El Poblado vs Laureles. We comprehensively compare two popular neighborhoods with expats in Medellín to see which is a better place to live. We compare the two neighborhoods in eight categories.
El Poblado is the most popular neighborhood for foreigners living in or visiting Medellín. Also, El Poblado is considered the most upscale neighborhood in Medellín. In addition, El Poblado is where most hotels and furnished apartments catering to foreigners are located.
But no neighborhood is perfect, and there are downsides of El Poblado. Laureles-Estadio is another popular neighborhood for foreigners living in the city or visiting.
Laureles-Estadio has many areas with tree-lined streets and much fewer high-rise apartments than are found in El Poblado. Also, Laureles is primarily a residential neighborhood.
In the past, we interviewed some expats who decided to live in Laureles due to it being extremely walkable, with quiet, leafy streets and large parks. Also, they found that Laureles has a sufficient number of restaurants for them.
Several Medellin Guru readers have asked questions about El Poblado vs Laureles. So, now we compare these two neighborhoods in Medellín.
Note that the following eight categories in this El Poblado vs Laureles comparison aren’t in a particular order. And where possible, we provide some statistics to back up how we chose the winner of each category.
1. Cost to Rent or Buy Property – El Poblado vs Laureles
Laureles wins in this category. In general, the cost to rent or buy property will be cheaper in Laureles-Estadio than in El Poblado. Here are our unfurnished rental detailed investigation findings:
| Size of the Apartment | Number of the Apartments Surveyed | Average Size (Square Meters) | Average Rental Cost Per Month (Pesos) | Average Rental Cost Per Month (USD) | Median Rental Cost Per Month (Pesos) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-bedroom | 30 | 48.4 | 1,922,656 | 480.66 | 4,355,111 |
| 2-bedroom | 38 | 70 | 2,485,648 | 621.41 | 5,570,186 |
| 3-bedroom | 132 | 111 | 3,516,375 | 879.09 | 6,288,489 |
| Size of the Apartment | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom | 3-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of the Apartments Surveyed | 30 | 38 | 132 |
| Average Size (Square Meters) | 48.4 | 70 | 111 |
| Average Rental Cost Per Month (Pesos) | 1,922,656 | 2,485,648 | 3,516,375 |
| Average Rental Cost Per Month (USD) | 480.66 | 621.41 | 879.09 |
| Median Rental Cost Per Month (Pesos) | 4,355,111 | 5,570,186 | 6,288,489 |
2023 Apartment rental costs in Laureles-Estadio
| Size of the Apartment | Number of the Apartments Surveyed | Average Size (Square Meters) | Average Rental Cost Per Month (Pesos) | Average Rental Cost Per Month (USD) | Median Rental Cost Per Month (Pesos) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-bedroom | 29 | 61.2 | 2,913,421.0 | 728.35 | 2,799,888 |
| 2-bedroom | 45 | 95.8 | 3,709,824.00 | 927.45 | 3,577,680 |
| 3-bedroom | 126 | 132.8 | 4,548,784.28 | 1,137.19 | 4,044,016 |
| Size of the Apartment | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom | 3-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of the Apartments Surveyed | 29 | 45 | 126 |
| Average Size (Square Meters) | 61.2 | 95.8 | 132.8 |
| Average Rental Cost Per Month (Pesos) | 2,913,421.0 | 3,709,824.00 | 4,548,784.28 |
| Average Rental Cost Per Month (USD) | 728.35 | 927.45 | 1,137.19 |
| Median Rental Cost Per Month (Pesos) | 2,799,888 | 3,577,680 | 4,044,016 |
2023 Apartment rental costs in El Poblado
Here is a comparison of unfurnished rental prices in Laureles-Estadio with four other popular neighborhoods for foreigners in the Medellín metro:
| Neighborhood in the Medellín Metro | 2018 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 2019 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 2020 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 2021 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 2022 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 2023 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | Percent Change from 2018 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Poblado | 22,972 | 23,232 | 24,132 | 24,529 | 25,934 | 29,311 | 27.61% |
| Envigado | 19,820 | 21,291 | 22,107 | 22,491 | 23,746 | 26,895 | 35.71% |
| Laureles-Estadio | 18,203 | 21,099 | 21,91 | 22,289 | 23,558 | 26,662 | 46.35% |
| Belén | 17,885 | 19,725 | 20,504 | 20,837 | 22,045 | 24,938 | 39.45% |
| Sabaneta | 16,298 | 18,43 | 19,134 | 19,443 | 20,525 | 23,206 | 42.34% |
| Neighborhood in the Medellín Metro | El Poblado | Envigado | Laureles-Estadio | Belén | Sabaneta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 22,972 | 19,820 | 18,203 | 17,885 | 16,298 |
| 2019 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 23,232 | 21,291 | 21,099 | 19,725 | 18,430 |
| 2020 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 24,132 | 22,107 | 21,910 | 20,504 | 19,134 |
| 2021 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 24,529 | 22,491 | 22,289 | 20,837 | 19,443 |
| 2022 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 25,934 | 23,746 | 23,558 | 22,045 | 20,525 |
| 2023 Average Monthly Rental Cost Per Square Meter (Pesos) | 29,311 | 26,895 | 26,662 | 24,938 | 23,206 |
| Percent Change from 2018 to 2023 | 27.61% | 35.71% | 46.35% | 39.45% | 42.34% |
Average unfurnished apartment rental costs per square meter by neighborhood in Medellín for five years
The unfurnished apartment rental prices in El Poblado may be lower than in many cities in the U.S. But the rental prices in El Poblado are higher than in other neighborhoods in Medellín. This is due to El Poblado being primarily estrato 6 and El Poblado being rated as estrato 6 on a 1 to 6 scale.
