Manizales or Medellin

If you value peace, tranquility, friendlines, security and economy  and still want to have acess to shopping centres, gymnasiums, a few good restaurants, Manizales is for you.

If you get bored easily, like big cities, more rstaurants, night life, drugs, prepagos,dont mind traffic, pollution, insecurity, a lot of gringos and foriegners all over the place, higher prices, people ripping you off, well Medellin is for you.

    I am considering spending a year or two in one of these cities and yes I have been to both two years ago.  I spent 4 months in Columbia.  Any tips or suggestions and or links would be appreciated as to where to live and so on from anyone living in one of these places now. 
   

    -@Digitarius

Just like Nico indicated, these 2 cities are like night and day. Even though I haven't lived in either for a long time, my little experience supports what he said.

Each city has pros and cons. Medellin, specifically, is a well-known Sexpat City, right after Cartagena. Medellin is chock-full of sexpats, the dolled-up, surgically enhanced sex workers who follow them, and the criminals/fraudsters who follow both groups. So if you go there, as a gringo you WILL be assumed to be a sexpat ("guilty until proven not") or at the very least a great target for robbery/pickpocketing, so that's one hurdle to keep in mind. Then again, if you're partnered up, then it doesn't matter how you are perceived because you'd not be out there dating. Also, there ARE calmer parts of Medellin that don't have such dangers and nonsense.

On the PLUS side... the city is accustomed to tourists and expats, so there is much more "expat support"... "comfort zone" stuff, locals who know what expats need, businesses/professionals that cater to foreigners, etc. Also, in case your Spanish isn't great, you'll find more English speakers as well as locals who habitually use their translator apps. Not like Barranquilla (where I live) which is more like a POS backwards "flyover" village where people have apparently never seen a foreigner before, let alone know WTF a translator app is, let alone give a flying F*** about learning even 5 phrases of English... or learning about LITERALLY anything outside their little barrio 😡 Sorry for the frustrated digression 😅 Point is, Medellin has more locals who are "slightly more worldly" than most other cities, due to the influx of foreigners.

Basically what I am saying is, Medellin is great for non-Spanish speakers, expats who want a "soft landing" before choosing their "forever home" town in Colombia. I'm not so sure about Manizales.

Point is, every city has pros and cons. Continue researching, to find what works for you, your demographic, your station in life, income level/budget, Partnered Status, introvert/extrovert status, hobbies, Spanish Language Level, etc.

I lived in Manizales in 2019-2021 then moved to Medellin.

I am originally from Seattle, and although I loved many things about Manizales, the climate seemed just a bit too grey, wet, and cool to me.  Its often 10-15 degrees cooler in Manizales than Medellin, and nights get down into the low 50’s fairly often.  A fireplace is a real option there.

Manizales is a vertical city with 7 or 8 distinct microclimates varying by elevation.

the lowest elevation points in Manizales are fairly close to 5000 feet ASL, and the highest points in Manizales are above 7500.  Where you choose to live makes a real difference in temperature, hours of sunshine, and rainfall.

Also, as has been noted, Manizales is much less accommodating to english speakers, english just isn't that common there.

Another point about Manizales, it has 2 main economic drivers. Government, since it is the capital of Caldas Department.  And Education, with something like 19 universities and tens of thousands of university students in a population of less than half a million.

Both cities have areas that I am uncomfortable to walk through, but overall I felt safer and more secure in Manizales.

one last thing, Manizales has traffic issues, but NOTHING like Medellin.

Both cities have many pros and cons, and both can be great places to live.  For now I choose Medellin, but that might change in another year or two.

Good opinions in the above comments.

My take, after traveling everywhere in Colombia since my first visit and extended stay in Bogota in 1990, so 33 years of travel then the past 10 years living full time in the north end of the Aburra valley of Medellin, a small pueblo with great neighbors and laid back respectful families, very tranquil, a great place to hang my hat..... and I am like a clam in the ocean, could not have made a better decision.

And to think that 10 years ago I could have purchased a pent house high rise rico apartment in Poblado (hell no) and driving a new Toyota Land Cruiser but..................here I am in my purchased new in 2015 which I have transformed into my man cave, a 3 bdrm/2 bath/95M with garage parking for my car......no Land Cruiser but rather a typical KIA and I could not have made a better decision.

And BTW here is a sampling of my travels around Colombia on my road trips in the past 6 or 7 years, many of my road trips are just me solo:

