Colombia
Bogotá
11.0 million people in the metro
The gist
A highland megacity with a strong family culture and genuine openness to foreigners. Formal marriage is declining while union libre is normal. The catch: incomes are low and safety needs street smarts.
The score, in four parts
The pool
How many people you could realistically meet, and how balanced the odds are.
Singles 25 to 34
734,000
Never-married people in their late twenties and thirties, estimated
Never married
48% / 41%
Men / women age 25 to 34 who have never married
Balance
More single men than women
108 single men per 100 single women, age 25 to 34
First marriage
30 / 27
Median age for men / women
The scene
Whether people here actually get married, and how open the city is to someone like you.
Want to marry
70%
Single adults who say they want to marry
How fast people marry
15 per 1,000
Weddings per 1,000 unmarried adults each year
Marrying foreigners
3%
Marriages between a local and a foreigner
How people meet
Apps 7/10
Matchmaking and singles events 4/10
The costs
What dating, marrying, and raising a family costs here, against what people earn.
Date night
$35
Dinner for two, drinks, a movie
Family rent
$800/mo
Two incomes expected
A wedding
$5,000
Typical total cost
Household income
$12,000
Median per year
The reality
Safety, stability, and what daily life is like after the honeymoon phase.
Safety
Stay alert at night
40 out of 100
Divorce
Low divorce rate
0.7 per 1,000 people a year
Healthcare
60/100
Quality of care
English
Learn the language
Everyday usability for a foreigner
The culture
Not scored. Whether these are features or mismatches depends on you.
- Religion shapes daily life
- Family approval matters
- Open to marrying foreigners
Marriage payment custom: None.
Marrying in Colombia
What the law says if you marry a Colombia national. Reviewed 2026-08-17. Informational, not legal advice.
- Spousal visa difficulty
- 3 out of 10, where 10 is hardest.
- Marriage process for foreigners
- Civil marriage before a notary or judge. Foreigners need passport, birth certificate (apostilled and officially translated), and a certificate of single status. Some notaries ask for a certificate of no impediment.
- Path to citizenship by marriage
- 2 years
- Property regime
- Default is community property (sociedad conyugal) over assets acquired during marriage. Couples can opt out via capitulaciones.
- Prenup enforceability
- moderate
- Worth knowing
- Colombia offers fast citizenship by marriage (2 years). Medellin and Bogota have large expat communities familiar with the process. Informational, not legal advice.
* Some numbers come from national statistics and might differ from the city itself. Last updated August 22, 2026.