For almost our first year of living in Medellín we rented a furnished apartment. We started out in it as an AirBnB and then spoke to the owner about moving to a direct contract. It was a great way for us to begin in Medellín, since our Spanish wasn’t quite as solid, and we had so much to sort out at the start that we didn’t also want to bite off furnishing an apartment.
But, for a variety of reasons, we decided to move to an unfurnished apartment in our same community. While it was relatively time-consuming, it has been worth it to have a bigger space (for the same price as the furnished place) and our own furniture for our kids to spill juice on, ding up, and “accidentally” draw on with markers. I thought I would write a guide with practical considerations to help other expats in their journey.
Disclaimer: In this article I am *not* tackling RENTING an unfurnished place, though I might try that another time. This article covers the nuts and bolts of getting your place ready to live in once you’ve rented it. I’ll go through questions to ask yourself as you furnish your place, what types of places you should consider acquiring home goods, and our top specific stores for doing so.
Your Practical Guide for Furnishing an Apartment in Medellín
What questions should I ask myself as I’m furnishing my place?
Here are some questions to consider at the start that will help guide individual purchases along the way.
1. What is my budget, and what all do I need to purchase?
Furnishing apartments in Medellín usually involves everything from the refrigerator and washer/dryer to the standard beds, sofa, dining room table, kitchen, TV, etc. If you’re truly starting from scratch (eg., you moved here with 5-10 suitcases/duffles), and are furnishing a home for a family, it’s important to have a clear idea of what that might cost.
A number of expat families graciously shared estimates with me of what it cost them to furnish their places. You’re likely look at a minimum of $5,000 USD (which would be mostly buying second hand/sales/bare bones furnishing), a mean of about $10,000 USD, and an upper range of $15,000 USD. Those number are geared towards the needs of families vs a single person.
This is not to say you couldn’t do it for less. But just as a starting point, a new fridge on sale might cost $1,000 (or perhaps $500 second hand), a washer/dryer easily $1,000, a king bed mattress $500-1000, all the kitchen supplies $500-1000, and right there you’re at $3k.
And this range attemps to include all the ‘bits and bobs’ that can easily add up. For example, the 6 ‘Target’ runs for fans, cups, organizing bins, cleaning supplies etc that can easily be $200-300 each trip Still a big range, but hopefully gives you something to work within.
2. How long am I going to be here?
Is your stay open-ended and you want to buy things that will actually last and not break within a year?
If this is for a one year (or less), do you want to invest in matching/coordinating furniture, or is a mish-mash ok?
Do you want to have pretty common things that can be easily resold when you leave?
On the flip side, if it’s just a year but you have a higher budget (>$10K), are you willing to put in the legwork to get custom furniture? Just another vector to consider in your various tradeoffs.
A quick note- Sometimes “cheap” things here can actually be “expensive.” By that I mean that it’s a common experience for cheap items to break within 6-12 months, and have no guarantee or way to return. Even returns in ‘short’ time frames can be VERY time-consuming and onerous here. Many stores have return windows of only a few days or couple of weeks, and you need to return it with all the original packaging (or no refund). So. You might buy something cheap but end up re-buying it and spending as much as you would have had you bought a nicer item in the first place.
3. How much time do I have to furnish the place?
Do you have any overlap in a current lease and your unfurnished place to be able to take your time looking and comparing on price and/or style?
Are you looking for an unfurnished place a few months out from now and have time to contact builders to make something custom for you?
Do you have a busy job and/or a family and not much margin to spend going to multiple stores?
These are all helpful considerations for how you might approach it, whether you can wait/watch for promotions/sales, compare prices, etc.
4. Do I want to take anything back to my home country?
If you’re staying for only a short time, it might still be worth investing in nicer furniture if you are willing or able to ship things back to your home country. For instance, a nice custom 5-person patio set here at a boutique shop might cost $1,000-$1,500 and be done to your exact style, dimensions. On the one hand, that might seem absurdly expensive for an ‘optional’ piece of furniture that you’ll use for only a year. However, that same custom patio set might cost $3,000-5000 in the US. In that sense, if you get something you really love for ‘only’ $1,000 and can take it back with you to last for 10+ years, it’s a great investment and memory.
