Medellín vs Cartagena
Which would you pick?
The short answer
Medellín is the cheaper trip, by roughly 33% a day — $50–90 against $70–140 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Dec–Mar, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇨🇴 Medellín | 🇨🇴 Cartagena | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $50–90cheaper | $70–140 |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $5–8cheaper | $6–9 |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $75–150cheaper | $120–240 |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $1.15–1.35 | $1.20 |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $650 | ≈ $600 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇨🇴 Medellín
A valley city of brick hillsides, cable cars and permanent spring weather, with a metro its residents are openly proud of. Easy to love and easy to get complacent in — the risks here are quiet ones.
- Comuna 13$The city
- Hacienda$Restaurants
- Provenza & Parque Lleras$$Nightlife
- Guatapé & El Peñol$$Day trips
- Metrocable to Santo Domingo$The city
🇨🇴 Cartagena
A walled Spanish port on the Caribbean, all bougainvillea balconies and fortress stone, and the most photogenic old town in South America. Also the hottest, priciest and most hustle-heavy stop in Colombia — worth it, in smaller doses than you'd think.
- The walled city$The old city
- Celele$$$Restaurants
- Café Havana$$Nightlife
- Rosario Islands$$Islands & beaches
- The city walls$The old city
Practicalities
| Medellín | Cartagena | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Spanish, with a distinct paisa accent. English is common in El Poblado's hotels and cafés and thin almost everywhere else — a translation app earns its keep. | Spanish, fast and Caribbean. English is common in walled-city hotels and restaurants, and in the pitch of every street vendor. |
| Currency | Colombian peso (COP). US$1 ≈ COP 3,300 in September 2026. Menus write pesos with a $ sign and a dot for thousands: $20.000 is COP 20,000, about $6. | Colombian peso (COP). US$1 ≈ COP 3,300 in September 2026. Prices are written with a $ sign and a dot for thousands: $20.000 is COP 20,000, about $6. |
| Climate | Around 1,500 m up, so days sit in the mid-20s °C (high 70s °F) all year. Nobody needs a coat, and few homes have air conditioning. | Around 30–32 °C (high 80s °F) by day all year, humid, and warm at night. Plan outdoor sightseeing for early morning and late afternoon. |
| Tap water | Drinkable in the city — locals drink it and so can you. Stick to bottled on day trips into the countryside. | Treated, and many locals drink it, but most visitors stick to bottled or filtered water here. Drink more of it than you think you need. |
The same in both:
- Time zone
- COT (UTC−5), no daylight saving
- Power
- Type A/B plugs, 110V (US plugs fit)
- Emergency
- 123 for police, ambulance and fire