Medellín vs Bogotá: Which is the Better City to Live In?

1. 

   Chris M March 5, 2020

   This is a well-balanced article. It can’t be easy for a Medellín partisan to admit that Bogotá is an equally attractive city. 🙂
2. 

   Juan February 20, 2020

   Hi Jeff

   I’m not quite sure about Medellin being safer than Bogota.
   Bogota has 39 murders per million (464 murders)
   Medellín has 86 murders per million (343 murders)
   by aug 2019

   As you can see, Medellín is twice as dangerous in terms of threat to human life which is the main concern for an expat.

   https://www.google.com.co/amp/s/www.lafm.com.co/colombia/bogota-medellin-y-cali-ciudades-las-mas-altas-tasas-de-homicidios-en-colombia%3famp

   I prefer Medellin too. Lived in Miami FL. and San Jose CA. also in Bogota for 10 years and been living in Medellin for 11. Warm weather is awesome in Medellín but I wouldn’t bias the facts just because i like Medellin better.
• 

  Jeff February 20, 2020

  Bogota has much higher robbery rates than Medellín. In 2018, Bogotá had a robbery rate of 1,477 per 100,000 inhabitants. But in Chapinero, the rate in 2018 was much higher than the overall city with 8,317 robberies of persons per 100,000 and and Santa Fe had 7,845 robberies of persons per 100,000 – https://medellinguru.com/is-bogota-safe/

  In Medellín in 2018 there were 20,607 robberies of persons. Medellín has a population of 2,214,494 million. So this is a robbery of person rate for Medellín of 930 per 100,000 in 2018 that is much lower than in Bogotá. See the robbery of person count in Medellín in this article – https://noticias.caracoltv.com/antioquia/estas-fueron-las-comunas-mas-afectadas-por-hurtos-durante-2018-en-medellin
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  Chris M March 27, 2020

  Yes, there are too many robberies in Chapinero, but the per resident metric is misleading in this case. During the day, Chapinero is flooded with workers from all over Bogotá, and by night it’s inundated with diners and party-goers from all over the city. Surely, many if not most of the people robbed in Chapinero do not actually live there. The per resident stat is likely the best stat that’s available to you, but in this case it tells a very incomplete story.
3. 

   Dan March 22, 2019

   I would say the shopping in Bogota is much better than that of Medellin. Bogota is a very much a cosmopolitan city, with stores that cater to a diverse and wide variety of patrons. All the international retailers doing business in Colombia, have presence in the city. I can’t say the same thing for Medellin. Medellin is very much a provincial, second city, whereas Bogota is very cosmopolitan with a global presence. Sure, there are some things that make Medellin more attractive for some people. However, when it comes to diversity and options, Bogota easily wins.
• 

  Jeff March 22, 2019

  I respectfully disagree. Medellín has the largest mall in Colombia and and as many large malls as Bogotá, which a much bigger city. And Bogotá has absolutely nothing like El Hueco in Medellín. So, I put the two cities tied for shopping. And the two cities tied overall if you equally weigh the categories.

  But to each his own. Everyone has different priorities.
4. 

   Winston October 8, 2018

   With regards to the public transport, many Paisa friends and clients of mine have actually said they prefer the Transmilenio over the Medellin Metro. The main reason is the metro only has 2 lines and most places in the city you cannot reach and still need to drive/taxi/bus. Transmilenio covers most of Bogota and more convenient in their opinion.

   I have taken both, and I’d think both are “overcapacity and people are packed like sardines during rush hours”. Also the Medellin Metro doesnt have air-conditioning and is hot as hell especially during mid day. I’d say there are no winners. Both are losers. Both cities need to invest more in infrastructure.
• 

  Jeff October 8, 2018

  Well, I also have several Rolo friends in Bogotá that hate the Transmilenio and prefer Medellín’s metro. Also, the Medellín metro system is more than 2 lines, as it is more than the 2 train lines. Look at the map here – https://www.metrodemedellin.gov.co/Portals/1/pdf/g-mapa-esquematico.PDF.pdf?ver=2017-03-02-075732-720. It’s an integrated transportation system that also has a tram line, 4 cable cars lines and 2 elongated bus lines. Plus there are hundreds of metro feeder buses with integrated metro fares where you can go many places in the metro area even as far north at Barbosa and as far south as Caldas on metro buses.