We previously looked at estratos in Colombia, which is a system where higher estrato neighborhoods in Colombia pay higher utility rates to help subsidize lower utility rates in the lowest estratos.
Also, furnished rental apartments are more expensive in El Poblado. We also found that furnished apartment rental costs are higher in El Poblado, and it has the highest furnished apartment options in Medellín. Furnished rentals are generally cheaper in Laureles-Estadio. In addition, El Poblado tends to have higher prices for buying properties than Laureles-Estadio.
2. Other Costs of Living – El Poblado vs Laureles
Laureles-Estadio wins here. Laureles-Estadio is more of a residential area with fewer foreign tourists than El Poblado. Located in a less touristy neighborhood, the shops, restaurants, bars, and fitness centers in Laureles-Estadio generally come with lower price tags than their El Poblado counterparts.
In general, Laureles-Estadio offers more of a local living experience compared to El Poblado. And prices for almost everything from groceries, restaurants, nightlife, and pet services are more expensive in El Poblado. This shouldn’t be surprising, as El Poblado is considered the most affluent neighborhood in Medellín.
3. Restaurants and Nightlife
El Poblado wins here. El Poblado, in general, has a much larger variety of restaurants when it comes to modern, international dining.
In comparison, Laureles-Estadio has more of the cheaper, traditional Colombian food options with many restaurants with inexpensive menú del día lunch specials. Also, Laureles-Estadio has a number of good restaurants – just not as many as are found in El Poblado. We previously looked at 20 of the best restaurants in Laureles.
Also, El Poblado has Parque Lleras, which is the top nightlife district in Medellín. Parque Lleras is considered the nightlife capital of Medellín. And it’s also a tourist attraction in an area known as Zona Rosa in the El Poblado neighborhood.
There are well over 100 open air restaurants, bars and nightclubs located in the streets around Parque Lleras. There are many nightclubs, playing either a mixture of Latin music genres like reggaetón or salsa, rock, electronica music, and more. These tend to be upscale, pricier nightclubs.
However, Laureles-Estadio also has nightlife options that are more local style. Significantly less frequented by foreigners, is Calle 33 in Laureles. Another popular nightlife area is LA 70 (Setenta), also in Laureles. In this area, you will find few foreigners and various salsa bars and small clubs.
4. Walkability and Bike-ability
Laureles-Estadio wins here. Much of El Poblado is hilly and not very walkable. For example, El Tesoro mall is located high up the hills in El Poblado, and almost nobody walks from lower in El Poblado to El Tesoro.
Also, it’s about a 15-minute walk up-hill from the Poblado metro station to Parque Lleras. And it’s about a 15-minute walk uphill to the Santafé mall from the Aguacatala metro station.
If you live in El Poblado, you must contend with the hills. But not all of El Poblado is hilly. For example, Avenida Poblado, where the Santafé and Oviedo malls are located is flat and walkable. Also, the Ciudad del Rio neighborhood is flat and walkable.
Laureles-Estadio is flat in comparison, making it much more walkable than El Poblado. Furthermore, Laureles-Estadio is a haven for bikers with many dedicated bike lanes.
