Job Discussion Forums

Bisa Dong! · Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 24

Hola. I would like to spend three to four months in Bogota learning Spanish. When is the weather the warmest? I really hate the cold. Would a budget of USD1,000 a month be sufficient for rent and other living expenses? Thanks in advance.

HLJHLJ · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 1218 Location: Ecuador

What do you class as cold? Bogota isn't really a place to go looking for hot weather. The temperature is fairly similar year round (16-20C daytime, significantly colder at night). There is a chart here
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/COXX0004

As for living costs, it very much depends on you. Are you planning to do a homestay? Live in a hostel? Short term let (hard to find for such a short period). Will you be cooking your own food? Eating out a lot? Partying hard? Travelling? Shopping in markets or supermarkets? Etc etc.

Bisa Dong! · Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 24

I think I can manage 16-18C. Smile

I'd like to get an ensuite room in a shared apartment, if possible. My language school might be able to arrange that for me but I'm not really sure that I want to commit to anything that I haven't seen myself. I don't drink - I hope that won't be a hindrance to meeting new people - so I guess you could say I won't be partying much. I'll be eating mostly at street cafes and most of my travelling will be within Bogota.

HLJHLJ · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 1218 Location: Ecuador

Then you should be able to manage on $1,000/month. Drinking is a huge part of the culture, and that might make things tricky in terms of meeting people, but you can always go along and drink soft drinks. You will struggle to find a shared room for less than a 6 month contract, unless it's somewhere geared towards language students (which will cost you more). Also, you may not get an en-suite room. A one bathroom per bedroom arrangement is not that common in normal residential accommodation.

spanglish · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that

I agree with HLJHLJ, except the 6 month contract part. Just check out compartoapto.com, la guia or couchsurfing Bogota classifieds (you'll need to create a profile to access the CS site). Month by month room rentals are quite common. A minority of those renting a room will want a contract and a 6 or 12 month minimum, but you wouldn't want to rent from that kind of person anyway.

Try to get a place with people who don't speak English or speak very little.

HLJHLJ · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 1218 Location: Ecuador

Useful sites Spanglish, thanks for the extra info Smile