Cost of Living in Colombia in US Dollars: What We Could Source (2026)

There is no official monthly total for living in Colombia, so we don't give one. Rent is the biggest and most variable cost, and no government body publishes rents: the figures below are asking prices from listing sites. The sections that follow give the sourced pieces (rent, electricity, transport, wage and inflation) with their dates, so you can add up the parts that apply to you.

We also leave out "budget of US$X a month" figures from blogs and expat sites. We can't check how they were built, and many are years old.

In mid-October 2026, median asking rents ran from COP 2.6 million (about US$820) for a 1-bedroom in Laureles, Medellín, to COP 4.3 million (about US$1,360) for a 1-bedroom in El Poblado, with city-wide medians for all apartment sizes of COP 3.0–3.4 million (about US$950–1,070) in Bogotá and COP 3.5–3.7 million (about US$1,110–1,170) in Cartagena. The Medellín rows are 1-bedrooms in two neighborhoods; the Bogotá and Cartagena rows mix every apartment size across the whole city. So they don't tell you which city is cheaper.

Sources: ClickCasa, El Poblado; ClickCasa, Laureles; ClickCasa, Bogotá; Aptologia, Bogotá; ClickCasa, Cartagena; Aptologia, Cartagena.

The listing data was collected Oct 17–21, 2026. Asking prices are what landlords advertise, not what tenants sign for, and they usually leave out the building's administración fee. For neighborhoods, furnished units and 2-bedrooms, see cost of living in Medellín, living in Bogotá and living in Cartagena. Deposits and yearly increases follow national rules: see renting long term in Colombia.

Electricity bills in Colombia depend on the property's estrato, the 1–6 number assigned to each home: according to DANE, estratos 1–3 are subsidized, estrato 4 pays the cost price, and estratos 5 and 6 pay a surcharge. The price per kWh also changes by city and provider. The only official tariff we could read is EPM's in Medellín, where in September 2026 a kWh cost COP 958.38 (about US$0.30) for estrato 4 and COP 1,150.06 (about US$0.36) for estratos 5 and 6.

EPM residential tariff, September 2026 (published Sept 16, 2026), per kWh, for customers on EPM-owned network assets:

Source: EPM, Tarifas y costo de energía eléctrica, septiembre de 2026 (PDF). For estratos 1–3, power used above the subsidized block is charged at the cost price, COP 958.38. EPM also lists a fixed charge of COP 9,576 per bill for low-voltage (home) customers on its own network (same sheet).

The general rule (estratos 1–3 subsidized, 4 at cost, 5–6 with a surcharge) comes from DANE, Estratificación socioeconómica. More on how estratos are set: estratos explained.

We don't print Bogotá (Enel) or Cartagena (Afinia) tariffs. We couldn't open either provider's published tariff. See What we couldn't confirm.

A single trip costs COP 4,400 (about US$1.40) on the Medellín metro with a bearer card, COP 3,550 (about US$1.10) on Bogotá's TransMilenio and SITP, and COP 3,900 (about US$1.20) on Cartagena's TransCaribe, at 2026 fares set by each operator or city.

* Bearer (occasional) card, the fare a visitor pays. Frequent users with a personalized Cívica card pay COP 3,820 (about US$1.20). Same source.

The 2026 monthly minimum wage is COP 1,750,905 (about US$550), and annual inflation in Colombia was 6.29% in September 2026 (DANE). Both match our money basics guide, which has the detail.

The wage decree is under review by the Consejo de Estado; the Labor Ministry said in early October 2026 that COP 1,750,905 remains in force (Portafolio, Oct 10, 2026, press report). DANE's October figure is due in early November.

Every dollar amount on this page uses one rate: the official TRM of COP 3,163.76 per US$, in force Oct 21, 2026, certified by the Superintendencia Financiera. We round rents to the nearest US$10 and smaller amounts to the nearest US$0.10 (US$0.01 for electricity). Your bank or card will apply its own rate and fees, which can differ from the TRM.

Sources: Banco de la República, TRM; Superfinanciera TRM data on datos.gov.co. For moving money in and out, see banking as a foreigner.

If you stay longer, you may pay for a cédula de extranjería, a tourist stay extension (PTP) or a visa; the Check-MIG form is free. We keep the current amounts on one page each, so they're only updated in one place:

• Cédula de extranjería
• Extending your stay (PTP / prórroga)
• Visa processing time
• Check-MIG form

We couldn't source a single figure for either. For health insurance, the rules that matter for a visa are in health insurance for the visa; we don't quote premiums or EPS contribution rates. For groceries, we have no dated price basket. The 6.29% national inflation figure above shows the direction of prices, not their level.

• ClickCasa, El Poblado rent data
• ClickCasa, Laureles rent data
• ClickCasa, Bogotá rent data
• Aptologia, Bogotá
• ClickCasa, Cartagena rent data
• Aptologia, Cartagena
• EPM, Tarifas y costo de energía eléctrica, septiembre de 2026 (PDF)
• DANE, Estratificación socioeconómica
• Metro de Medellín, users page
• TransMilenio, tarifas
• TransCaribe, Decreto 017 de 2026
• Decreto 1469 de 2025, art. 1
• DANE, IPC información técnica
• Banco de la República, TRM
• Superfinanciera TRM data on datos.gov.co
• Portafolio, Oct 10, 2026