In addition, Laureles-Estadio has more Encicla stations than El Poblado. Encicla is Medellín’s free city bike system that permits you to borrow bikes from 60 stations throughout the Aburrá Valley. And about one-third of Encicla stations are in Laureles-Estadio.
5. Safety – El Poblado vs Laureles
The two neighborhoods arguably tie here. Both El Poblado and Laureles-Estadio are generally considered two of the safest neighborhoods in Medellín and rarely have homicides reported. However, both neighborhoods have higher crime rates in terms of robberies than other neighborhoods in the city.
I have seen many posts on the Internet that claim that El Poblado and Laureles are two of the safest neighborhoods in Medellín.
The highest counts of reported robberies and thefts in the comunas in Medellín occur in the La Candelaria comuna (El Centro). And this is normally followed by Laureles-Estadio and El Poblado, which are two of the most popular neighborhoods for foreigners in Medellín.
The communes with the most reported cases of robbery are Candelaria, in the center of Medellín, with 3,810 cases; El Poblado, which presents 2,135 facts; Laureles, with 1,769 cases; and Belén, 1,033, with reports.
In recent years, Medellín has experienced a concerning rise in crime, particularly in robbery incidents. We made this table based in El Colombiano Report of 2022-2023, that presents key statistics illustrating the current state of criminal activities in the city, with a focus on thefts from individuals, residential properties, and commercial establishments. The data reflects trends over the past two years, highlighting both increases and decreases in various categories of criminal activity.
| Category | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Robbery Cases in Medellín | 25,660 (+9%) | 23,607 |
| Robbery to Individuals | 18,421 (+13%) | 16,278 |
| Stolen Cellphones | 6,628 (-16%) | 7,899 |
| Motorcycle Robberies | 3,781 (+2%) | 3,678 |
| Car Robberies | 579 (-5.39%) | 612 |
| Robberies to Commercial Establishments | 1,870 (-13%) | 2,153 |
| Robberies to Residences | 1,009 (+14%) | 886 |
| People Arrested for Robbery | 599 (-7%) | 644 |
El Colombiano reports robbery’s statistics in 2023
Crime is possible everywhere in Medellín. El Poblado and Laureles have been touted by some as the safest parts of the city. But robbery statistics have been increasing in both El Poblado and Laureles-Estadio. This is likely due to criminals targeting the wealthiest area of Medellín.
The bottom line is you should take precautions in any neighborhood in Medellín. If you follow our safety tips in our article about security in Medellín, your risk of being a victim of crime should be greatly reduced.
6. Shopping – El Poblado vs Laureles
El Poblado wins here. El Poblado has more shopping options than Laureles-Estadio. El Poblado has three of the most upscale malls in Medellín: Santafé, El Tesoro and Oviedo. And these three malls in El Poblado are larger than the malls in Laureles-Estadio.
- Santafé has about 460 shops
- El Tesoro has about 400 shops
- Oviedo has about 320 shops
The Unicentro mall in Laureles in Medellín
In comparison, Laureles-Estadio only has the smaller Unicentro mall with about 270 shops and the even smaller Viva Laureles mall with 90 shops.
However, keep in mind that while the El Poblado malls are larger with a wider selection of stores, they tend to have prices that are higher than can be found in other malls in Medellín.
7. Traffic – El Poblado vs Laureles
Laureles-Estadio wins here. Some of the worst traffic in Medellín is found in El Poblado. Avenida Poblado and Calle 10 tend to have bad traffic during rush hour and even during lunch hour. And it can be very difficult to go to or from El Tesoro Mall up the hills in El Poblado during rush hour.
Traffic is one of the downsides of living in Medellín we previously looked at. And traffic reportedly is the biggest concern of expats living in the city.
In my years living in Medellín the worst traffic in the city I have encountered has tended to be El Poblado and El Centro.
When I previously lived in Laureles-Estadio and when I now visit friends living there, I haven’t experienced anywhere near as much traffic as I have experienced in El Poblado.
8. Public Transportation Availability
The two neighborhoods tie here. Both El Poblado and Laureles-Estadio have three metro stations each:
- El Poblado – Industriales, Poblado and Aguacatala stations on Line A
- Laureles-Estadio – Floresta, Estadio and Suramericana stations on Line B
But in both neighborhoods, many of the apartments and casas (houses) are not located near these metro stations. So, from many apartments and casas it can be long walk or a short bus or taxi ride to a metro station.
