Colombia on $23/Day: 10-Day Shoestring Bogota to Cartagena

A backpacking colombia budget covering Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena fits 3 cities within Colombia into 10 days. That works out to roughly 3.3 days per stop, enough time to settle into each city without rushing to the next bus station. At the brokepackr level, daily costs average $24/day, covering the cheapest hostel dorm beds (averaging $7/night), street food and self-catering ($5/day), and local transport ($1/day). The price gap between the cheapest city (Cartagena at $15.20/day) and the priciest (Bogota at $15.25/day) is worth planning around. All prices on this page are in USD.

The cheapest dorm beds city by city: Cartagena at $6.08/night, Medellin at $6.86/night, Bogota at $7.27/night. Street food and market meals average $4/day for the route. Bogota is the cheapest place to eat at $3.99/day, while Cartagena runs $4.56/day for street food and self-catering. Inter-city ground transport for the full route comes to $189 to $255, sticking to the cheapest bus options and booking in advance. Adding it up: 10 days of dorm beds, street food, local transport, and inter-city travel comes to roughly $236 to $491 before international flights, stretching every dollar.

Staying within Colombia keeps visa logistics simple, but each stop on the route feels distinct. The character shift from Bogota to Cartagena covers everything from urban density to laid-back coastal or rural vibes. The Medellin to Cartagena connection runs 11.7 hours by bus starting at $29. The route trends cheaper as it goes, starting at $15.25/day in Bogota and dropping to $15.20/day by Cartagena. All stops align for January, February, March, June, July, August, and December travel, when drier conditions and moderate temperatures make each city more walkable and enjoyable.

January, February, March, June, July, August, and December is the recommended window, balancing good weather with reasonable hostel availability. The cost table below breaks down exactly what each city costs per day, sorted so the cheapest stop (Cartagena) stands out immediately. Below that, the transport section shows pricing and duration for every city-to-city connection on the route. Toggle between the brokepackr, backpackr, and flashpackr tiers to see how costs shift at each spending level.