Climate
Medellín logs 5 outdoor-dinner months a year to Santa Marta's 3 — Medellín wins by 2. Santa Marta also leads on sunny days by 105.
Medellín
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Santa Marta
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Medellín averages $1,228/mo for balanced living; Santa Marta has no cost baseline yet.
Medellín
$1,228monthly · balanced
Mobility
Medellín scores 2.6 on mobility (0–5 scale); Santa Marta has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Medellín's culture score of 2.3 sits well above Santa Marta's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Medellín scores 3.5 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Santa Marta has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Medellín scores 1.2 on safety (0–5 scale); Santa Marta has no safety baseline.
Career
Medellín scores 2.7 on career (0–5 scale); Santa Marta has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Medellín scores 3.3 on social & community (0–5 scale); Santa Marta has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Medellín scores 3.2 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Santa Marta has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Medellín scores 2.7 on family (0–5 scale); Santa Marta has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Medellín scores 3.4 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Santa Marta has no healthcare baseline.
Air Quality
Medellín averages 19.4 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Santa Marta's 15.3 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) — Santa Marta breathes ~21% cleaner air (4.1 µg/m³ lower).
Medellín
Santa Marta
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Medellín (3.2M) and Santa Marta (424K) are 7.6x in population — Medellín is the larger metro, Santa Marta the smaller; on land area Medellín spans roughly 4.2x more ground.
Medellín is roughly 5.7x the scale of Santa Marta
Combined population & area comparison
City Scale Rankings
Medellín
Santa Marta
Who Thrives Here
Medellín favours the escaping weather, while Santa Marta suits the sunshine lover. Both cities work well for the winter escapist.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Medellín vs Santa Marta
▶Which is cheaper, Medellín or Santa Marta?
▶How does the climate compare between Medellín and Santa Marta?
▶Is Medellín or Santa Marta safer?
▶Should I move to Medellín or Santa Marta?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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