Let's talk about Narcos
You've probably seen the Netflix show. You might have grown up hearing news stories about Medellín as the murder capital of the world. That version of Medellín was real — it was the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the peak of the Pablo Escobar era. In 1991, Medellín recorded one of the highest homicide rates ever documented in a modern city.
That Medellín is gone. Pablo Escobar was killed in 1993. The Medellín of today — over three decades later — is a fundamentally different city. It has been studied by urban planners worldwide as one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern urban history. The United Nations has recognized the city's transformation. It has hosted the UN World Urban Forum and won international awards for innovation in public infrastructure.
The metro, the cable cars (Metrocable) that connect hillside communities to downtown, the outdoor escalators in Comuna 13, the public libraries — all of it is the physical evidence of that turnaround. The city chose to invest in its poorest neighborhoods rather than wall them off, and it worked.
What the numbers actually say
Medellín's homicide rate has fallen dramatically over the past three decades. From a peak of ~381 per 100,000 in 1991 during the Escobar era, the city recorded ~14 per 100,000 in 2023 (375 homicides) and trended lower still in 2024 (a 21% year-over-year reduction in the first half, projecting into the 11–13 per 100,000 range). In late 2025, Medellín's mayor's office reported that the homicide rate had fallen to its lowest level since 1942 — an 82-year low.
For context, here's how that compares to major US cities in 2024 (homicides per 100,000):
| City | Homicide Rate (2024) |
|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO | 48.6 – 54.4 |
| Memphis, TN | ~38.0 |
| Detroit, MI | 32.1 – 37.0 |
| Baltimore, MD | 35.2 – 35.6 |
| New Orleans, LA | 34.1 – 34.7 |
| Chicago, IL | ~22 |
| Medellín, Colombia (2024 trending) | ~11 – 13 |
| Denver, CO | ~14 |
| New York, NY | ~3.8 |
In plain language: Medellín's current homicide rate is lower than Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, and Chicago. It's roughly on par with Denver. It remains higher than New York, San Francisco, and most major European cities.
Violence in Medellín is also heavily concentrated in specific communes — La Candelaria (El Centro), Castilla, San Javier, and Aranjuez accounted for close to half of all Medellín homicides in 2024. The expat neighborhoods (El Poblado, Laureles-Estadio, Envigado, Sabaneta) have homicide rates far below the city average.
The actual risks expat retirees face
The honest list of things that happen to expats and tourists in Medellín, ordered by seriousness:
- Scopolamine / "burundanga" drugging. By far the most serious risk to foreign visitors. Typically targets men meeting strangers (especially women) via dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, or at bars in nightlife zones like Parque Lleras and Provenza. Multiple tourist deaths were reported in 2023–2024. Dosing is unpredictable and sometimes fatal. If you're an older retiree in a stable relationship, your exposure to this is essentially zero. If you're single and planning to use dating apps — meet only in public, never go to a stranger's apartment, never accept a drink you didn't see prepared.
- Phone and personal theft. "No dar papaya" ("don't give papaya" = don't flaunt valuables) is the local guidance. Phones get snatched on streets, at outdoor café tables, from rooftop bars. Don't hold your phone in your hand while walking. Don't put it on a restaurant table. This is the #1 everyday rule.
- Express kidnapping. Forced ATM withdrawals after entering a street-hailed taxi. Always use apps — Uber, InDriver, DiDi, Cabify. Never hail a street taxi, especially at night.
- Drink spiking in nightlife areas. Parque Lleras and Provenza are specific hotspots. Same rule as any major city: don't leave drinks unattended.
- Overcharging and minor tourist scams. Annoying but rarely dangerous. Confirm prices before ordering.
- Opportunistic muggings. Uncommon in core expat areas during the day; more of a concern late at night in poorly-lit streets anywhere.
Notice what's not on this list: violent random attacks, retiree kidnappings, cartel-related danger. Those belong to a different era or a different context (rural conflict zones far from any city where expats live).
Simple rules that cover 95% of the risk
- "No dar papaya." It's the most common phrase in Colombian common sense. Literally "don't give papaya," it means don't make yourself an easy target. Don't flash expensive phones, watches, or wallets. Don't count cash in public. Don't wear ostentatious jewelry.
- Use rideshare apps, not street taxis. Uber, InDriver, Cabify, DiDi. At night, this is not optional.
- Stick to expat-friendly neighborhoods until you know the city. El Poblado, Laureles, Envigado, Sabaneta, certain parts of Belén. Don't go exploring unfamiliar commune areas alone.
- Avoid dating app strangers at your apartment. This is specifically where scopolamine drugging happens. Meet in public. Stay in public.
- Keep your Cédula photocopied, not original, in daily use. Leave the original at home.
- Situational awareness. The same you'd use in any major US city. Don't zone out on a bench at 2 AM with your phone out.
The US State Department advisory — addressed directly
We're not going to dodge this. As of the most recent update (March 31, 2026), Colombia is on Level 3 — Reconsider Travel on the US State Department's four-level advisory scale. This status has been stable through 2025–2026. The State Department cites crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and natural disasters as the reasons.
The Level 3 designation applies to Colombia as a whole. Within that, the State Department also lists specific "Do Not Travel" zones that retirees should avoid entirely: Arauca, Cauca (except Popayán), Valle del Cauca (except Cali), Norte de Santander, and any area within 10 kilometers of the Venezuela border. Medellín is not on any Do Not Travel list. The expat-friendly zones in Medellín (El Poblado, Laureles, Envigado) are considered reasonably safe for Americans by most industry safety analysts — but the country-wide Level 3 status still formally applies.
Our honest framing: Medellín is statistically safer than many major US cities and has transformed dramatically since the 1990s — but it remains on a Level 3 advisory and has a specific tourist-drugging risk profile that doesn't exist in most US cities. You should know that going in. Read the current advisory in full at travel.state.gov before you book a flight.
The conversation to have with yourself
Here is the most useful framing we can offer: Medellín is neither as dangerous as the news suggested nor as safe as a rural Vermont town. It's a large Latin American city with real, manageable risks, a rich culture, a stunning climate, and a quality of life many Americans find superior to where they came from — if they're willing to learn a few rules, listen to locals, and respect the fact that they're somewhere new.
If you're the kind of person who can navigate a major US city safely, you can navigate Medellín safely. If you're not, any international move is going to be stressful.