As a whole, it is significantly cheaper to be a tourist in Colombia than in Europe or the United States. When the costs of travel in Colombia are compared to those in other Latin American countries, the place ranks around mid-table. While it is more expensive overall than places such as Guatemala, Nicaragua and Bolivia, it is still cheaper than parts of Latin America with a longer history of international tourism, such as in Brazil or Chile.

The total budget you’ll need for your depends mainly on the destinations you plan on visiting, the sort of accommodation you will be using, how fancy the restaurants you will be dining in etc. Though in many parts of the country the dominant type of international tourism is in the budget category, you might be surprised at the large array of mid and high end dining and accommodation options available. This is particularly true in the larger cities, and in popular international tourist spots such as Cartage.

You can get hold of international foods and products in Colombia, but you’ll have to pay a lot more to get your hands on these as opposed to the local produce. If you want to keep costs down, you can do so easily by staying in hostel dorms, using public transport and eating local foods. The most expensive areas in the country are Bogota, Cartagena and San Andres. More remote areas less frequented by tourists are often significantly cheaper.

Breakdown of Travel Costs

The national currency is the Colombian peso, of which there are approximately 2,800 to the USD (today’s rates available here). US dollars, Euros and other major international currencies are accepted in only very few locations; mainly in a handful of the top-end hotels and designer stores in the most popular tourist and commercial destinations.

To help you better assess the costs associated with visiting the country, we’ve detailed below the approximate average price for a variety of tourism-related goods and services. A more comprehensive breakdown of living costs is available via Numbeo’s cost of living comparison tool which can also prove very useful if you’re planning on staying in Colombia for the longer-term.