In addition, both neighborhoods have extensive bus routes and taxis are plentiful in both neighborhoods. So, the two neighborhoods tie in this category.
What about Envigado vs Laureles?
We previously compared El Poblado vs Laureles. If we were to compare Envigado vs Laureles, I would categorize the winners of each category as follows:
- Cost to rent or buy property – Laureles-Estadio wins
- Other costs of living – Laureles-Estadio arguably wins
- Restaurants and nightlife – Tie
- Walkability and Bike-ability – Laureles-Estadio wins
- Safety – Envigado wins
- Shopping – Envigado wins
- Traffic – Tie
- Public transportation availability – Tie
So, Laureles-Estadios would win in three categories, Envigado would win in two categories and the two neighborhoods would tie in three categories.
What about Laureles vs Sabaneta?
We also compared El Poblado with Sabaneta. If we were to compare Laureles vs Sabaneta, I would categorize the winners of each category as follows:
- Cost to rent or buy property – Sabaneta wins
- Other costs of living – Sabaneta arguably wins
- Restaurants and nightlife – Laureles-Estadio wins
- Walkability and Bike-ability – Tie
- Safety – Sabaneta arguably wins
- Shopping – Sabaneta wins
- Traffic – Tie
- Public transportation availability – Tie
So, Sabaneta would win in four categories, Laureles-Estadio would win in only one category and the two neighborhoods would tie in three categories.
What about Laureles vs Belén?
In addition we compared El Poblado with Belén. If we were to compare Laureles vs Belén, I would categorize the winners of each category as follows:
- Cost to rent or buy property – Belén wins
- Other costs of living – Belén arguably wins
- Restaurants and nightlife – Laureles-Estadio wins
- Walkability and Bike-ability – Tie
- Safety – Belén arguably wins
- Shopping – Tie
- Traffic – Tie
- Public transportation availability – Tie
So, Belén would win in three categories, Laureles-Estadio would win in one category and the two neighborhoods would tie in four categories.
Choosing a Neighborhood in Medellín
On the Medellin Guru website, we have several articles that can be used to help foreigners choose a neighborhood in Medellín:
- What are the Safest Neighborhoods in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley?
- 5 Best Neighborhoods in Medellín: A Guide to Choosing a Neighborhood
- 8 Downsides of El Poblado: Living in Medellín’s Expensive Neighborhood
- Estratos: A Guide to Understanding Estratos in Colombia
- El Poblado vs Laureles: Which is the Better Neighborhood to Live in?
- El Poblado vs Envigado: Which is the Better Neighborhood to Live in?
- El Poblado vs Sabaneta: Which is the Better Neighborhood to Live in?
- El Poblado vs Belén: Which is the Better Neighborhood to Live in?
- 2018 Unfurnished Apartment Rental Costs in Medellín in 5 Neighborhoods Popular with Expats
- 6 Inexpensive Neighborhoods for Unfurnished Rentals in Medellín
The Bottom Line: El Poblado vs Laureles – Which is the Better Neighborhood to Live in?
In our El Poblado vs Laureles-Estadio comparison:
- Laureles-Estadio wins four of our eight categories.
- El Poblado wins two of our eight categories.
- The two neighborhoods tie in two categories.
So, in this unscientific and somewhat subjective comparison, Laureles-Estadio wins if you equally weigh the categories. But choosing a neighborhood to live in comes down to personal preferences.
El Poblado remains the most popular neighborhood for foreigners out of all Medellín neighborhoods. But El Poblado has downsides. So, many expats living in Medellín live in other neighborhoods in the city.
Other neighborhoods in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley popular with expats include Laureles-Estadio, Envigado, Sabaneta and Belén. Over the past several years, I have also met expats living in Bello, El Centro, La America, and Robledo near the Medellín International Airport in Rionegro and La Ceja.
Also, keep in mind if you live in Laureles-Estadio due to the lower cost of living or other reasons, it’s a relatively short taxi ride to the restaurants, nightlife, and shopping in El Poblado.
The bottom line in our El Poblado vs Laureles comparison is that the best to live is the best place to live for you. Everyone has different priorities. The only way to know which neighborhood is the best for you is to spend time there.
Editors note: updated on July 26, 2019 to add a Laureles vs Sabaneta section.
Editors note: updated on September 23, 2020 with more current information where possible for the categories.
Editors note: updated on October 24, 2021 with updates to several sections.
Editors note: updated on October 20th, 2023, with new images, prices, and statistical data.