All this to say, you can buy really nice furniture here for a fraction of the cost of items of similar quality in the US. So it’s worth considering whether you want to go that route.
5. How good is my Spanish?
Do you have a high level of comfort in Spanish and feel confident you can negotiate on prices and navigate detailed conversations about different items (even if you don’t know all the words for fabrics or woods, but enough context/skills to build on)?
Do you have a local friend (or paid assistant) who is willing to help you?
Buying things and organizing movers, repairs, and custom anything in my native language is a hard enough task! It’s worth considering how onerous this undertaking will be depending on your level of Spanish. And, what kinds of places you might try to obtain items (e.g., working with a custom builder over whatsapp vs ordering online at Ikea).
With those considerations in mind, let’s move on to the general types of stores in Medellín.
What categories of stores should I be thinking about?
This section provides an overview of types of stores you can consider when furnishing an apartment. I also include a snapshot of how we made use of that category when we furnished our apartment.
1. Big Box stores and brands
By this I mean places that are the Colombian equivalents of stores like Home Depot, Macy’s (or other department stores), and Super Walmart in the US. All of these equivalents (and more) exist here. And you can unquestionably go to a couple of the Big Box stores and get almost everything you need. You will likely not get the cheapest prices, the highest quality, nor always the best selection of any individual product. But you can get a ton of stuff in one place, they often include free (or cheap) delivery, online ordering, and have locations around the city.
- How we made use of this category: While at a year in we knew the basics of most of these stores, we spent a few weeks browsing 1-2 of these stores together to look more closely at what they offered, check out specific prices, take pics, and talk about what we liked. In some instances we bought things right there and then, and in other cases one of us went back to a given store once we made more specific decisions about items.
2. Second-hand stores and/or groups
In general, second hand or consignment stores are not as common in Medellín as in the US. This is something that expats often find disappointing, both for buying and re-selling. But they do exist. And there are Whatsapp groups for buying and selling items, as well as Facebook Marketplace.
If you’re looking for second-hand stores, search for “muebles segunda mano” or “muebles usados” in a Maps app to see what might be near you. Or ask for suggestions in Expat groups. If you’re willing to put in the time to monitor groups/marketplace for people having moving sales, or go look at second hand stores, you can often find great deals.
- How we made use of this category: This second hand furniture store is near where we live, and we bought a few pieces there to fill in gaps. I also joined the expat Whatsapp buy/sell group a couple months ahead of our move to get a sense of what was typically offered and typical prices. We bought a number of things from there when it came time to move.
3. Small furniture businesses and builders
Medellín has loads of businesses that specialize in a specific type of furniture or have a broader range of furniture in a certain style or design. For instance, if you are willing to drive out to el Retiro or do a bit of asking around, you can find oodles of individual builders selling lots of types of furniture. And they can build things to your specifications, often for a lower cost (and almost always of a higher quality) than the big box stores. Some of the boutique furniture stores are more expensive than big box stores, but their furniture is of far superior quality.
In either case, the tradeoff here is the legwork to find someone, potentially drive out of the city, work with them (often over WhatsApp), and the time to completion (4-6 weeks in most cases). But, if you’d really love a custom wood dining room table, or a nice comfortable couch, or high quality patio furniture, this can be a good option.
- How we made use of this category: This honestly wasn’t initially on our radar because custom furniture in the US would be (for us) way outside our budget. But in Medellín it’s a surprisingly affordable option, and after a number of friends recommended various boutiques or buildings, we gave it a shot! We also benefitted from a 6 week overlap in our old and new rentals, which allowed for sufficient time to pursue this option without a ton of hustling. Here are a few places we considered upon recommendations and where we had good experiences- Muebles con Estilo for patio furniture, Casa Paulina for general furniture, and Arte y Madera for wood (oak) furniture. There probably a dozen other good options, but those will give you a feel of what’s out there.
4. El Centro / el Hueco
In the center of the city (‘el centro’) you can buy pretty much any item imaginable. Much of which can be purchased in the area known as El Hueco and surrounding streets. Often for a low price, but with hugely varying quality.
