How Laureles’ North Corner Became Medellín’s Gentrifying Pocket Attracting Young Professionals

Every morning, laptops flicker on at Pergamino Café’s new outpost on Calle 39B, as a stream of twenty- and thirty-somethings queue up for flat whites before settling in for another remote workday. In the past six months, this stretch of Laureles-wedged between Av. 80 and Estadio Atanasio Girardot-has become the answer to El Poblado’s soaring rents for Medellín’s growing crowd of young professionals.

The Shift: Why Laureles Norte Now

The area’s transformation is no accident. Medellín’s flexible workplaces and healthy tech scene have pushed demand beyond El Poblado, long the city’s expat and upmarket enclave. But with average one-bedroom rents in El Poblado breaking the 3.8 million COP ($950) mark, young locals and digital nomads are seeking a mix of affordability, lifestyle, and accessibility. The leafy northern pocket of Laureles, especially along Carrera 73 and Calle 39B, is delivering exactly that-and drawing the attention of both renters and investors.

The city recently announced plans to expand bike lanes along Carrera 70 and improve lighting throughout Laureles Norte, underlining the administration’s push to support pedestrian-friendly urban growth. Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana’s proximity is fueling new apartment complexes marketed to students and early-career professionals. Meanwhile, food halls like Mercado 70 are displacing older cantinas with sushi bars and organic grocers, cementing the neighborhood’s new cosmopolitan image.

Rising Rents, Real Numbers

According to Finca Raíz Intelligence, the median rent for a renovated two-bedroom apartment in Laureles’ north corridor has jumped 18% year-on-year, now averaging 2.7 million COP ($670) per month. Listings on Calle 39B saw their highest ever price-per-square-meter in June-outpacing traditional middle-class zones like Belén. Real estate agent Javier Pérez, from Inmobiliaria Laureles Visión, reports that nearly half of current buyers are investors hoping to capture transient professional tenants or short-stay tourists.

Reforms like Medellín’s Vivienda 2027 plan, which incentivizes adaptive reuse of older buildings, have already birthed several co-living projects. The highest-profile opening: Casa Colaborativa, a 35-room converted casa quinta between Carrera 74 and Avenida Nutibara, fully leased within four weeks of launch in May.

The question now is what comes next. With available inventory tightening and neighborhood associations voicing concerns over noise and construction, some residents are calling for new zoning limits. For now, agents advise buyers to act quickly-well-finished units near Estadio Metro are closing within 10 days of listing, a pace not seen in Laureles since 2013. Investors hunting for rental yields above 8% per annum are pouring into this northwest pocket, and as construction cranes keep cropping up, Laureles’ north may soon rival El Poblado as Medellín’s go-to address for upwardly mobile professionals.