Key takeaways
- Across Antioquia an apartment starts at around US$96,000, with a typical asking price near US$199,000.
- A country house there starts around US$187,000 with a typical ask near US$335,000, against US$374,000 and US$919,000 for Antioquia as a whole.
- Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price: notary 0.27 percent, registry 0.67 percent and beneficencia 1 percent, plus your lawyer's fee.
- Closing normally takes 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed.
- An apartment across Antioquia starts at about US$96,000, with a typical asking price near US$199,000.
A house in the Medellín area typically asks about US$919,000 if it is a country house on land outside the city, while apartments in the wider Antioquia market start near US$96,000 and typically ask about US$199,000. The word "house" is doing a lot of work, and it is where most budgets go wrong.
Prices are set in Colombian pesos. Every dollar figure here is an approximation at the day's market rate (TRM), so the peso number on the escritura is the one that counts.
Checklist · Before you sign a promesa
The 12 documents I check on every deal
Tick them off as you collect them. Saved on this device.
Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro, online; valid 30 days
The notaría where it was signed; ask for a certified copy
The municipality's tesorería or hacienda office
The building's or gated community's administración
From the seller; the RUT downloads from the DIAN site
Granted at a notaría, or at a consulate if the seller is abroad
Printed on the predial bill, or from the municipal catastro
In the deed and on the cadastral record
Latest paid bills from EPM or the local operator
Declared before the notary in the deed itself
Drafted by your lawyer or agent; never sign the seller's version unread
Curaduría urbana or the municipal planning office
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Where each document comes from
- Certificado de tradición y libertad: Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro, online; valid 30 days
- Prior deed: The notaría where it was signed; ask for a certified copy
- Property-tax good standing: The municipality's tesorería or hacienda office
- HOA good standing, if applicable: The building's or gated community's administración
- Seller's ID / RUT: From the seller; the RUT downloads from the DIAN site
- Power of attorney, if the seller is represented: Granted at a notaría, or at a consulate if the seller is abroad
- Cadastral appraisal: Printed on the predial bill, or from the municipal catastro
- Survey and boundaries: In the deed and on the cadastral record
- Utilities up to date: Latest paid bills from EPM or the local operator
- Family-home protection certificate: Declared before the notary in the deed itself
- Promesa de compraventa draft: Drafted by your lawyer or agent; never sign the seller's version unread
- Building permit, if applicable: Curaduría urbana or the municipal planning office
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What does "house" actually mean here?
In Medellín and the valley around it, almost all family housing inside the city is an apartment under propiedad horizontal: you own the unit, pay a monthly administration fee and follow the building's reglamento. Across Antioquia an apartment starts at around US$96,000, with a typical asking price near US$199,000.
A detached house with its own land is mostly a rural or semi-rural product, and that is where the price jumps. A country house across Antioquia starts around US$374,000, with a typical asking price near US$919,000. A finca, meaning a property with working or usable land attached, starts around US$271,000 and typically asks near US$592,000. Bare land starts around US$118,000, typically asking about US$265,000.
So the honest answer depends on three things: whether you want a unit or a standalone structure, whether you want land with it, and how far from the city you are willing to be.
Is it cheaper outside Medellín?
In Guatapé and El Peñol, roughly an hour and a half east of the city, the same categories cost less at the top end. A country house there starts around US$187,000 with a typical ask near US$335,000, against US$374,000 and US$919,000 for Antioquia as a whole. A finca starts around US$234,000 and typically asks about US$467,000. An apartment starts around US$89,000 with a typical ask near US$159,000.
Lots are the exception. In Guatapé and El Peñol a lot starts at about US$128,000 and typically asks about US$431,000, well above the Antioquia-wide typical ask of US$265,000. Waterfront and view land is priced on position, not on square meters.
One infrastructure note, because it comes up in every Oriente conversation: the Devimed highway concession reverts on July 31, 2026, the financing trust is expected in 2027 and handover to Invías in 2028, so major works would not begin before late 2027. Nothing about the drive changes in the near term.
What do I pay on top of the asking price?
Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price: notary 0.27 percent, registry 0.67 percent and beneficencia 1 percent, plus your lawyer's fee. Budget for those separately, in pesos.
Then the annual costs. Property tax (predial) runs from 0.3 to 1.2 percent of the cadastral value, depending on the municipality, and cadastral value is not the same as what you paid. On an apartment, add the monthly administration fee, which pays for security, lifts and common areas and can be a meaningful line item in a building with a pool and 24-hour porters.
On the way out, capital gains are taxed at 15 percent when the property was held for two years or more.
If you intend to rent: long-term rentals have yielded 5 to 9 percent gross a year, and short-term rentals 8 to 15 percent gross. Appreciation in the area has historically run 7 to 8 percent a year, which is history, not a forecast, and short-term letting depends on the building's reglamento permitting it.
How does the purchase actually work?
Foreigners can own property in Colombia outright with a passport. No residency is required to buy.
The sequence is short and it does not vary:
- Pull the certificate of tradition and freedom (certificado de tradición y libertad) using the property's registry number. It shows the registered owner, the chain of owners, and any mortgages, liens or encumbrances. It is read before any money moves.
- For anything rural or with land, check the municipality's territorial plan (POT). It determines whether a parcel allows country housing, subdivision, or agricultural use only. A lot that cannot be built on is a different asset from the one in the listing photo.
- For an apartment, read the reglamento and the administration accounts, and confirm the unit has no outstanding fees.
- Sign the public deed (escritura) before a notary, then register it at the property registry. Until it is registered, you are not the owner against third parties.
Closing normally takes 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed. Transferring funds internationally and getting them properly recorded is usually the step that sets the pace, not the notary.
How we knowFigures as of November 5, 2026. Prices: active listings we verified ourselves; USD rate: TRM 3,221.19 COP per US$1, valid November 5, 2026 (Banco de la República, via datos.gov.co).
Frequently asked questions
How much does an apartment cost in Medellín and Antioquia?
An apartment across Antioquia starts at about US$96,000, with a typical asking price near US$199,000. In Guatapé and El Peñol the same product starts around US$89,000 and typically asks about US$159,000. All prices are set in pesos; dollar figures are approximations at the day's rate.
Can a foreigner buy a house in Medellín?
Yes. Foreigners can own property in Colombia outright with a passport, and no residency is required to buy. Title transfers by public deed (escritura) before a notary and must then be registered at the property registry to be valid against third parties.
What are the closing costs on a house purchase in Colombia?
Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price: notary 0.27 percent, registry 0.67 percent and beneficencia 1 percent, plus your lawyer's fee. These are paid in pesos and are separate from the agreed purchase price.
How long does it take to close on a property in Medellín?
Closing normally takes 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed. The pace is usually set by document checks and getting international funds properly recorded, not by the notary appointment itself.
What annual taxes will I pay as an owner?
Annual property tax (predial) runs from 0.3 to 1.2 percent of the cadastral value, depending on the municipality. Apartment owners also pay a monthly administration fee under propiedad horizontal. On resale, capital gains are taxed at 15 percent when held two years or more.
