Is medellin Colombia as safe as other big cities in S. AMERICA?

Wow, you are so lucky to be moving to S.Am, it's truly a fantastic continent due to culture, people, language, landscape.  I would strongly recommend Argentina; to me it is a cross between Italy and Spain, has a rich culture, great people and an emerging economy.  Colombia is too dangerous.  My boyfriend is obsessed with Colombia and has been loads and it is the only country he was mugged in (he looks like a criminal himself, so it takes a brave mugger to try and mug him).  Everyone I know (including myself) who has been to Argentina never want to return.  Only the Argentines want to leave but that is because the politics and social situation is too close to the heart, for expats it's a dream.

It's a difficult question to answer because there's such a broad spectrum in South America. And compared to Canada, I imagine there aren't many places in the world that are safe.

I'd concur that Argentina is among the safer options in South America. I visited Buenos Aires after having lived in Peru and Colombia for over a year. I assumed it'd be nothing to worry about. However, Buenos Aires is a city of 13 million. Any time you have a city that big, there will be violent crime. Nothing happened to me, but I heard some surprising stories.

I spent my first year in Arequipa, Peru - Peru's second biggest city at ~1 million in the south. I found it to be a very tolerable level of crime and perfect entry point to my life in Latin America.

I moved to Bogota, Colombia in April 2009 and got a bit of a shock. To answer your question, Medellin and the major Colombian cities are on the tougher end of the spectrum of crime in the Western Hemisphere. It's not statistically as bad as Guatemala City or Caracas, but it's bad.

You mentioned "common sense". Yes, Colombian cities are worse but you get used to it. You pick up the local common sense and it becomes normal. For example, most people here in Bogota are off the streets by 8 or 9pm. You don't really go out after that time, unless on a weekend or in a taxi. You get used to it.

I actually haven't been to Medellin yet but I consistently hear it's the best in Colombia and that I should've moved there instead. Worst-case scenario: you move there and don't like it, so you move somewhere like BA or Arequipa.

Good luck!

I think the idea of "common sense" is very appropriate. I have lived in Medellin for about a year and a half now and have had no serious problems. One time I let myself be coned into taking some counterfeit bills, another time someone came over the wall and stole a propane tank. Both were easy to deal with using preventative measures.

We live in a lower middle class neighborhood near a working class area. I feel very comfortable there and find the people to be friendly and helpful. It seems to me that the trauma most Colombians lived through over the past 20 or so years has induced a type of post-traumatic stress. Many are more cautious or "paranoid" than is realistic. Yes, one needs to be reasonably careful but this is the case in most large cities.

BTW: I find that most people here in Medellin like folks from the States. They admire many things about the US.


Phil Bunch
http://pbunch.wordpress.com/

If you decide to come to the Medellin area you should be able to find a house in the price range you mention with ease. Santa Elena is a small town in the mountains just east of Medellin. It is about a half hour by car. The climate is cool with highs in the lower to mid-70sF and lows around 50F year around. The setting is rural and the people are nice. You should be able to find a finca to rent that is well within your price range. For $US 1500 a month you would be able to get a very nice place.

Phil Bunch
http://pbunch.wordpress.com

I am from the USA and I recently moved from Boquete, Panama to Medellin.  I have been in Medellin for 3 months and have not witnessed so much as a fist fight here.  While there are some dangerous neighborhoods, Poblado is as safe as any city in America.

I've been living in Medellin (well, Envigado, same thing!), absolutely nothing bad has happened to myself or my family. There's a very high murder rate in Medellin, but it's almost all drug related and usually happens in the barrios where you would be crazy to go anyway!
That said, it's impossible not to be affected by crime here. 3 months ago, a successful entrepreneur I befriended was executed by "sicarios" for reasons I'll never know, and just about any resident you talk to has lost family and friends to violence.
Still, I would say it's far less dangerous to live here than in Rio, Sao Paulo, or even Buenos Aires, simply because foreigners are not generally targeted by criminals here.
If you follow a few basic rules (good anywhere) you'll stay out of trouble: Don't walk at night; Avoid "barrios"; don't wear fancy clothes or baubles; Know where you're going and how to get there.