The difficulty here is that there are quite literally hundreds of little stores that each sell a few things, no real ‘directory,’ quite a lot of hustling and congestion in that area of the city, and likely not listed prices (so it involves negotiating). But. If you have good Spanish and/or a local friend who can go with you and/or expat friends who have saved Pins in their map apps of favorite places, you can get a fascinating cultural experience and explore el Hueco for almost any household item.
- How we made use of this category: My husband went with our Spanish professor and bought a pressure cooker, bicycle for our second daughter, and dining room chairs one Saturday, and it was quite an adventure!
Now I’ll turn to a number of specific stores to help you orient to what they sell.
What are the key stores I should consider for furnishing my apartment?
Most expats tend to purchase the bulk of their furniture, appliances, and odds and ends in a few key stores. So I want to include a list of the stores that were most useful to us. Most of these have multiple locations across the city and a broad range of home goods available for purchase.
Homecenter
This is the equivalent of Home Depot in the US.
It is a huge warehouse-style store that truly could be a one-stop-shop for furnishing a home. It has everything from furniture to appliances to kitchen to all the bit and bobs you can imagine (lamps, fans, extension cords, organizing bins).
And.
Like Home Depot (at least for me), it is overwhelming, hard to find individual items, and difficult to find someone to help you. But. It is unquestionably one of the (if not THE) most comprehensive stores, with average prices, and one you will undoubtedly frequent if you’re furnishing a place from the ground up.
- Note- Homecenter is not to be confused with Home Sentry, which is a smaller general appliances and home good stores. Similar or lower prices on most items to Homecenter. But in my opinion it’s not necessarily distinctive or better than other places on this list.
Dollarcity
This is the equivalent of Dollar General in the US. But – in my opinion – so much better.
It has lots of bits and bobs, everything from ziploc bags and tupperware to measuring tapes and hangers. Also aisles for pantry staples, arts and crafts, toys, seasonal decor, etc. And it’s cheap- $1-5 USD for any given item. There are tons of them around the city. It’s a great store for items that you need but for which don’t want to pay any more than absolutely necessary. And for which the $2 version works basically just as well as the $8 version.
Falabella
This is the equivalent of Macy’s in the US.
I don’t think the two stores are linked (It’s a Chilean multinational corp). But they seem so similar that I often feel dejavu there.
In any event, Falabella is a huge department store, with multiple floors, and a wide range of products (home goods, clothing, electronics, appliances, makeup, etc). The quality-for-price balance feels among the best to me, especially if you can buy items during sales/promotions.
We bought everything from our duvet, sheets (one of the few places with higher than 200 thread count sheets), and towels, to pots and pans, as well as our fridge at Falabella. Their website, app, and deliver processes are solid, and they even have pretty reasonable returns and exchanges processes.
Éxito
I think the closest US equivalent to picture for Éxito is a Super Walmart.
It is an enormous full grocery store with also substantial home goods, electronics, and clothing sections. Some of the smaller Éxitos are just grocery stores, but the large ones are more all purpose one-stop-shops. But unlike Super Walmart, it does NOT have the lowest prices. And it’s not a home renovation place like Homecenter. But you can walk out with new shoes, computer monitor, sweet potatoes, and sheets all in one go. Sometimes their prices can be noticeably lower than other stores with similar items, but in other cases their items are oddly more expensive.
- Note- A similar-ish store to Éxito is Jumbo, which I tend to prefer for no specific discernible reason, but which is slightly less ubiquitous than Éxito.
Tugó
I might get criticized for saying this, but I think of Tugó as the Colombian Ikea but less designed. It is in fact a Colombian brand, and for that reason their furniture is a bit less expensive than some other stores (many of which are subject to 20% import fees).
It is a general bedroom, living room, office, and patio furniture store. And they ship/deliver it to you to assemble at home. They have a pretty substantial selection of office desks and chairs.
But no meatballs.
Some basic furniture here is very reasonably priced, especially if you can get something on sale.
- Note- Speaking of Ikea, the one in Bogotá ships to Medellín. In addition, one is set to open at Viva Envigado in the second half of 2024. So that is an additional option for furnishing!
Casa Ideas
The closest US equivalent here is probably a smaller-scale, less-expensive Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn. Almost like a cute home goods store with Target prices and quality, on a smaller scale than Pottery Barn. It’s a Chilean brand but has a location in Medellín not too far from where we live.
