Colombia (CO)
Colombia offers expats an extraordinary combination of year-round spring climate (especially in Medellín), very affordable living, rich culture, improving safety, and one of Latin America's most welcoming visa systems.
Daily Life
Practical day-to-day information for living in Colombia.
🛒 Supermarkets
Éxito is Colombia's largest supermarket chain. Now owned by Grupo Calleja (El Salvador) — acquired 100% of Éxito from Casino Group and GPA in January 2024. Large hypermarkets with full grocery, electronics and clothing. Carulla is the premium sub-brand with organic sections. Loyalty card: "Puntos Colombia" redeemable across the group.
Chilean chain (Cencosud) operating large hypermarkets. Competitive prices, wide imported goods selection, good wine and cheese departments. Present in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and other major cities.
Colombia's fastest-growing discount hard discounter chain — over 2,000 stores nationwide. Limited range but very low prices on basics, dairy, packaged goods, and cleaning products. No fresh fish/deli. Cash preferred; some stores accept card. The go-to for cheap daily staples.
Portuguese-owned hard discount chain (Jerónimo Martins group), expanding rapidly in Colombia. Similar model to D1 — focused on value, national coverage including small towns. Strong on packaged food, beverages, and household products.
Colombian chain strongest on the Caribbean coast (Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta). Supermarkets and SAO discount stores. Decent fresh produce and coastal food specialties.
Traditional covered public markets — find them in every city. Paloquemao in Bogotá, Galería Alameda in Cali. Lowest prices on fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish. An unmissable cultural experience. Bring cash; prices are negotiable. Perfect for arepas and fresh juices (jugos naturales) for COP $3,000–5,000.
Opening Hours
Shopping malls (centros comerciales): Mon–Sun 10am–9pm. Supermarkets: typically 7am–10pm daily. Corner shops (tiendas de barrio): often 6am–9pm or 10pm. Banks: Mon–Fri 9am–4pm (some until 5pm). Most shops and restaurants open 7 days a week — Sunday is not a restricted day. Sunday afternoon: many Colombian families do shopping or outings to malls. Government offices (entidades públicas): Mon–Fri 8am–5pm.
Sunday Rules
Colombia has no Sunday trading restrictions. Shops, malls, and restaurants are fully open on Sundays and public holidays. Sundays are actually peak shopping/dining days in many areas — families go to malls for leisure. Ciclovía in Bogotá (Sunday 7am–2pm): 120km of roads closed to cars for cyclists and pedestrians. Sunday market scene: Bogotá's Usaquén market (antiques, crafts), Parque El Virrey artisan market.
Recycling
Formal recycling infrastructure in Colombia is limited compared to Germany or Scandinavian countries. Most cities have a basic sistema de recolección (collection): organic waste, recycling, and general waste are separated in theory but mixed collection is still common in practice. Bogotá has the recicladores de oficio (informal waste pickers) system — thousands of people collect recyclables from bins. Place recyclables (cartón, plástico, vidrio, metales) in a separate bag visibly on top of your bin bag to help recicladores. Medellín has improved recycling centres. No national deposit system for bottles — some cities have lockers for recyclable collection. The culture of reutilización (reuse) is strong — street vendors buy old appliances, furniture, and cardboard.
Dining Out
Colombian food culture centres on the almuerzo ejecutivo (set lunch menu): soup (sopa), main course (seco), juice (jugo), and sometimes dessert for COP $8,000–15,000 — extraordinary value. Restaurants typically open noon–3pm for lunch and 7–10pm for dinner. Breakfast (desayuno) places open from 6–7am: arepas, changua, calentado (reheated last night's dinner — a breakfast tradition). Street food culture is vibrant: empanadas, obleas (wafer cookies), chuzos (skewers), mazorcas (corn on the cob). Premium restaurant scene in Bogotá and Medellín rivals international cities — especially in El Poblado, Zona Rosa, La Candelaria, Usaquén.
