Country research
Colombia
Prices overall are about 0.38 of United States prices at market exchange rates, and the Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Colombia 141st of 163. Remote workers paid from abroad can apply for a digital nomad visa of up to two years, and people living on a pension can hold a migrant pensioner visa that counts towards a resident visa after five years. [C1] [S1] [K1] [R1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
84 of 100Strong
Price level 0.378 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Colombia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
50 of 100Mixed
Medellín, the main city: 7 comfortable months a year (January, February, March, June, July, August and December), measured at Olaya Herrera airport in the city. Bogotá has 12; the Caribbean cities have none.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Olaya Herrera airport, Medellín (station 27015330, 1,490 m). Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
15 of 100Weak
Global Peace Index 2026: 141st of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
73 of 100Strong
WHO UHC service coverage index 82 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
Unknown
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
50 of 100Mixed
Mixed: a residence route for remote workers exists (the V Nómada Digital visa), but fixed broadband is 17.22 per 100 people (2024), under the 30 line.
Source: Visa types: V Nómada Digital; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Colombia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
85 of 100Strong
Strong: the M Pensionado visa needs a lifetime pension of at least three monthly legal minimum wages, has no age minimum or deposit on the Cancillería page, and five years as holder count towards a Resident visa.
Source: Visa M Pensionado; Resolución 5477 de 2022, articles 46, 77 and 90 (compilation updated 31 July 2026). Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
38 of 100Mixed
17.22 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Colombia. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
20 of 100Weak
EF EPI score 480 (2025 edition), under the 499 anchor.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index: Colombia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
Unknown
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
Unknown
Research for CA passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
Unknown
Research for AU passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
Unknown
Research for NZ passports is being checked
Cities
Cities in Colombia.
Each city page shows which figures are its own and which are the country's.
Topics
The detail on Colombia.
Guides
Colombia, by passport.
Each guide is written for citizens of one country.
Compare
Side by side with another country.
The same measures for both places, with no ranking.
Questions about Colombia.
How do prices in Colombia compare with the United States?
Prices overall in Colombia are about 0.38 of United States prices at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index, 2025). That is an economy-wide average, not a budget for one household, and it does not show what rent, food or any single item costs.
How long can I stay in Colombia without a visa?
Short stays are visa-free for US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports: under 90 days, extendable to 180 days in a calendar year, if no Colombian company pays you. The officer sets your days at entry. Canadians also pay an entry fee of COP 270,000 unless exempt. Check your own passport.
What does Colombia ask for the remote-worker visa?
The Nómada Digital visa asks for three months of bank statements showing at least three monthly minimum wages; to be safe, more than COP 5,300,000 a month at the 2026 wage. It lasts up to two years, needs a health policy valid in Colombia, and bars paid work for people or firms based there.
Which Colombian visas count towards permanent residence?
The Cancillería's list for the resident (R) visa counts five years as holder of the pensioner, investor, worker, partner-or-owner or independent-professional visa, among others. The remote-worker visa (V) and rentista visa are not on that list. Check your own case with a consulate.
How safe is Colombia?
The Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Colombia 141st of 163, the least peaceful country in South America. Canada and Australia advise a high degree of caution, with regional warnings. The US advisory we could open (April 2025) was Level 3, Reconsider Travel; read the current one. These are national views.
What is the weather like in Colombia?
It depends on altitude. Bogotá (weather station at 2,547 m) has 12 months with highs of 18 to 30 °C and under 150 mm of rain; Medellín has 7 and Cali 6. On the Caribbean coast, Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta have none: highs are 31 to 34 °C every month (WMO normals 1991–2020, airport stations).
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Colombia, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 37.82 (United States = 100; exact 37.8156), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Colombia ranks 141st of 163 countries (score 2.735); the report calls it the least peaceful country in South America.
- [K1] Visa types: V Nómada Digital, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 15 October 2026. Visa V for remote work from Colombia for foreign companies: passport from a country exempt from short-stay visas, bank statements showing income of at least three monthly legal minimum wages (SMLMV) over the last 3 months, health insurance valid in Colombia; valid for up to two years; does not allow work for people or companies based in Colombia. Same text as Resolución 5477 de 2022, article 46.
- [R1] Visa M Pensionado, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 15 October 2026. For a foreigner with constant monthly income from a pension granted by a state or a private pension fund; a certificate of a lifetime monthly pension of at least three monthly legal minimum wages; valid up to three years, no work; the visa counts towards the Resident visa after a minimum of 5 years as holder. No age minimum or deposit is stated on the page.
- [G1] Colombia Travel: home page and regions, ProColombia (the national tourism promotion agency), colombia.travel. Checked 15 October 2026. Lists Colombia’s regions as Caribbean, Pacific, Andean, Orinoquía, Amazon and the San Andrés archipelago, and describes cultural tours in the Andes and beaches in the Caribbean.
- [G2] Proyecciones de población municipal por área, 2018–2042, Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE). Checked 15 October 2026. 2025 projection, municipality totals: 1,123 municipalities, 974 of them under 50,000 people and 15 of them with 500,000 or more (Bogotá 7,942,867 is the largest). Counts whole municipalities, urban and rural.
- [G3] Rural population (% of total population), World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 21.2% of the population is rural (national definitions), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [G4] Agricultural land (% of land area), World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 36.5% of land area (36.54), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Olaya Herrera airport, Medellín (station 27015330, 1,490 m), WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020, Colombia national set (station codes are IDEAM’s), via NOAA NCEI. Checked 15 October 2026. Medellín, the main city for Colombia’s climate grade (the first city in the brief). Monthly mean daily highs 27.08 to 28.70 °C; rain over 150 mm in April (181.17), May (218.86), September (170.74), October (211.49) and November (171.33); 7 comfortable months (January, February, March, June, July, August, December).
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Colombia: 82 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API (UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 15 October 2026.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Colombia, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 17.22 per 100 people (17.2244), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [R2] Resolución 5477 de 2022, articles 46, 77 and 90 (compilation updated 31 July 2026), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 15 October 2026. Article 77: Visa M Pensionado (pension of at least 3 SMLMV a month, up to three years). Article 90: Visa R by accumulated time, 5 years as holder of an M Pensionado visa. Article 46: Visa V Nómadas digitales (3 SMLMV a month for the last 3 months, up to two years). Passport eligibility for short-stay visa exemption is set by Resolución 5488 de 2022, article 3, whose list includes the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index: Colombia, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 480, global rank 76, 5 points down on the previous score; the page’s own text names the EF EPI 2025 edition. Read on 15 October 2026.