All Visa TypesPension VisaDigital Nomad VisaMarriage VisaInvestor Visa
Banking OverviewATMsOpen a Bank AccountTransfer Money
Living OverviewCost of LivingSIM CardsHealthcare
Where to LiveMedellinBogotaCartagena
SafetyBlogAbout Resources

The guide we wish
we had before moving
to Colombia

Visas, banking, neighborhoods, cost of living, and everything else that nobody explains until you are already here. Based on direct experience, not secondhand travel advice.

Start with Visas See the Numbers
Popular right now Pension Visa requirements for 2026 Where to live in Medellin ATM fees and daily limits What "no dar papaya" means
6 cities Cost of living data
35+ Detailed guides
2026 All info current
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Guides by topic

We organized this the way we needed it when we moved: by problem, not by category.

Colombian visa office at Cancilleria Most read

Visas

Pension visas, digital nomad visas, marriage visas, investor visas, and the cedula de extranjeria process. Each one broken down with current fees, required documents, and realistic timelines.

6 visa guides → Bustling street market in Cartagena

Safety

No dar papaya, common scams, and getting around by taxi, Uber, InDriver, and public transit.

3 guides →
ATM on a Medellin street

Banking

ATM networks, opening accounts as a foreigner, Wise transfers, Nequi, and getting credit cards.

4 guides → Colombian coffee shop interior

Daily Life

Cost of living by city, SIM cards, paying utility bills, internet providers, healthcare, and insurance.

6 guides → Medellin El Poblado at golden hour

Neighborhoods

Honest takes on where to live in Medellin, Bogota, Cartagena, Pereira, Santa Marta, and Cali.

6 city guides →

What you need to figure out

The checklist nobody gives you before you move.

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Visa type

Pension, digital nomad, investor, marriage — each has different income requirements and timelines.

 ◆

Where to live

Medellin is not the only option. Six cities, six different lifestyles and price points.

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Bank accounts

You cannot open a Colombian bank account without a cedula. Here is what to do instead.

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Monthly budget

A couple can live well on $2,000/month in most cities. Bogota and Cartagena cost more.

 ✦

Health coverage

EPS is cheap but slow. Prepaid medicine is fast but costs $80-150/month per person.

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Safety basics

No dar papaya. Learn the phrase, learn the mindset, and you will be fine.
Expat couple exploring a Colombian colonial town

We moved here. Then we wrote it down.

Every guide on this site comes from direct experience: the visa appointments at Cancilleria, the bank account runaround at Bancolombia, the moment you realize Nequi is more useful than your US debit card.

We are not a travel blog. We do not sell courses. We built this because the information we needed was scattered across Facebook groups, Reddit threads, and outdated forum posts from 2019.

Sources we verify against

Cancilleria.gov.co
Bancolombia
DIAN
Ministerio de Salud
Migracion Colombia