Utilities & Internet
Electricity: provided by regional companies (ENEL/Codensa in Bogotá, EPM in Medellín, EMCALI in Cali). Billed monthly. Bills in Bogotá average COP $80,000–180,000/month for 1–2BR flat depending on usage and estrato. Estratificación: housing is classified into 6 strata (1=lowest, 6=highest); utility rates differ dramatically — stratum 1–3 get subsidised rates, stratum 5–6 pay market rate plus a solidarity surcharge. Most expat apartments are stratum 4–6. Water: EPM in Medellín, EAAB in Bogotá. Average COP $30,000–80,000/month. Gas (natural gas): piped gas most common for cooking and water heating in highland cities. Average COP $25,000–60,000/month. Gas natural is clean and reliable in Bogotá and Medellín.
Cultural Tips for Expats
- → Estratificación (socioeconomic stratification 1–6) deeply influences social life, utility costs, and where people live — asking someone's estrato is socially loaded; avoid it
- → Términos de confianza: once a relationship is established, Colombians use terms like "mi amor," "mi vida," "vecino" (neighbour), "parce" (friend in Medellín) as warm greetings — not romantic, just friendly
- → Fútbol is a genuine religion — Nacional vs América, Millonarios vs Santa Fe match days affect restaurant bookings and mood citywide
- → Semana Santa (Holy Week) is Colombia's biggest family holiday week — cities empty out; road traffic doubles; beaches fill up
- → Propina voluntaria (voluntary service charge): always double-check your restaurant bill before paying — you can legally refuse it
- → Regatear (bargaining): normal at plazas de mercado, street vendors, and informal markets; never at D1/Éxito/malls
- → Tiendas de barrio (corner shops): the backbone of Colombian daily life — buy single cigarettes, individual portions of anything, credit for phones, eggs by the unit
- → Agua potable: tap water is safe to drink in Bogotá and Medellín. Outside these cities: use bottled or filtered water
- → Aguardiente at any gathering is nearly mandatory — learn to sip (not shoot) diplomatically if alcohol isn't your preference
Quiet Hours
Colombia has noise regulations (Resolución 0627/2006) that define maximum decibel levels by area and time. Enforcement is inconsistent but exists. Neighbours can file complaints (PQR) with the Alcaldía. Condominiums (conjuntos cerrados) have their own Reglamento de Propiedad Horizontal with stricter rules.
Residential areas. Fiestas, loud music, construction prohibited.
Normal noise levels permitted in residential areas; commercial areas have higher tolerance.
Conjunto cerrado (gated condos) typically enforce 9pm quiet hours on weekdays and midnight on weekends. Pool areas often close at 8–10pm.
- •Playing music loudly in an apartment building after 11pm on weekdays
- •Hosting parties in conjuntos without notifying administration
- •Assuming Colombian party culture means no rules — the Reglamento P.H. applies
Noise complaint (queja por ruido): neighbour can call Policía Nacional line 112. Cuadrante police may attend. Repeat violations: Comparendo (traffic/civil citation) and fine up to COP $440,000–880,000.
Postal Services
4-72 (formerly Servicios Postales Nacionales) is the state postal operator. Delivers to all municipalities including rural areas but can be slow and unreliable. Private courier services are faster and more reliable: Coordinadora, Servientrega, Deprisa (Avianca), TCC, Envía. For international packages: DHL, FedEx, UPS most reliable — also Correo Colombiano via 4-72 for letters. Amazon delivers to Colombia but with customs fees and delays for non-Prime items.
Not widely available. Some Éxito/Carulla supermarkets have Clovers parcel collection points for e-commerce deliveries. Rappi, MercadoLibre, and Falabella use their own delivery networks.
Large parcels: show CC/CE at collection. No formal "PostIdent" system. Notaría (notary) services available at all notarías for certified copies and ID verification.
Correo certificado via 4-72. Proof of delivery important for legal documents — send Derecho de Petición, legal notices, and contract cancellations by correo certificado to establish legal receipt.
No national mail forwarding service comparable to Germany. Moving: update your address on all government services (DIAN, Migración, EPS) individually. Inform landlord and bank directly. Most services in Colombia default to digital notification anyway.
- →For important legal mail: use correo certificado and keep the receipt (guía)
- →Courier services (Servientrega, Coordinadora) are more reliable than 4-72 for packages
- →Many Colombians use WhatsApp for business communications — landlords, services, and tradespeople respond faster via WhatsApp than email
- →Mailboxes (buzones) are rare in Colombian apartments — usually doormen or administration hold mail