- For foreign buyers in Cartagena
- Built with local realtors
- Updated this quarter
Here's 99% of what you need to know before buying in Cartagena.
The 12 documents we wish we had before buying in Cartagena. What each zone costs, what it earns on a nightly rental, how long it sits before it sells. Plus the things nobody writes down: how far below asking to go, which fees to refuse, and what a seller hopes you will not check.
The 12 documents to make a good real estate investment in Cartagena in 2026
Inside the walls the price you are quoted is in dollars, and outside them it is in pesos per square metre with an estrato attached. Most of these documents exist to close that gap. They are put together with realtors, notaría staff and owners we work with in the city.
Questions
Do you list your sources?
Yes, on every table. Each one says where the figures came from and the month they were collected: the property registry, published notaría rates, listing and nightly rate histories we track ourselves, building accounts shared with us by owners, and what the agents we work with in each zone are seeing week to week. Anything that is an estimate rather than a recorded number is labelled as one.
Can a foreigner actually own property here?
Yes, in your own name, with the same rights as a Colombian and no trust or special permit involved. The part that catches people out is on the way in: money brought into the country has to be registered with the central bank, and if it is not, taking it back out when you sell becomes a problem. Document 07 covers how that is done.
Can I renovate a house inside the walled city?
Some of it, and less than you think. The old town is protected, which means the facade, the height and often the internal layout are not yours to redraw, and the permits take time. What is and is not allowed, and what it does to a restoration budget, sits in documents 04 and 06.
Are the prices in pesos or dollars?
Both, because the market itself is split: inside the walls foreigners are usually quoted in dollars, and everywhere else the number is in pesos per square metre. Every table carries both columns, with the rate and the date we used.
How long are the documents?
One to four pages each. They are tables and checklists rather than reports, so any one of them takes about ten minutes to read.
Which areas do you cover?
Sixteen zones: Centro Histórico, San Diego, Getsemaní, Manga, Pie de la Popa, Cabrero, Marbella, Crespo, Bocagrande, Castillogrande, El Laguito, La Boquilla, Zona Norte, Serena del Mar, Tierrabomba and Barú. If you need somewhere or a specific project that is not in there, write to us and we will put it together for you at no extra cost.
I have a question about my own situation.
Ask us. If the answer is in the research we already have, we will send it. If it needs a call to someone in that zone or a look at a specific building, we will do that too and come back to you, at no extra cost.
Is $49 a lot for a set of documents?
You are about to spend a few hundred thousand dollars on a property, in a country whose paperwork you did not grow up with. Land that was never titled, money you cannot repatriate, a restoration the city will not approve: there are plenty of ways this gets expensive. We have done the homework so that you do not have to.
What format are they in?
PDF, so you can read them on your phone, tablet or computer.
When do I get them?
Straight after payment. The download link appears on screen and a copy arrives by email.
How often are they updated?
Every quarter. Our contacts in Cartagena re-check the numbers before each release, so the version you download today is the one updated this quarter.
I have another question.
Ask us on the contact page and we will get back to you.
Three packs
The first pack has 4 documents, the second has 6, and the third has all 12 of our Cartagena research.
All the data and information in these documents was checked this year with agents, notaría staff and owners working in Cartagena.