Colombia — Where to Live
Five cities, honest takes from someone who's actually lived in them. Cost, internet, neighbourhoods, vibe.
Bogotá
My base. The city that runs on coffee and chaos.
I'm based in Bogotá. Not because it's the obvious choice — Medellín gets most of the nomad hype — but because it makes practical sense. It's the country's main transport hub, which matters when you're moving around a country the size of Colombia. The airport connects to everywhere. The infrastructure is serious. The coworking scene is the best in the country.
Bogotá is a real city — 8 million people, traffic that makes you reconsider every car trip, altitude that hits you the first two days, and neighbourhoods that shift dramatically from block to block. It's not a place you come to relax. It's a place you come to work, build, think, and explore something genuinely complex.
2,600 metres is real. Your first 2–3 days in Bogotá you will feel it — shortness of breath on stairs, headaches, fatigue earlier than usual. Drink water, skip alcohol your first couple of days, don't push too hard on exercise immediately. By day 4 most people have adapted and forget it was ever an issue.
- Best transport hub in Colombia — everywhere is accessible
- Strongest coworking and tech infrastructure in the country
- Fast fibre internet, widely available
- Cultural depth — museums, art, food, music
- DNV applications processed here (Cancillería)
- Consistent cool climate — no oppressive heat
- Altitude takes adjustment — 2–3 days
- Traffic is genuinely brutal
- Security requires awareness — not dangerous, but alert
- Grey skies and drizzle are common — not a sunshine city
- Long-haul international flights limited (altitude issue)
Medellín
The hype city. Earns most of it.
Medellín gets more nomad hype than any other city in Colombia — possibly any city in South America. Some of that is deserved. The weather is genuinely called "la ciudad de la eterna primavera" — the city of eternal spring — because it hovers around 22–25°C year-round at valley level. The transformation from the 1980s to now is one of the most remarkable urban stories in the world. It's creative, friendly, and cheap.
The flip side: the hype has created a specific kind of foreigner bubble, especially in El Poblado. It can feel like you're in a Colombian city designed for foreigners who want Colombia to feel safe and familiar. If that sounds appealing, El Poblado delivers. If you want more Colombia in your Colombia, Laureles is the move.
- Best weather in Colombia — 22–25°C all year
- Cheapest of the major cities
- Huge nomad community — easy to meet people
- Excellent metro system (rare in Colombia)
- Creative and design scene punching above its weight
- El Poblado bubble is real — easy to lose Colombia
- Hype has inflated prices in nomad areas significantly
- Less transport connectivity than Bogotá
- Security outside the main areas requires caution
Cartagena
Beautiful, hot, and the best international departure point.
Cartagena is visually one of the most striking cities in South America — colonial architecture, colour-soaked streets, the Caribbean right there. It's also 34°C with 80% humidity, which is either paradise or punishment depending on your relationship with heat. As a short-term base or a launch point for island trips, it's excellent. As a year-round work base, the heat is a genuine factor.
Cartagena is at sea level. Unlike Bogotá (2,600m), planes can take off with full fuel loads — which means direct long-haul flights that simply don't operate from Bogotá. If you're flying to Europe or doing transatlantic travel, Cartagena is consistently cheaper and more direct. I route most of my international trips through here.
- Best international flight hub in Colombia
- Visually stunning — genuinely beautiful city
- Caribbean beach access, islands nearby (San Andrés, Islas del Rosario)
- Sea level — no altitude adjustment
- Oppressive heat and humidity year-round
- Tourist prices inflate everything in the centre
- Smaller nomad community than Bogotá or Medellín
- Coworking infrastructure less developed
Santa Marta
Gateway to everything beautiful, base for not much.
Santa Marta is where you go to get to Tayrona National Park, Palomino, and the lost city. It's a gateway city more than a destination in itself. That said, it's pleasant, cheaper than Cartagena, and has a more local feel. The nomad infrastructure is minimal — coworking spaces are sparse and internet can be inconsistent. Come here for nature access and stay shorter term.
- Cheapest Caribbean coastal option
- Gateway to Tayrona, Palomino, Minca
- More authentic and less touristy than Cartagena
- Laid-back pace — good for decompression
- Weak nomad infrastructure
- Internet can be unreliable in many areas
- Limited nightlife and cultural programming
- Not a city you build long-term routines in
Cali
The salsa capital. Not the nomad capital.
Cali has one thing nobody else in Colombia has — the best salsa dancing in the world, and a culture genuinely built around it. If that matters to you, Cali has a pull that no other city can match. For nomad infrastructure it lags behind Bogotá and Medellín — fewer coworking spaces, less English spoken, and a security landscape that requires more awareness than the other major cities. But it's real, warm, and genuinely Colombian.
- Cheapest major city in Colombia
- World's best salsa dancing — if that's your thing
- Warm year-round without Caribbean humidity
- More local and Colombian than Medellín's expat bubble
- Security requires more awareness than other cities
- Weaker nomad and coworking infrastructure
- Less English spoken — more Spanish required
- Less international connectivity than Bogotá