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Medellín vs Cartagena

The short answer

Medellín is the cheaper trip, by roughly 33% a day — $50–90 against $70–140 mid-range per person. Both Medellín and Cartagena are at their best in Dec–Mar, so one trip can take in both.

Is Medellín cheaper than Cartagena?

Yes: Medellín is about 33% cheaper than Cartagena per day, at $50–90 against $70–140 for a mid-range traveller.

A cheap local meal starts about 17% lower in Medellín ($5–8) than in Cartagena ($6–9).
A mid-range hotel night starts about 38% lower in Medellín ($75–150) than in Cartagena ($120–240).
A single transit ride costs much the same in both: $1.15–1.35 in Medellín, $1.20 in Cartagena.

Side by side

Medellín and Cartagena side by side, mid-range per person in US dollars, both costed the same way (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

What 3 and 7 days cost in Medellín and Cartagena

Trip, per person	Medellín	Cartagena
3 daysmid-range	$150–270	$210–420
7 daysmid-range	$350–630	$490–980
3 daysbudget	$90–165	$120–255
7 daysbudget	$210–385	$280–595

Over a full week Cartagena costs about $245 more per person than Medellín — roughly three extra mid-range days in Medellín for the same money.

Against local wages, one mid-range visitor day costs about 11% of an average monthly salary in Medellín (≈ $650) and 18% in Cartagena (≈ $600), so tourist prices sit further above everyday Cartagena life.

The cheapest beds listed are $14–27 a night in Medellín (Hostel dorm) against $17–33 in Cartagena (Hostel dorm), while the top tier starts around $240 in Medellín and $450 in Cartagena.

Per person and before flights, from each guide's daily budget, which already includes a mid-range room; budget rows use the guides' 60% budget scale.

When to go

Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.

Medellín

JFMAMJJASOND

Jun–Aug, Dec–Mar

Cartagena

JFMAMJJASOND

Dec–Apr

Month by month
Month	Medellín	Cartagena
January	Good	Good
February	Good	Good
March	Good	Good
April	Avoid	Good
May	Avoid	Avoid
June	Good	Avoid
July	Good	Avoid
August	Good	Avoid
September	So-so	Avoid
October	Avoid	Avoid
November	Avoid	Avoid
December	Good	Good

Both Medellín and Cartagena are in season in Dec–Mar, the window for a trip that takes in both.

In Jun–Aug only Medellín is at its best, while Cartagena's guide doesn't recommend those months.

In Apr it flips: Cartagena is in season and Medellín isn't.

The Medellín and Cartagena guides both warn off May and Oct–Nov, so plan a first trip to either outside those months.

Which one suits you

🇨🇴 Pick Medellín over Cartagena for

Stretching a budget: a day in Medellín runs about 33% less than in Cartagena.
The city, which only the Medellín guide lists against Cartagena: Comuna 13 (a hillside neighborhood once synonymous with violence, now known for its outdoor escalators and…).
Day trips, which only the Medellín guide lists against Cartagena: Guatapé & El Peñol (a 200 m granite rock with 700-odd steps to the top, overlooking a flooded…).
Travelling in Jun–Aug, when Medellín is in season and Cartagena isn't.

🇨🇴 Pick Cartagena over Medellín for

The old city, which only the Cartagena guide lists against Medellín: The walled city (walk it twice: once in the early morning when it's empty and cool, and…).
Islands & beaches, which only the Cartagena guide lists against Medellín: Rosario Islands (a marine park of small coral islands about an hour by boat).
Travelling in Apr, when Cartagena is in season and Medellín isn't.

One day in Medellín against one day in Cartagena

Afternoon: in Medellín, back on the Metro to ride the Metrocable up to Santo Domingo for the view over the valley; in Cartagena, lunch and a long break somewhere with air conditioning, then Getsemaní's murals.
Evening: in Medellín, dinner in Provenza, or salsa at Son Havana, then home by Uber; in Cartagena, Sunset on the city walls, dinner at Celele, then Plaza de la Trinidad or salsa at Café Havana.

Slot by slot from each guide's one-day plan; the full Medellín and Cartagena itineraries go to five days.

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

Full Medellín guide →

🇨🇴 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

Full Cartagena guide →

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.

Time zone, Power, Emergency are the same in Medellín and Cartagena; see either guide for the details.

Getting between Medellín and Cartagena

What the Medellín guide says about reaching Cartagena:

Fly on: an hour to Cartagena for the Caribbean, or to Bogotá for the capital.

What the Cartagena guide says about reaching Medellín:

Fly on to Medellín or Bogotá, each about an hour and a half away.

Staying, getting around, money and safety in Medellín and Cartagena

First-timers usually base themselves in El Poblado (Provenza, Parque Lleras) or Laureles in Medellín, and in Walled city (El Centro & San Diego) or Getsemaní in Cartagena.

Tipping differs: in Medellín, Restaurants add a 10% 'propina voluntaria' (voluntary service) to the bill and are required to ask whether you want it included — say yes unless the service was bad; in Cartagena, Restaurants add a 10% 'propina voluntaria' to the bill and must ask whether you accept it; leave it in unless service was poor.

The Medellín guide warns about 4 scams (Dating-app setups, Drink spiking, Phone snatching), the Cartagena guide about 5 (The 'free' massage, Island tour add-ons, Menus without prices).

Arriving: in Medellín, José María Córdova (MDE) is in Rionegro, 45–60 minutes over the mountain, not in Medellín itself; in Cartagena, Rafael Núñez (CTG) is 10–15 minutes from the walled city.

Day to day, the Medellín guide covers getting around by metro, tram & Metrocable, Uber, DiDi & taxis and on foot, the Cartagena guide by on foot, taxis and boats.

On cash and cards, the Medellín guide says cards work in El Poblado and Laureles restaurants, supermarkets and hotels; street food, markets, buses, Metro top-ups and small tiendas run on cash, while the Cartagena guide says Cartagena is the most expensive city in Colombia, and inside the walls prices are pitched at visitors — a dinner that costs $20 in Medellín is $40 here.

For mobile data in Medellín, Claro has the best coverage, with Movistar and Tigo close behind; buy a prepaid SIM at an official store in a mall with your passport; in Cartagena, Claro has the best coverage, with Movistar and Tigo also good in the city; buy a prepaid SIM at an official store with your passport and ask them to register your phone's IMEI, or it will be blocked after about 20 days.

On safety, the Medellín guide's verdict is “Medellín is no longer the city of its 1990s reputation, and the areas visitors use — El Poblado, Laureles, Envigado and the Metro — feel relaxed by day and busy at night” and the Cartagena guide's is “The walled city, Getsemaní and Bocagrande are heavily policed and feel safe by day and into the evening.”