Medellin or Cuenca

PattiH Active member

27POSTS

13 years ago

Is there anyone on this board who has lived both Medellin Colombia and Cuenca Equador?
I'm researching for relocation. I'm down to Medellin and Cuenca. Other than weather, and "feel" of the two cities they seem fairly comparable.
This has been (and is) a very interesting journey. I originally started with Panama.
Would love to get some feedback.
Thanks
Patti

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mfumento Member

2POSTS

13 years ago

Cuenca is much chillier. That said, DO NOT move here to Medellin. It was a horrible mistake for me. Do not repeat my actions. I'm getting OUT. In fact, I'm going to a place that seems to have everything you might like here but less -- as in less crime, less filth, etc. It's off the expat map, but so should MDE be. Look up Bucaramanga. I've been there. It's NICE. It's middle class. It's safe. Even a bit cheaper than MDE.

In either case though, MDE or Buca, if you're not willing to learn fairly good Spanish you will never be comfortable. There's no expat community here either, and for good reason. If you must have an expat community, look to a very pretty city I lived in for four months, GDL Mexico. All the comforts of home. You won't find them in Cuenca, MDE, OR Buca. But I can do without some of them, so I think I'm Buca-bound.

misha16 Active member

73POSTS

13 years ago

Cuenca for sure, you cant even compare the two. Medellin traffic jams, no parking -pollution, security problems, cost of living
Whats good about Medellin is the girls and the nightlife . the night life gets old after awhile. And you can bring your Colombian sweetheart to Ecuador, to really enjoy life.

purplebox Guest

0POSTS

12 years ago

please tell me why not choose panama

misha16 Active member

73POSTS

12 years ago

You need to rent in Medellin,Panama or Cuenca for a year straight.
To see if it will work for you. Really between these 3 cites its like comparing apples to oranges to bananas. Sure there are many nice days, but months of high humidity, chilling cold, and heavy rain fall. I experienced it all first hand many years ago before these places were marketed for real estate on the internet blogs.

Colombia Len Active member

25POSTS

12 years ago

I live in Medellin with my Colombian wife. I can also speak enough Spanish for day to day use. Cuenca has a large expat community and you can get by without speaking a word of Spanish. Without speaking Spanish in Medellin, you'll have a very lonely existence.

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

3 years ago

2022's Top Reasons to Choose Medell铆n over Cuenca.

I herewith post this Top Ten list on a thread that had

been dormant since its origin year in 2013.

Reasons 3 through 10 are based on an article written

by longtime Expat Lee Harrison in Live & Invest

Overseas, which has just been reprinted at the

Cuenca HighLife Website.聽 Lee has lived in both

cities and is not stating a preference for either one.

De todos modos, here are the top ten reasons one

might choose Medell铆n...

10.聽 At a lower altitude by several thousand feet,

Medell铆n has mild weather year-round and is not

nearly as chilly as Cuenca can be.

9.聽 It's easier to get residency in Colombia compared

to Ecuador.

8.聽 Health care in Medell铆n is more diverse and

mature.

7.聽 The cultural scene in MDE is more sophisticated

and world-class.

6.聽 With daily non-stop flights, it's easier to fly to

North American cities from the Paisa capital.

If you live in Cuenca, you will need to connect

through Quito or Guayaquil.

5.聽 Ecuadorian motorists are ruder and more

reckless.

4.聽 The U.S. Dollar is so strong against the

Colombian Peso, that dollarized Expat consumers

get extra bang for their bucks.

3.聽 El Poblado, the 'Beverly Hills of Colombia', is

so modern and well-maintained, that no

North American city can surpass it in

these respects.聽 Certainly not Cuenca.

2.聽 Ecuador is currently pausing a national strike

that could negatively impact the quality of life

in the larger Andean cities of Ecuador if the

protests and roadblocks resume.

And the number-one reason some people

might prefer Medell铆n over Cuenca...

1.聽 Casinos have been banned in Ecuador

for over a decade .. through the present day.

If you want to take a seat at a legal

blackjack table, Medell铆n is the preferred choice.

nico peligro Serial expat

957POSTS

3 years ago

@PattiH Manizales

Cuenca is expensive a nice place to visit not necessarily to.live.

Ecuador is generally 30% more expensive than Colombia .

nico peligro Serial expat

957POSTS

3 years ago

Manizales is the cleanest, safest city in Colombia with the friendliest people.

Yes the weather is a little chilly and it rains too much

And it is probably the hillliest city in the world ( at lest amongst the 100s I have visited in over 50 countries)

Marquezdl Active member

58POSTS

3 years ago

#10

I spent a few months in cuenca years ago and reallyenjoyed the climate and the city.

However its simply in a different category than Medellin.

Medellin is a true world class city (over 4 million population) and you can find almost anything you might want here if you speak some spanish and know how to search for things.

Cuenca is under 1/2 million population, and in many respects is much more comparable to Manizales Colombia.

I lived in Manizales for over 2 years and really liked almost everything鈥xcept the climate is just a bit too cool, rainy, and cloudy for someone with SAD.聽 also as was mentioned, Manizales is DAMNED hilly.

other than being somewhat similar in Climate, Medellin and Cuenca are totally different cities in almost all respects based on my experience.

purplebox Guest

0POSTS

3 years ago

#11

@PattiH Manizales
Cuenca is expensive a nice place to visit not necessarily to.live.
Ecuador is generally 30% more expensive than Colombia .
-@nico peligro

I am sure Patti H made her decision years ago. I will say this about Ecuador: We don't think about filing an Ecuadorian income tax return and permanent residents aren't required to have health insurance, although I think temporary residents do now. Also renting doesn't typically require co-signers or other hurdles, like I always hear about in Medell铆n. We also don't have stratification of neighborhoods for utilities. Our IVA is 12%.鈥�

P.S. Apparently we are supposed to file an informational disclosure, reporting our worldwide patrimony, but most expats don't volunteer that info I imagine. I wonder if triple C is aware of this requirement.