Best eSIM for Colombia (2026): Prices, Networks and Which Plan to Buy for Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena

The best eSIM for Colombia on price depends on the plan: Airalo is cheapest on every unlimited plan (7 days for $27.50 against $35 at Wayfarro), Nomad is cheapest on 1GB ($4) and 20GB ($39), and Wayfarro is level with Nomad at the 5GB ($15) and 10GB ($25) sizes most two-week trips need. Wayfarro's prices come straight from its store; Nomad's and Airalo's were checked in October 2026.

Colombia rewards a bit of planning. The cities are well covered and cheap to get around, but the places people come for (Tayrona's beaches, the Lost City trek, the coffee farms around Salento, the islands off Cartagena) are exactly where signal gives out. There's also a local rule about registering your phone's IMEI that catches people who buy a local SIM, and that a travel eSIM sidesteps.

Best eSIM for Colombia: prices compared

These are the plans from each provider's own Colombia page, confirmed in US dollars. Providers change prices and run sales often, so check before you buy.

Plan	Wayfarro	Nomad	Airalo
1GB · 7 days	$4.50	$4	—
2GB · 15 days	$9	—	—
3GB · 30 days	$10	$9.50	—
5GB · 30 days	$15	$15	—
10GB · 30 days	$25	$25	—
20GB · 30 days	$63	$39	—
Unlimited · 1 day	$6.50	—	—
Unlimited · 3 days	$18	—	$12.50
Unlimited · 5 days	$25	—	$19.50
Unlimited · 7 days	$35	—	$27.50
Unlimited · 10 days	$44	—	$34.50
Unlimited · 15 days	$65	—	$48.50
Unlimited · 30 days	$148	—	$92
Networks	Not named on the plan page	Movistar	Not named on the plan page

How to read this table: Nomad is 50 cents cheaper than Wayfarro at 1GB and at 3GB, the two are level at 5GB and 10GB, and Nomad is a lot cheaper at 20GB. Nomad sells no unlimited Colombia plans. Airalo is cheaper than Wayfarro on unlimited at every length. Wayfarro is the only one of the three with a 1-day unlimited plan and a 2GB plan. Airalo's Colombia page showed only unlimited plans; it also sells fixed-data plans, so check its site for those. A dash means the provider doesn't sell that exact plan, or we couldn't confirm its US-dollar price.

Wayfarro's unlimited rows are its Unlimited Lite plans: 1GB a day at full speed, then 512 kbps until the next day. It also sells Unlimited Essential (1GB a day, then 1.25 Mbps) and Unlimited Plus (2GB a day, then 2 Mbps). Seven days costs $41 on Essential and $83 on Plus. Airalo doesn't publish a daily high-speed allowance for its Colombia unlimited plans. Nomad says its eSIMs support hotspot.

Which is the best eSIM for Colombia for your trip?

In Colombia, buy fixed data unless you need unlimited, and if you need unlimited, Airalo is the cheaper buy.

• A long weekend in Medellín or Cartagena (2–3 days): 1GB covers maps, Cabify and WhatsApp. Nomad's is $4 and Wayfarro's is $4.50. For a stopover day, Wayfarro's 1-day unlimited at $6.50 is the only 1-day plan of the three.
• Five days, one city plus a day trip: 3GB covers Guatapé from Medellín, or the Rosario islands from Cartagena. Nomad's is $9.50 and Wayfarro's is $10.
• One week, normal use: 5GB at $15, level with Nomad.
• One week, heavy use (video, social, hotspot): Airalo's 7-day unlimited at $27.50 is cheaper than Wayfarro's $35. If you want 2GB a day at full speed rather than 1GB, Wayfarro's Plus tier is $83.
• Two weeks, Bogotá plus Medellín and the coast: 10GB at $25, level with Nomad. Half your days will be on a beach or a trail without signal anyway.
• A month, remote work or Spanish school: Nomad's 20GB at $39 is well under Wayfarro's $63. For 30 days unlimited, Airalo at $92 is the cheapest of the three.

Networks and coverage in Colombia

Colombia's main networks are Claro, Movistar and Tigo, with WOM as a newer fourth. Nomad puts its Colombia eSIM on Movistar. Airalo's page shows a "primary network" without naming it, and Wayfarro's plan page doesn't name its partner either. If a specific operator matters to you, buy the plan that names it.

