Colombia Forum

majandra22
Joined 2018
Posts: 14

5 years ago

Choosing a neighborhood in Bogota

5 years ago

Hello all,

I am wanting to get some input from you all in regards to what neighborhoods may be a good match for us to consider. Originally, our dream neighborhood was/is Puente Largo, but it may be too far away for us to consider now...

My Colombian boyfriend and I plan to move to Bogota in 6-9 months time. We will likely stay for 3-4 years, so we are looking to rent an apartment at this point. His family is still in Nueva Marsella (close to Mundo Aventura) and I have been to Bogota on 9-10 different trips, up to a month at a time, so I have a good understanding of the city and what we want in our future apartment, but as we start making logistical plans for the move from afar I'm getting stressed out.

He will be studying both remotely and in-person at EAN (in El Nogal). I will be looking for a teaching position, hopefully at EAN or another university close by. While he is okay with having a long commute, I am not and want to be able to walk or ride a bike for a maximum of 30 minutes to get to work (not use Transmilenio), which limits us from Chapinero more or less up to Chico Norte, all neighborhoods to the east of Avenida Carrera 30, at least according to Google Maps.

Many of the neighborhood in this area are status 5 and 6, and looking at FincaRaiz we may be looking at rents up to 3.5 m a month. I am estimating that I'll make 6 mil a month (I may also supplement with teaching online or private classes). He may also do remote work earning USD but the idea is that this will not be used for living expenses unless absolutely necessary. Knowing what the tax rates look like I'll barely clear 4 mil a month, so I don't see how we would be able to afford these neighborhoods.

1.) So, my first concern is finding neighborhoods that are a bit cheaper in this general area, maybe 2.5-3 mil a month. I'd really like to find something estratus 4 (or 5 if required) that offers the following:
- walking distance to grocery stores and restaurants (we won't have a car but will borrow family car on some weekends)
- safe(ish) for me to walk to these places alone until 7pm (dark but not late)
- walking distance to Transmilenio or SITP auxiliar so that we can get to his family's house easily enough
- has to have close access to ciclovia
- nearby park(s) to walk our dog

2.) Then the next issue- I know some of the older neighborhoods in this area have very traditional apartments that might not offer things we require:
- 75 to 110 metros, preferably 2 bedrooms
- must have 2 bathrooms
- conjunto cerrado preferably
- balcony (that we are allowed to put mesh up for the cats)
- largish kitchen and good closet space
- elevators
- I'd really prefer a modern style rather than the traditional Colombian interior design if possible
- preferably has a pool
So, are there are neighborhoods from #1 that have more recent developments which might fit within our budget that anyone is aware of?

I feel like our list of requirements is unattenable in that particular part of the city so I hope you guys have some suggestions for us to consider. I'd also been thinking about Ciudad Salitre but it seems too far out for me.

Apartment-wise, the ones we've seen en colina campestre and the north north are exactly what we want, but I really want to get into teaching terciary level rather than at the private schools so I think I need to look more centrally. I can't tolerate a long commute for health reasons, so we need to find some magical spot in the city that can meet our needs.

My boyfriend is so enchanted with getting to move home that he doesn't consider the logistics of how hard it will be to find the right place. I've become a bit disillusioned with trying to look from here but hopefully you guys can help point me in a more fruitful direction for researching!

Thank you for your input!

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