COLOMBIA: Santa Cruz de Mompox, Aracataca-Magdalena (home of Gabriel Garcia Marquez), Gral. Farfán/San Miguel-Putumayo, Cali, Yarumo, Mocoa, Ipiales (including nearby Santuario de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Las Lajas), Pasto, Silvia, Popayan, Villavicencio-Meta, Puerto López & Puerto Gaitán-Meta/Los Lanuras, La Plata, El Florián-Santander and the nearby Las Ventanas de Tisquizoque, Jamundi, San José del Guaviare-Guaviare, Vereda Cerro Azul-Guaviare, Tierradentro, Parque Arqueologico San Agustin-Huila, Salento, Palmira, Buga, Cartago, Armenia, Santa Rosa de Cabal (including nearby Termales), Filandia, Manizales, Pereira, La Chamba-Tolima, Ibaque, Anapoima, Girardot, Quibdo, Jerico, Jardin, Salgar, Ciudad Bolivar, Santa Fe de Antioquia, Tarso, La Pintada, Neiva, Villavieja, Tatacoa Desert, Guamo, Honda, Villeta, Facatativa, Fusagasuga, Soacha, Bogota 40+ visits over 33 years, Chia, Zipaquira, Villa de Leyva, Puente Boyaca, Puerto Berrio, San Gil, Barichara, Guane, Villanueva, Chicamocha-Santander, Bucaramanga, Barrancabermeja, Cucuta, Buenaventura, Nuqui-Choco via flight from Medellin, Nueva Venecia via boat ride from Cienaga, Barranquilla, Tamalameque, Valledupar, Maicao, Riohacha, La Guajira, Uribia-La Guajira, Cabo de La Vela-La Guajira, Cartagena, Bocagrande, Getsemani, Rosario islands, Archipelago de San Bernardo including Mucura/Tintipan/Santa Cruz de Islote, Palomino, Buritaca, Los Naranjos, Tayrona, Minca, Taganga, Santa Marta, Rodadero, Cicada Perdida/Lost City (4 day hike), Tolu, Turbo, Covenas, Rincon del Mar, Baru, Monteria, Caucasia, Yarumal, Necocli, Capurgana via boat from Necoli, Apartado, Guatavita-Cundinamarca, Tunja-Boyaca, Sogamoso-Boyaca, Mongi-Boyaca and of course Medellin and dozens of pueblos. in the outlying areas within 50km where I live and call home.

Just come and explore the different places, spend time in the areas, don't be in a rush to purchase or even rent for that matter, hope you find what your searching for.

@MarquezdlThats how I feel sometimes, but  With el Niño and global warming, the climate in Manizales is quite a bit different, drier and sunnier , than 10 years ago

10 to 15 C cooler is a gross exageration, It is normally 3 to 5 c coolerin Manizales than medellin

Hills are good for hill running, and mountain biking

To each his own

Of course you are talking farenhuit, but stil a bit of an exaggeration

Here is the recent forecast for both cities

https://www.bing.com/search?q=manizales … 3d7ea167fd

https://www.bing.com/search?q=medellin+ … &ghpl=

@ChineduOpara I agree with your assessment  but I lived in Medellin for a few months so I have so idea of what you speak.  I also spent time in Manizales and enjoyed myself.  Since I am retired and old I want to live somewhere nice and chill on a budget.  Also I intend to travel around Columbia and South America and want to use Medellin and or Manizales as a base for travel when possible. 

@South American Voyager thanks for the reply what you have done in your outline is exactly what I want to do.  Find a cool chill spot as a base and travel from there.  I spent 4 months in Columbia a few years ago that is why I want to return on a more permanant basis.  I am from New York and definitely am done with it.  I have been traveling in Southeast Asia for the last 2 years but I don't want to live there.  Can you tell me a little more about the area you live in ?  I am a retired drone from New York via California looking for something different and chill hahahaha. 

@ChineduOpara You are right each place has it's pros and cons.  I almost went t o Barranquilla when I was in Columbia last time but ran out of time.  Sounds like a place I might want to check out hahaha.  Why did you chose to live there?

@nico peligro thanks for the reply and no I don't get bored easily.  I am well pass that at my age.  I like being retired and not working.  I am living on a budget but still I  like it.  I just want a chill cool place to settle down and travel locally from there when I can.  Manizales sounds perfect. 

    @ChineduOpara You are right each place has it's pros and cons.  I almost went t o Barranquilla when I was in Columbia last time but ran out of time.  Sounds like a place I might want to check out hahaha.  Why did you chose to live there?
   

    -@Digitarius

Remember, it's "Colombia"... Lemme save you from the inevitable teasing from some locals 😅

I chose Barranquilla due to overall cost of living and proximity to the ocean, and proximity to other tourist towns (Cartagena and Santa Marta). Now that you described your situation a bit more, yes I agree... you might wanna visit and scout Barranquilla for at least 3 months. I know there are a handful of other retirees here... I know only two, but I am sure the rest staying true to their lifestyle and just keeping to themselves (that is, avoiding networking with other expats) 😏

Personally, now that I've lived in Barranquilla for cumulatively over a year, I see that it's not for me afterall, but it might be for you. Unless you truly are limited by budget, in which case Manizales seems a bit cheaper than Barranquilla (which means I might be tempted to investigate Manizales as somewhere for me to live). Anyway, here's one cost of living comparison on Numbeo:

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/c … Comparison

@ChineduOpara Wow the cost of living is way cheaper in Manizales.  I will definitely look to going back there.  Now I just have to apply for the M visa which I will do before I get to  Columbia.  I am not looking to live around a bunch of expats that is one reason I picked Manizales not many there. 

@Digitarius Right on, I hope you get the visa you need, and Manizales works for you. Me, I don't yet qualify for any reasonable visa that will let me accumulate time towards citizenship, so I'll just try to renew my Digital Nomad visa early next year. I'll take it 1 day (or year) at a time haha

Remember: it's spelled COLOMBIA 😆

We don't want any more foreigners in the coffee region.  Go to Medellin, please!

@ChineduOpara Not sure why I keep adding a "u" in Colombia.  Anyway I just realized the M visa is only for family reunion or working.  I am going to come on the 90 visa you get at the airport and go from there.