small furniture makers here in Bogota alone. The trick is to shop around and find the right one -basically the old adage applies – you get what you pay for!
Electrical appliances are readily available, more or less equal models that you find in the US - they cost about 20% more.  Except that plasma tv’s, plasma computer monitors, and computers are two to three times as much.  If you can buy those in the US and bring them on the plane with you it is worth the extra baggage charge. - Article Continued Below -