I love this store because while it doesn’t have *everything,* it has a nicely curated selection of important items. And overall they have nicely-designed-but-not-too-expensive items. It leans more heavily to kitchen items (but not appliances), but also has bedroom and bathroom items. It’s not as overwhelmingly large as some of the other stores I’ve listed, and it’s a nice mix of quality-for-price. A store that is probably closer to the Crate and Barrel price point and elegance is Ambiente Gourmet.
We bought things like aprons, silverware, throw pillows, decorative lights, umbrellas, and glasses at Casa Ideas.
Pricesmart
This is the Colombian CostCo, quite literally a subsidiary/daughter company. If you have been in any warehouse-style club store in the US, it will feel pretty much exactly the same. Including many Members Selection branded items.
A basic annual membership is $35 USD. They have lots of bulk food items of course, but also home goods (e.g., patio furniture, appliances, electronics, etc). Their home goods aren’t necessarily the least expensive option. But if you have a membership there, and are looking for some familiar brands, it’s worth adding to your list of considerations when furnishing a home.
Panamericana
I like to describe Panamericana as a book store with an office, arts and crafts, electronics, and home decor side hustle. It’s a Colombian brand, and it started out as a book store. The store is about half books, including one of the best selections (though still not substantial) of English-language books in the city. And they have sizable toys and art supplies sections.
But.
They also have quite a lot of miscellaneous home goods, including kitchen appliances, electronics, lamps, organization supplies, and wall hangings/decor. It’s a store worth checking out, though I consider it a place to fill in miscellaneous items rather than a one-stop shop.
Comodisimos
This is a mattress (colchón) store. So it’s not at the top of the list, because it’s not an all-purpose store. And you can certainly buy mattresses at other stores (e.g., Falabella, Homecenter, and Tugó). But if you want to buy a quality colchón, Comodisimos is a great option. It is middle to higher priced for Colombia, but you can get a high quality mattress on sale for a much more reasonable price than in the US. For instance, we paid $1,000 USD for a king mattress in duplex when they had a 30-40% off sale.
Other solid options that we either considered or where friends have purchased mattresses are Pullman, Rambler, Emma, and RomanceRelax.
- Pro tips- If buying a king mattress, consider buying one that is a Duplex with one pillow. This is where the base is in two pieces but it has a single pillow top. These can be folded in half to enter into apartment elevators and wind around tight staircases. Especially if your apt is on a high floor or has tight corners, this option can be very useful! If you want to lay on mattresses before you choose, and do some price comparison, head to CC Santa Fe. They have Comodisimos, Pullman, and Rambler stores all in a row on one of the top floors.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list. But I hope it gives you an idea of some of the specific stores you’ll find here in Medellín and what they offer.
I welcome your contributions in the comments for additional options that you’ve found useful in your home-furnishing journey!
What else should I be considering?
This is my closing catch-all.
- What are my building’s rules for moving in furniture?
Check with the portería to ask about times you can use elevators to move in furniture and whether there is a security deposit required. - Do I want to install safety nets (“mallas de seguridad”)?
If you’re living in a high floor with balconies and have young kids, it’s 100% worth considering having these installed. It is relatively cost-effective ($200-300 USD if you have multiple/large balconies), and many companies do them. This is the one we used. - Do I want to change the locks?
Since you can’t know if a previous tenant kept a key, it can be good to change the locks. Consider asking your landlord if they’ll split the cost with you. It might run $20-50 depending on the number and type of locks and copies of keys. - What internet provider do I want to use?
Tigo and Claro are the two main internet providers. You can ask your landlord whether one is better in your building/neighborhood. It might take a few tries to get everything sorted out, but have patience and persistence. - Do I want to change anything about the apartment?
It’s easier to change things while the landlord is freshly optimistic and engaged with a new tenant. Ask lots of questions. Take lots of photos/videos of anything that’s wonky at the outset to avoid getting charged for it at the end. And understand the process for repairs and who pays.
I hope this gives you a starting point for furnishing an apartment in Medellín, Colombia. Please leave a comment if you have additional stores or considerations!