  Agreed that the Medellín metro is over capacity during rush hour. But Medellín is investing in more infrastructure – they are currently adding 2 more cable car lines and another elongated bus line and more trains plus expanding the Poblado metro station. And they have plans to add another tram line on 80 for better coverage in the western part of the city.
• 

  Sam October 8, 2018

  I also have been on both and in my opinion, Transmilenio is much more over capacity than the metro in Medellin. During rush hour on the Transmilenio it is so completely jam packed you can’t get off the buses. Passengers at stations don’t give the right of way to departing passengers so it is nearly impossible to exit in my experience. In Medellín at least the passengers at stations do give the right away to departing passengers. Also, Transmilenio doesn’t go everywhere in the huge city of Bogota and there are many places where you would need to catch a local bus or taxi.

  I much prefer the metro system in Medellin.
• 

  JOHN WINTERBOTTOM February 5, 2019

  Thanks for an informative article.

  I agree that Medellin metro is better than transmilenio. It’s less crowded during rush hour, (TM can be insane), but also people in Medellin seem to be friendlier and more polite. None of the aggressive pushing and shoving I have seen in Bogota. Another thing; the view when riding the metro and especially the cable cars can’t be beat, (except for the view of the Medellin river in the South of the city – ugh)
5. 

   Carmenza Vivers September 16, 2017

   Hi Jeff, i have read a couple of your articles and really enjoy them for being accurate and a great tool for getting to know Colombia. On this particular article I feel compelled to make a suggestion on your international School options. Please review Marymount School, Vermont School as well, these are exceptional schools you should consider including in your article. I’m happy to help you with that.
6. 

   John Pazera September 14, 2017

   Great report!
7. 

   Brock Canner September 14, 2017

   Jeff, would love to see more about Cali, If you can compare it to other cities even better. I know it has the best hospital in Colombia. According to you. I hear for a smaller town the nightlife is really great.
   Cheers, Brock
8. 

   David September 14, 2017

   Interesting if you are open to more categories I have a couple
   1) Safety for cyclists (as a means of a to b as opposed to leisure
   2) Flatness for those who have problems with hills – my late Gran in the UK chose her retirement destination partly on this criteria
   3) Ability to get to interesting places in Colombia by driving or on a direct flight.
   Bogota has flights to Yopal, Leticia but Medellin has flights to Choco so no idea which wins.

   Have you ever thought of looking at Popayan?
• 

  Jeff September 14, 2017

  Hi David, thanks. Those are some good additional category suggestions that I’ll consider adding for future city comparisons. Popayan is really too small, so not much interest I have heard of from expats.
• 

  Misael L López Cepeda July 10, 2019

  Hi, I am from Bogotá it is relative safer for cyclist bogota, also Bogota is more flat so it is better for cycling
9. 

   Brock Canner September 12, 2017

   Thanks Jeff, great comparison of both cities. All things considered I’d prefer to live in Medellin. I prefer warmer weather.
   Cheers, Brock
• 

  Jeff September 12, 2017

  Hi Brock, thanks! I also prefer the warmer weather. Bogotá is a bit too cold for me. But some expats I have met prefer that.
10. 

    Joe September 12, 2017

    Good article Jeff.
    I disagree with your assessment on shopping.
    Bogota wins hands down in the shopping category.
• 

  Isabela September 12, 2017

  Joe, I disagree with you. There are so many shopping options in Medellin also. But I have seen a few stores in Bogota that you can’t find in Medellin like Louis Vuitton, but who needs crazy priced bags.

  Jeff, this is a nice article comparing the two cities. Thanks!

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