Moving to Colombia from Venezuela

moving to

What to Expect

Considering a move from Venezuela to Colombia? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from Venezuela to Colombia, you would find that Colombia is 78.4% more expensive than Venezuela overall. A VEF750,000 salary in Venezuela would need to be roughly COP426,000,000 in Colombia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Bogota averages 61°F vs 86°F in Caracas, making it significantly cooler.

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Is Colombia cheaper than Venezuela?

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 8.7% less

Groceries

pay 4.1% less

Transportation

pay 47.1% more

Housing

pay 3.3 times more

Childcare

pay 3.8 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 34.1% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 VEF = 318.21 COP (October 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

What salary do you need in Colombia?

What does your salary buy?

VEF750,000 → COP426,000,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Colombia

Calculate with your salary →

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

What the data shows about people moving from Venezuela to Colombia.

Moved in 2021
24,822 ↓ 61% vs 2020

people moved from Venezuela to Colombia · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Colombia?

Top countries of origin for Colombia's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in Colombia compared to Venezuela.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

VE
12.7
CO
24.9
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

VE
13.2
CO
16.2

Venezuela performs better than Colombia across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

VE
$186
CO
$1,758
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

VE
16.6
CO
25.4

Colombia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Venezuela leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

VE
32.0
CO
24.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

VE
3.4t
CO
1.8t

Colombia performs significantly better than Venezuela across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

VE
12.9
CO
17.2
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

VE
7.5%
CO
3.6%

Colombia generally does better on infrastructure, though Venezuela leads in electricity per capita.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

VE
5.3%
CO
8.3%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

VE
$3,495
CO
$8,562

Colombia generally does better on employment & economy, though Venezuela leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

VE
72.7 yrs
CO
77.9 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

VE
21.2
CO
10.5

Colombia generally does better on family life, though Venezuela leads in literacy rate.

Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Ministerio del Poder Popular de Finanzas, SENIAT (2016), Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (DIAN) (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Weather in Colombia vs Venezuela

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Caracas Rain: 35.9 in/yr (913 mm)
86° / 61°F

Avg. annual high / low

Bogota Rain: 31.5 in/yr (799 mm)
61° / 45°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Caracas Bogota
Jan–Mar 87°/58°F (31°/14°C) 62°/44°F (17°/7°C)
Apr–Jun 88°/64°F (31°/18°C) 61°/47°F (16°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 86°/62°F (30°/17°C) 60°/45°F (15°/7°C)
Oct–Dec 84°/60°F (29°/15°C) 61°/45°F (16°/7°C)
View all months
Month Caracas Bogota
Jan 84°/56°F (29.0°/13.1°C) 62°/42°F (16.4°/5.6°C)
Feb 88°/58°F (31.0°/14.5°C) 62°/44°F (16.7°/6.5°C)
Mar 89°/60°F (31.7°/15.3°C) 62°/46°F (16.7°/7.6°C)
Apr 88°/61°F (31.1°/16.2°C) 61°/47°F (16.0°/8.6°C)
May 89°/65°F (31.8°/18.2°C) 61°/48°F (16.2°/8.7°C)
Jun 87°/65°F (30.3°/18.1°C) 60°/47°F (15.7°/8.3°C)
Jul 88°/62°F (31.0°/16.9°C) 59°/46°F (14.9°/7.7°C)
Aug 85°/62°F (29.3°/16.6°C) 60°/45°F (15.4°/7.3°C)
Sep 86°/62°F (30.1°/16.8°C) 60°/45°F (15.8°/7.1°C)
Oct 85°/62°F (29.7°/16.4°C) 61°/46°F (15.9°/7.7°C)
Nov 85°/60°F (29.6°/15.7°C) 61°/46°F (16.0°/7.9°C)
Dec 83°/58°F (28.4°/14.2°C) 61°/43°F (16.1°/6.3°C)

Data: Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMEH) Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMEH), Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environment Studies Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environment Studies

Can you move from Venezuela to Colombia?

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Venezuela and Colombia. To live, work, or study long-term in Colombia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Colombia's immigration authority.

Venezuela passport

Venezuela passport holder visiting Colombia

Visa Free
Venezuela passport holders can enter Colombia without a visa.
Colombia passport

Colombia passport holder visiting Venezuela

Visa Free
Colombia passport holders can enter Venezuela without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Colombia than Venezuela?

On average Colombia is around 78% pricier than Venezuela, with notable variation by city.

How much money do I need to move to Colombia?

Budget about COP106,500,000 for 3 months in Colombia (based on a VEF750,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Colombia?

Connectivity is usually fine (Colombia: 17.2 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Colombia offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?

Is Colombia safe for expats?

Venezuela performs better than Colombia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Colombia is 24.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 12.7 in Venezuela.

How is healthcare in Colombia compared to Venezuela?

Colombia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Venezuela leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Colombia, compared to 16.6 in Venezuela. Colombia scores 80 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Venezuela: 75).

What's the weather like in Colombia compared to Venezuela?

The average high temperature in Bogota is 61°F, compared to 86°F in Caracas. Bogota receives around 31.5 in of rainfall per year, while Caracas gets 35.9 in.

What language do they speak in Colombia?

Both Venezuela and Colombia share the same official language: Spanish.

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At a Glance

VE CO
Population 28,516,896 53,425,635
Currency Venezuelan Bolívar Fuerte (VEF) Colombian Peso (COP)
Languages Spanish Spanish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +58 +57
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 171 123