A bottle of water is 3,000? A cab ride is 20,000? Here is a break down how Colombian pesos work in normal, student-friendly terms and ways to exchange your money.
Colombia uses the Colombian peso (COP). And let me just tell you: the numbers are BIG. You’ll see bills like 2,000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000. The translation for 1,000 is “mil”. So a 2,000 bill is “dos mil”.
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How to Convert It (Kind of)
Right now (ish), $1 USD is around 4,000 pesos(give or take). So here’s a rough guide:
- 2,000 COP – $00.50
- 10,000 COP – $2.50
- 20,000 COP – $5.00
- 50,000 COP – $12.25
- 100,000 COP – $24.50
To estimate fast, I usually just divide the peso price by 4,000 to get the price in dollars. So if something costs 16,000 pesos, that’s about $4. Not exact, but it gets the job done.
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How to Break Your Bills
A lot of smaller shops and won’t break bigger bills (like 50,000 and higher), especially if you’re buying something cheap like water, gum, or a snack. If you have big bills (50k and 100k), try to break them at larger stores, restaurants, or grocery stores.
You’ll get change in coins, which are 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 pesos
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General Tips
- Look at the zeros!
20,000 COP is like $5 — not $500. But your brain might panic at all the zeros. Take a breath.
2. Use cash more than cards
Cash is king in a lot of places, and it helps you feel what you’re spending. Plus, your bank may charge extra for card transactions abroad.
3. Tipping isn’t required, but you can
Tipping culture is different in Colombia than in the US. Oftentimes, I was told not to tip by my host mom or teachers but sometimes I did. In restaurants, a 10% tip is sometimes added automatically.
Have a good trip!