The Best Places To Live In Colombia (11 Options From A Former Resident)

11 Options For The Best Places To Live In Colombia

FAQ: The cost to live in Colombia varies depending on location (small town vs city), but it’s way cheaper than pretty much every place in the US or Europe.

1. Pereira

I’m a little biased since I lived here. Still, Pereira is a fantastic place to live to easily explore more of the Coffee Region of Colombia (which I highly recommend because it is insanely beautiful).

Pros of living in Pereira:

• Beautiful nature
• Spring-like weather
• Capital of the Coffee Region
• Easy to explore other parts of the country
• Cheaper (I lived comfortably with roommates for under $500 a month)
• Lots of hiking, biking, & active things to do
• Lots of public transportation

Cons of living in Pereira:

• Decent amount of rain
• Smaller city compared to Medellin or Bogota
• Less modern compared to cities like Medellin or Bogota

2. Salento

Salento is a very small town in the Coffee Region of Colombia, but it’s the best place to live to be right in the middle of gorgeous nature, and it’s actually one of the main reasons I personally think Colombia is worth visiting.

Pros of living in Salento:

• Gorgeous nature
• Amazing hiking, biking, or horseback riding trails
• Typical cute small Colombian town
• Only 45 min to 1 hour from bigger cities (Pereira or Armenia)
• Decent healthier, allergy friendly, or vegan options
• Nearby organic coffee farms
• Cheaper than big cities

Cons of living in Salento:

• Very small town
• No big grocery stores
• Lots of tourism
• Smaller selection of housing
  

FAQ: Villa de Leyva, Salento, Medellin, Barranquilla, & Pereira have some of the lowest crime rates in the country.

3. Santa Rosa de Cabal

Just up the mountain from Pereira, about a 30-40 minute ride, is the small town of Santa Rosa de Cabal, famous for its hot springs.

Pros of living in Santa Rosa de Cabal:

• Beautiful nature
• Cheaper than big cities
• Hot springs
• More Colombian tourism
• Close to great hikes (like the Nevado Santa Isabel glacier hike)

Cons of living in Santa Rosa de Cabal:

• Very small town
• Not the most healthy or allergy friendly place
• Less housing options
• Further from big cities
• Only one way to the bigger city of Pereira (and it can get blocked at times)

4. Bogotá

A lot of people recommend staying away from Bogota, but it was actually my favorite big city in Colombia. As the capital and largest city in Colombia, safety can be a concern, but it didn’t feel any different to me than somewhere like New York or San Francisco.

Tip: To be extra safe in Colombia, I recommend avoiding Airbnb’s (even as renting options) and taxi’s (use Uber instead).

Pros of living in Bogota:

• Big city with plenty of things to do
• Capital city
• Cooler climate
• Very easy to travel to other parts of the country
• Plenty of housing options to choose from
• Lots of history
• More healthy/allergy-friendly options
• Decent amount of organic health food stores
• Lots of sports groups on Meetup
• Sunday road closures for bikers, walkers, & runners
• Lots of public transportation

Cons of living in Bogota:

• Big city
• Decent amount of rain
• High altitude
• Higher prices
• Less safe than some other places in Colombia

5. Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva isn’t one of the most convenient places to live, being over 3 hours from Bogotá, but it’s one of the most charming and beautiful places in Colombia.

Pros of living in Villa de Leyva:

• Adorable colonial town
• Beautiful nature
• Cheaper than big cities
• Prehistoric & colonial history
• Beautiful buildings (especially Santo Ecce Homo Convent)

Cons of living in Villa de Leyva:

• Far from major cities
• Less housing options to choose from
• Less healthy/allergy friendly options
• Decent amount of tourism

6. Popayán

Popayán is a less-traveled city by foreigners, but it’s a decent size, and it is considered a religious center, especially during Semana Santa or Holy Week.

Pros of living in Popayan:

• Beautiful white walled city
• Less touristy
• Lots of religious celebrations
• Closer to the beautiful archeological site of San Agustin
• Nearby beautiful nature (Parque Nacional Natural de Puracé)
• One of the least expensive places to live in Colombia (outside of small towns)
  

Cons of living in Popayan:

• Smaller city
• Not very close to other cities
• Not very healthy/allergy-friendly
  

Tip: The borders and Pacific Coast are the places to avoid in Colombia, in addition to some pockets in major cities (but you can still live in the cities).

7. Pasto

Pasto is the southernmost large city in Colombia, not far from the Ecuadorian border. It’s most famous for its Carnaval de Negros y Blancos, architecture, and its proximity to the famous church built in a gorge, Santuario de Las Lajas.

Pros of living in Pasto:

• Close to Ecuador
• Beautiful architecture
• Famous gothic-style church in a gorge
• Cheaper city
• Cooler temperatures
• Location of one of the country’s most popular celebrations

Cons of living in Pasto:

• Far from other parts of Colombia
• High altitude
• More foggy/grey climate
• Not very healthy/allergy friendly

8. Cali

Cali is one of the largest cities by population in southwest Colombia, just under 4 hours from both Pereira and Popayán. It’s an increasingly more popular city to visit and it’s most famous for salsa music and dancing.

Pros of living in Cali:

• Bigger city
• More modern city
• More healthy/allergy friendly options
• Salsa music & dancing capital
• Easy to travel to other parts of Colombia
• Less expensive than Medellin or Bogota
• Plenty of housing options to choose from

Cons of living in Cali:

• Some more dangerous neighborhoods to avoid (but much safer than it used to be)
• More tourism
• Hotter climate
• Valley (not a very beautiful mountainous area)

9. Cartagena

Cartagena is one of the hottest destinations in Colombia, but the nearby beautiful beaches and the historical city center make it a very popular tourist & expat destination.

Pros of living in Cartagena:

• Historic
• Beautiful beaches (some, not all)
• Nice and safe in the walled city/Boca grande area
• Pretty easy to travel to other destinations in Colombia

Cons of living in Cartagena:

• Very hot and humid
• Popular cruise stop
• Lots of tourism
• Expensive
• More dangerous areas to avoid
• Not a very healthy/allergy friendly place

10. Barranquilla

Barranquilla is a larger city on the northern coast of Colombia, in between Cartagena & Santa Marta.

Pros of living in Barranquilla:

• Less touristy
• Popular place to live
• Beach
• Closer to Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona and The Lost City trek
• One of the largest Carnivals in the world

Cons of living in Barranquilla:

• Not quite as easy to travel to other parts of Colombia
• More expensive
• Not super healthy/allergy friendly

11. Medellín

Medellín is probably the most popular (and more expensive) place to visit and live in Colombia, and it’s one of the most modern cities in the country.

Pros of living in Medellin:

• Lots of healthier, allergy-friendly, and vegan options
• Lots of housing options
• Lots of things to do in Medellin itself
• Lots of hiking
• Easy to travel to other parts of Colombia
• Cool nearby towns (Guatape & Santa Fe de Antioquia)
• Year-round spring-like weather
• Lots of public transportation
• More modern city
  

Cons of living in Medellin:

• More expensive
• Some dangerous neighborhoods to avoid
• Crowded & busy
• Lots of tourism
• Smoggy city (I got headaches here)
• Seasonal allergies
• Lots of pickpocketing opportunities
  

FAQ: When deciding to visit or live in Colombia, many only see its past as one of the most dangerous places, but it’s changed, and it’s a beautiful, kind, and welcoming country, “that’s shown that it’s more than cocaine, marijuana, and coffee”.