Best cities to live in Colombia

For me, no city is the "best"...I prefer the country with its tranquility and beautiful pastoral views.  Because altitude controls the temperature in Colombia I prefer a higher elevation but near a big or medium sized city where I can find most of what I may need, if I have to go into the city every once in a while.

Cities are nice places to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

Cartagena  and medellin.
For total tranquilizers and really nothing to do, go to Soplaviento

I have lived in Medellin, Bucaramanga, and Barranquilla..    Medellin was by far the BEST of the 3..  There is no comparison in my opinion..

well, i live in cartagena, so i say cartagena.

I also live in Medellin, because of the climate

I agree as I live there also

Best place to live in Colombia obviously depends, but I judge it this way:
1. Safety for foreigners
2. Economy
3. Accessibility to things (cable tv, internet, embassies, roads, groceries, airports)
4. Comfortability (feeling like you fit in, there are other people like you, its fun, the weather, etc...)
Based on these criteria these are for me the best 3.
1. Bucaramanga
2. Cartagena
3. Barranquilla
Why not the obvious cities (Bogota, Medellin or Cali) well, Bogota is the worst place to move around, very crowd, traffic is at a stand still and the weather is not as pleasant. Medellin is expensive for what you get yet it would be my 4th place. Cali, don't even consider it, safety is not guaranteed there to anyone, let alone a foreigner. Hope it helps, enjoy!

Pereira, by far. And that is where I live now!

Greetings Mark;
I am an older guy, 65, and looking to stop my parading around and settle in.  I've been two and a half years up here in Guatemala.  I spend $300.00 a month for an apartment, plus electricity, and use shoes for transportation.  I play guitar and would like to gather others of the same nature to play Open-Mike-Nights.  Nothing serious. My expat profile is not unique.  Based on your list of best places, where do you think I should concentrate my efforts? 
If you need information on the Antigua area of Guatemala I can certainly help you, or any of your contacts, that are in need of that. 
Thanks Mark............................... Sin Fin (Dan).

The answer would be Cartagena. It is like Antigua in Guatemala only about 10 times the size bigger. Cartagena has a huge foreign community of expats and they range from high class wealthy Europeans or your more bohemian groups, that play music or do art, etc... Today because the dollar is at $3,400PS $300US is very useful and will definitely get you a place for that, not in a great location, but maybe a shared housing kinda deal, check https://www.olx.com.co/

hope it helps!

Greetings Markol;
Do you think I would have good choices for a studio, or one bedroom apartment in the Barranquilla area for $300.00 a month?  Sin Fin...........

Greetings Ross;
Do you think I would have good choices in finding a studio, or one bedroom apartment in the Cartagena area for $300.00 a month? Thanks............. Sin Fin.

Greetings Dan;
Do you think I would have good choices for a studio or one bedroom apartment at around $300.00 a month in the Pereira area?  What's the Food store situation, any Super Mercados?
Thanks ..... Sin Fin.

Well Colombia even though with its troubles and things, happens to have a very healthy economy "in comparison" to other latin american countries, it ranks third or fourth richest, so 300US is not much, actually it very low, however, because the country is so big and huge there are many options. Do a search on the link I gave you and you can select any city and you will find places for $300 in Cartagena or Barranquilla.

Thanks for the reply Mark....may good things come your way.......

Manizales. Weather, cost of living, geography,  outdoors. However,  we don't plan to work.

If you find that perfect place, it would be nice to know where it's at. All that's needed is near a lake or river. ;-)

Medellin is the absolute best city overall in all of Colombia ! Medellin is the crown jewel of Colombia ! It has everything you need in a good size city, and also has a perfect climate and very warm, friendly people too.

Brian

Hey Gabby in Manizales;
Do you like a little intrigue?  I got a line on an apartment in Manizales.  Mirador Finca Morrogacho is the name of the hostel where the apartment is supposed to be, on the lower level.  The person I'm trading emails with is called Majid.  Is it possible you know of this place and this person?  I have had very bad luck with scammers on craigslist.  If you could find out if this is legit, I'll buy you guys dinner after I move in.  If not, I'll owe you a favor........................ Sin Fin.  (I'm using the name Ricardo with Majid).  If you do see the place, please let me know what you think. THANK YOU!

Sin Fin wrote:

Greetings Dan;
Do you think I would have good choices for a studio or one bedroom apartment at around $300.00 a month in the Pereira area?  What's the Food store situation, any Super Mercados?
Thanks ..... Sin Fin.

Yes in Pereira you can rent a decent place for $300 a month and much less even with the current exchange. $300.00 would actually get you a place that's very nice. I rented a place in Armenia for less, around $225.00 when the peso was at only 1800 per $1. Pereira and Armenia are neighbors and very similar, I spent quite a few days there. The shopping is very good, I was able to always find anything I wanted and now I heard they even have a Costco there.

I have lived in Medellin for the past 7 months.
All the good things people say about Medellin are true.
However, the downside is the traffic congestion and the very poor quality of air.
I live on the 21st floor of an apartment building and sometimes the black dust on my furniture is visible.. And that's with cleaning service every week.
Medellin has no place to grow.  It is surrounded by mountains like a boxed-in canyon.
The only growth is in the sky with high-rise apartment buildings and there is no slow down in development.
The bad news ? All those apartments bring more cars.
.

I've only lived in Medellin for three months before moving to Rionegro.  But my wife who's lived in Medellin for most of her life.  Stated to me that we will never live in Medellin again.  It's too crowded, too much traffic and pollution.

I prefer the smaller towns with surrounding mountains and cleaner air.  While, it's small, I have been looking at the town of Retiro.  It's a half way point between Rionegro and Medellin with the cleanest streets that I've ever seen in Colombia.  Unfortunately, it does not offer good grocery stores or close medical facilities.

Please don't take any notice of  MarkGonz's post refering to Cali. I've lived here for four years and never had or seen any signs of danger. Use your head and it is by far the happiest fun city in Colombia.
Remember there's poverty everywhere in the world and if you flaunt wealth your asking for trouble, including  London, my home city.