Thread: Panama City vs Medellin

Living: Panama City vs Medellin | Eye On Panama


Panama City vs. Medellin


I have just returned to Panama city from Medellin. Two decades ago this might have been suspicious but today Medellin is fast becoming the new tourist destination. I went to Medellin to find out for myself how much Medellin has changed. As a destination city, I wanted to find out how the new Medellin compares to Panama City. What follows is my tentative score card.

Panama City vs. Medellin

English Friendly
Panama City has the obvious advantage for English speakers who have little or no ability to speak Spanish. English is Panama's unofficial second language. On the other hand, probably fewer than one percent of Medellin's residents speak English. If you are going to Medellin you need at least a 30 plus word Spanish vocabulary to even attempt to make yourself understood.

Advantage: Panama City

Security
For those of you who remember the 80's and early 90's, you may associate Medellin with the infamous cocaine cartels. Medellin is no longer the wild west of narcotics trafficking. This city of about two million people had 29 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2006, down from 381 per 100,000 when killings peaked in 1991. Although there are still parts of the city were you may encounter armed soldiers, Medellin is a safe place to visit. Panama City has avoided most of these past problems, outside of the Noriega years. Recently, crime in Panama has been on the rise, but not against tourists. Surprisingly, both cites are safer than most US cities and rank among the safest in Latin America.

Advantage: Panama City

Cost of Living
Both Panama and Columbia have experienced high real estate price inflation over the years. However, Medellin started from a significantly lower base price level. Property values remain 10-25% cheaper than those found in Panama. Panama's only price advantages come from the price of imported goods, electronics, cars etc. This is primarily due to the presence of the Panama Canal.

Advantage: Slightly Medellin

Convenience
Medellin is situated more than one hundred miles from the nearest port. Columbia imposes a 30% tariff on most imported goods. Columbia also has a non-standard electrical system. As a result, consumer goods are more expensive and require special electrical adapters.
Panama has cheaper imports. It has a standard electrical system and it is more oriented towards American tastes. American sports broadcasts can be widely found in Panama, whereas they are almost impossible to find in Medellin (I.E. the Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday).

Advantage: Panama City

Culture
Panama City is a melting pot. You will be exposed to many cultures. Descendants from Greece, Spain, China, Barbados and other countries all have large immigrant communities.
Medellin arguably has the most intriguing culture in all of Latin America. Home to some of the most beautiful people in the world, it is the fashion capital of the Southern Hemisphere. It also has a very educated population, polite cultural etiquette, and some of the easiest to understand Spanish in the world.

Advantage: Medellin

Activities
Panama's geography offers a person virtually anything they could want. It has beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. It also has rain forests and mountains. Traversing back and forth across the small isthmus is fast and efficient with the best road system in Central America.
Medellin is isolated from other major cities. Situated high in the Andes Mountains, the country side is beautiful. However, if the water and beaches attract you, Panama City is definitely the place for you.

Advantage: Panama City

Climate
Medellin has often been called the "city of eternal spring". Everyday the temperature ranges from 75-80 degrees without humidity. It has perhaps the best climate in the world (even better than Boquete!).
Many people find Panama City too hot and too humid. Closer to the coasts, the marine winds make the climate more enticing.

Advantage: Medellin

Medical Services
Both cities have quality health care. However, Medellin has nothing to match the John Hopkins Medical Center in Panama City. Their English speaking, American educated doctors make it a top medical tourism destination.

Advantage: Panama City

Each city has much to offer. Panama City is a wonderful place to live and to visit. However, If you are planning to come to the area, you should take a look at Medellin. I consider both of the cities some of the best in all Latin America. Wherever you choose to visit, it will be a memorable experience not soon forgotten.

Interesting article, but a couple of points:

-Medellin hasn't been a secret for years, but only recently more maintream travelers are considering the city due to the fact that Colombia in general has become safer.

-The country is spelled "Colombia" not "Columbia".

-"American sports broadcasts can be widely found in Panama, whereas they are almost impossible to find in Medellin (I.E. the Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday)."

There are a couple of well-known places (in the expat community anyway) to find virtually all American sports. I watched all of the White Sox playoff games last year here:

Champions Barra Deportiva y Restaurante
Cr 81 (la 80) No. 27a24
Barrio Belen La Palma, Medellin
Tel: 3434343

I've spent quite a lot of time in Colombia over the past ten years or so and while I believe that Medellin is a tad overrated, it's still a wonderful place to take a vacation. Most of the single, male travelers are there due to their preference in chicas (the people tend to be lighter-skinned and more of Spanish descent due to years of isolation and racial bigotry).

By the way, I spent 5 weeks in Medellin in August and September and it was rainy, cloudy and cool everyday (think Seattle). It was their rainy season, though, so it wasn't the best time to be there.

My favorite city by far to visit in Colombia is Cartagena since it is truly unique- nothing quite like it in the world. But I wouldn't want to live in Cartagena...

Originally Posted by Roger

Interesting article, but a couple of points:

-Medellin hasn't been a secret for years, but only recently more maintream travelers are considering the city due to the fact that Colombia in general has become safer.

-The country is spelled "Colombia" not "Columbia".

-"American sports broadcasts can be widely found in Panama, whereas they are almost impossible to find in Medellin (I.E. the Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday)."

There are a couple of well-known places (in the expat community anyway) to find virtually all American sports. I watched all of the White Sox playoff games last year here:

Champions Barra Deportiva y Restaurante
Cr 81 (la 80) No. 27a24
Barrio Belen La Palma, Medellin
Tel: 3434343

I've spent quite a lot of time in Colombia over the past ten years or so and while I believe that Medellin is a tad overrated, it's still a wonderful place to take a vacation. Most of the single, male travelers are there due to their preference in chicas (the people tend to be lighter-skinned and more of Spanish descent due to years of isolation and racial bigotry).

By the way, I spent 5 weeks in Medellin in August and September and it was rainy, cloudy and cool everyday (think Seattle). It was their rainy season, though, so it wasn't the best time to be there.

My favorite city by far to visit in Colombia is Cartagena since it is truly unique- nothing quite like it in the world. But I wouldn't want to live in Cartagena...

Can you expand a bit on Cartagena?