All Inclusive Living and Cost of Living in Colombia: Complete Guide
Table of Contents
- All-Inclusive Living and Cost of Living in Colombia for US Veterans
- Cost of Living for Veterans in Colombia
- Moving to an All-Inclusive Veteran Residence
- Legal and Benefits Considerations for Veterans in Colombia
- Timeline and Next Steps for Veteran Relocation
- Still Have Questions About All-Inclusive Living in Colombia?
All-Inclusive Living and Cost of Living in Colombia for US Veterans
More US veterans are searching for all inclusive living and cost of living in Colombia. The promise of all inclusive living Colombia combines comfort, community, and a lower day-to-day expense than most US cities.
Imagine a room with meals Colombia, utilities, cleaning, and gym access in a vetted veteran community — that’s the all-inclusive living model veterans choose. While this guide will compare colombia cost of living vs usa line by line, the point is simple: a fixed income can stretch further here.
We publish Field guides for veterans in Colombia to help you navigate benefits, residency, and steps, and all inclusive living abroad. Our guides are written by a US disabled Army veteran who lives in Cocorná, Antioquia, so the advice is boots-on-the-ground. In the next section, Cost of Living for Veterans in Colombia, we’ll break down the numbers — and be sure to explore the veteran retreat Colombia when you’re ready.
Cost of Living for Veterans in Colombia
The last section gave you a clear picture of all-inclusive living and what it offers a veteran. Now it’s time to look at the actual numbers behind the cost of living in Colombia — so you can see exactly how your benefits can work for you here.
Let’s break down the medellin cost of living in usd using typical monthly ranges for a single veteran:
- Rent (furnished apartment, good neighborhood): $400–600
- Utilities (electric, water, gas): $60–80
- Groceries: $150–200
- Dining out and entertainment: $100–150
- Local transport (metro, buses, occasional taxi): $50
- High-speed internet: $30
These are illustrative sample figures but they give you a realistic starting point. In Medellín, a comfortable single lifestyle often lands around $900–1,200 per month, which is far below what the same quality of life costs in most U.S. cities.
If you’re living on 100 VA disability, the numbers shift in your favor. Your 100% VA disability compensation arrives in U.S. dollars every month, while your daily living expenses are paid in Colombian pesos. The exchange rate does much of the heavy lifting, giving your income extra spending power. Currency fluctuation is something to keep an eye on, but the USD-to-COP relationship means your benefits typically go further here than they do stateside. Your benefits don’t stop at the border. Neither should you.
Head east about two hours to the Cocorná countryside, and the cost picture gets even brighter. Rural prices for rent and everyday goods run lower than Medellín’s, but what really changes the math is the all-inclusive veteran residence. At ColombiaLiving.vet, the current published all-inclusive rate starts at $2,200–$3,500 per month, depending on your term and accommodation choice. That one number bundles your private room, three meals a day, all utilities, cleaning, gym access, and community spaces.
To make sure the budget and the lifestyle truly fit, we offer trial weeks. A short, low-commitment stay lets you validate your monthly numbers, experience the daily rhythm, and decide if this is the right move before you commit to a longer stay. Think of it as a test drive for your new life in Colombia.
Once the numbers make sense, the natural next step is the practical move-in process — how you arrive, what day one looks like, and the support we’ve built around it. That’s exactly what the following section covers.
Moving to an All-Inclusive Veteran Residence
The previous section broke down the monthly numbers for a veteran living in Colombia — housing, food, utilities, internet, and transportation. Those figures give you a solid baseline, but managing five or six separate bills each month is its own headache. Moving to the all-inclusive veteran residence in Cocorná, in Eastern Antioquia near Medellín, turns those scattered costs into a single, predictable monthly payment. Your private room, three home-cooked meals a day, all utilities, regular housekeeping, and full access to the on-site gym are wrapped into one rate.
That single rate, depending on your choice of term and room, currently ranges from about $2,200 to $3,500 per month — sample pricing is published transparently on the residence’s site so you can see what each private room and amenity bundle costs before you apply. For the latest rates and availability, check the application page linked from the site, since availability changes and the residence won’t lock a price without an accepted application. The low-commitment trial week is the standard way to start: spend a full week living the daily rhythm — meals, gym, community, and setting — and decide whether to continue without a long-term obligation.
