How far does a dollar income go in Colombia now?
About 21 percent less than a year ago, if you spend 90 percent of it in pesos. A dollar bought 17.8 percent fewer pesos on 31 October 2026 than a year earlier (3,182.99 against 3,870.42), and Colombian consumer prices rose 6.29 percent in the year to September 2026.
What does your dollar income buy now?
Enter your own numbers. The calculation runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent or stored.
Enter your rent to see the most it can rise at a renewal before the end of 2026.
Assumptions: your peso costs rose with national inflation (6.29 percent), though your own basket can differ. Inflation runs September to September and the exchange rate October to October. Conversion is at the official rate minus your conversion cost. Spending outside pesos is held flat, and US inflation is not included.
What exactly changed?
Two things moved against a dollar earner at once: fewer pesos per dollar, and higher peso prices.
| Fact | Value | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official dollar rate (TRM), 31 Oct 2025 | 3,870.42 pesos per US$ | TRM (Superintendencia Financiera) on datos.gov.co | Official source |
| Official dollar rate (TRM), 31 Oct to 3 Nov 2026 | 3,182.99 pesos per US$ | TRM (Superintendencia Financiera) on datos.gov.co | Official source |
| Consumer prices, Sep 2025 to Sep 2026 | 6.29% | Portafolio · second source | Two sources |
| Consumer prices excluding food and regulated items, Sep 2025 to Sep 2026 | 6.03% | DANE IPC annex anex-IPC-sinAlimentosRegulados-sep2026.xlsx | Official source |
| Consumer prices, September 2026 alone | 0.37% | DANE IPC annex anex-IPC-Variacion-sep2026.xls | Official source |
| Consumer prices, calendar 2025 | 5.10% | DANE IPC annex anex-IPC-Variacion-sep2026.xls | Official source |
| Housing rent cap (Ley 820 de 2003, art. 20) | Up to 100% of the prior calendar year's CPI, once every 12 months | Ministerio de Vivienda · second source | Two sources |
Recomputing inflation from DANE's published index levels (161.00 and 151.48) gives 6.28 percent; DANE and the press report 6.29 percent. The gap is rounding in the index, and this page uses 6.29.
How does it reach your budget?
- Exchange rate. Dollars are converted to pesos near the official rate, so a stronger peso means fewer pesos for the same income.
- Prices. Peso costs rise with Colombian inflation, to the extent your spending looks like the national basket.
- Rent. An urban housing rent can rise once every 12 months by up to the previous calendar year's inflation: up to 5.10 percent for increases applied in 2026. Increases in 2027 will be capped by calendar 2026 inflation, published in January 2027.
What does this not know yet?
- The rate your bank or transfer service actually gives you. Enter it above as a conversion cost.
- How your spending differs from the national basket.
- Current electricity and gas tariffs for your city and estrato. The open datasets we found are out of date, so they are not used.
- DANE's detailed tables for housing and rent, which we are still checking.
What would change this picture?
- DANE's October inflation figures, expected in early November 2026.
- Any large move in the official dollar rate, which changes daily.
- Your rent renewal date, and calendar 2026 inflation, which sets the cap for increases in 2027.
Decisions this bears on: when and how much to convert, whether to hold part of your savings in pesos, fixed peso commitments such as a lease, and how Colombia compares with other countries on a fixed dollar budget.
Questions
How much less does a dollar income buy in Colombia than a year ago?
About 21 percent less for someone who spends 90 percent of it in pesos, and about 23 percent less if all of it is spent in pesos. The peso rose from 3,870.42 to 3,182.99 per dollar between 31 October 2025 and 31 October 2026, and consumer prices rose 6.29 percent in the year to September 2026.
How much can my landlord raise the rent in Colombia in 2026?
For urban housing, Ley 820 de 2003 allows one increase every 12 months of up to the previous calendar year's consumer price change. Calendar 2025 inflation was 5.10 percent, so increases applied in 2026 can be up to 5.10 percent. Rent also cannot exceed 1 percent of the property's commercial value per month.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is an educational calculation with its assumptions shown. Your own costs, bank rates and decisions are yours.
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