Beyond the practical single-bill convenience, the heart of the residence is the veteran community Colombia that shapes daily life. In Cocorná, you share meals and common spaces with fellow US veterans who are navigating the same questions about benefits, visas, and life abroad. There’s no clinical programming or forced activities — just a rhythm of shared meals and easy camaraderie that builds over time. That vetted community, grounded in mutual understanding and a common background, turns a room in Colombia into a genuine home.
Once you’ve settled into the daily rhythm, the next step is tackling the legal and benefits side of living in Colombia as a veteran. The following section, “Legal and Benefits Considerations for Veterans in Colombia,” covers visas, residence permits, and how to arrange your VA disability, TRICARE, and Social Security payments while you’re abroad. With the all-inclusive residence handling housing, meals, and utilities, you can focus on getting your paperwork squared away — exactly what the next guide walks you through.
Legal and Benefits Considerations for Veterans in Colombia
Once you’ve pictured daily life at the all-inclusive veteran residence, with its mountain mornings, shared meals, and community, you’ll need to lock in the legal and benefits side. Getting the right visa, benefit portability, and paperwork turns that image into a realistic move.
Visas and residency. The best visa depends on your unique income mix—VA disability, Social Security, or pension. We’ve partnered with expatgroup.co to connect you with current, personalized guidance. Requirements change, so check the latest through our field guides and by talking to their visa team.
Your benefits abroad. VA disability compensation and Social Security payments typically continue while you live in Colombia, but you must report foreign income to the IRS and SSA. TRICARE, however, is generally not designed to cover long-term overseas residence, so a private international health plan is worth planning for. Double-check current rules through VBA and SSA’s foreign-residence guidance; our field guides link to official sources. And once your income stream is confirmed, the residence’s all-inclusive package makes your monthly cost predictable.
Paperwork to prepare. Keep these documents ready:
- DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty)
- VA award letter
- Social Security Statement (SSA-1099 or a current benefits statement)
- TRICARE card
- Passport valid for the visa term
You’ll also need an apostilled FBI background check for visa applications, and once in Colombia, you’ll register for a cédula de extranjería (foreign ID card).
The visa type and document prep are the real timeline drivers. In the next section, 'Timeline and Next Steps for Veteran Relocation,' we walk you through the sequence so you can plan with confidence.
Timeline and Next Steps for Veteran Relocation
With the legal and benefits picture clear, the natural next question is: what does the actual move look like and when?
Phase 1: Preparation (typically 6+ months out). Apply for your Colombian visa through expatgroup.co, our visa referral partner. Gather your apostilled criminal background check and collect official income documents — your VA disability or pension award letter and your Social Security statement. You’ll need these for both the visa and your residence application.
Phase 2: Planning (typically 3–6 months out). Decide between coliving and the all-inclusive veteran residence in Cocorná. Map the monthly all-inclusive rate against your benefit income to confirm the numbers work. Arrange TRICARE coverage and any supplemental international health insurance, and notify the VA and Social Security of your international address change.
Phase 3: Finalizing (typically 1–3 months out). Confirm your residence room application status. Book your travel into Medellín’s José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) and arrange ground transport to Cocorná, about two hours away. Set up Colombian peso (COP) currency and banking logistics so you have local funds upon arrival.
First weeks in Cocorná: Settling in. Use a trial week at the all-inclusive veteran residence to find your footing, meet the vetted veteran community, and confirm the fit before committing longer term.
To get started, review the published sample pricing and rooms/rates information on ColombiaLiving.vet, submit the residency application to express your interest. While that’s processing, request the visa referral through expatgroup.co. If any part of the timeline raises questions, the next section covers the most common ones about all-inclusive living in Colombia.
Still Have Questions About All-Inclusive Living in Colombia?
Still have questions about all-inclusive living and cost of living in Colombia?
This article walked through the veteran-specific path to all inclusive living colombia—housing, visas, VA/TRICARE, and cost of living.
Send your questions or visit ColombiaLiving.vet for free field guides and to ask about the all-inclusive veteran residence and all inclusive living abroad.
All information is educational and not a substitute for professional legal, immigration, or medical advice. Consult qualified professionals; offerings are subject to change.