What to expect on the ground:

• Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Cartagena, Barranquilla: Dense 4G and growing 5G. Medellín's Metro and the Metrocable lines have coverage along the route.
• The coffee region: Pereira, Armenia and Manizales are fine. Salento and the Cocora valley are patchy once you're out among the wax palms, and the fincas rely on their own Wi-Fi.
• The Caribbean coast: Cartagena, Santa Marta and Palomino are covered in town. Tayrona's beaches and the Lost City trek are mostly without signal for days at a time. Download maps, tickets and bookings before you go in.
• The Pacific and the Amazon: Bahía Solano, Nuquí and Leticia have signal in the villages and little beyond.
• Guatapé and the rock: Fine in town and at the car park; thinner on the lake.

The IMEI rule, and why a travel eSIM avoids it

Colombia registers phones by IMEI to fight theft. If you put a local Colombian SIM into a phone bought abroad, you have 20 calendar days to register the phone's IMEI with the carrier. It's free (never pay a third party), and you need your passport, the IMEI (dial *#06#) and proof of ownership, which can be a signed declaration if you've lost the receipt. Miss the deadline and the phone is blocked from Colombian networks until you sort the paperwork.

The rule only applies to local SIMs. A travel eSIM connects as a roaming guest on a Colombian network, the same way your home SIM would, so there's nothing to register. For a trip of a few weeks that's one less thing to do on arrival.

How to set up an eSIM for Colombia

Install at home, turn it on when you land. It takes about two minutes:

1. Check your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM. iPhone XS and later, Google Pixel 3 and later, and most recent Samsung Galaxy phones do.
2. Install over Wi-Fi before you fly. Scan the QR code or use the one-tap install link. Step-by-step install guide.
3. Label it "Colombia" so it's easy to pick in settings.
4. When you land, set the Colombia eSIM as your mobile-data line and turn on Data Roaming for it. Travel eSIMs technically roam, so data won't connect without this setting.
5. Keep your home SIM on for calls and texts (turn its data roaming off to avoid charges) so you still get bank verification codes.

With Wayfarro, your plan's validity starts when the eSIM first connects in Colombia, not when you install it. If you run low, you top up the same eSIM without reinstalling.

Colombia-specific tips

"No dar papaya." It's the local phrase for not making yourself an easy target, and it applies to phones more than anything. Keep it in a front pocket, don't walk along the street with it out, and in Bogotá and Medellín pin your route before you leave the café rather than checking the map on the corner. Taxis hailed on the street are discouraged in the big cities; book through Cabify, DiDi or Uber instead, which is where your data earns its keep.

Altitude and the cities: Bogotá sits at around 2,600 metres and Medellín at about 1,500, so your first day in the capital can feel slow. Medellín's Metro, with the cable cars up to Comuna 13 and Parque Arví, is the best public transport in the country and takes a Cívica card you buy at the station.

WhatsApp runs everything. Hostels, tour operators, the finca that's picking you up in Salento and the boat to the islands all confirm by WhatsApp. Having data at the arrivals gate matters more than saving 50 cents on a 1GB plan.

Pesos: Colombian pesos come in big numbers, so a 50,000 note is about the price of a decent dinner. Cards work in the cities and the tourist towns; carry cash for small places, buses and the coast. If a terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and pay in pesos.

Moving on: Colombia is the start of a lot of South America trips. If you're carrying on to Ecuador, Peru or Panama, the Latin America regional eSIM covers the whole route on one install.

Bottom line

For most trips, the best eSIM for Colombia is a 5GB or 10GB fixed-data plan, where Wayfarro and Nomad are level. Nomad is cheaper on 1GB, 3GB and especially 20GB, and Airalo is the cheaper buy on every unlimited length; Wayfarro's edges are the 1-day and 2GB plans, top-ups without reinstalling, and validity that only starts when you land. Whichever you choose, install it at home, turn on data roaming when you land, and keep the phone in your pocket on the street. See Wayfarro's Colombia eSIM plans. Carrying on to Peru or Ecuador? The Latin America guide covers the regional plan, or pair countries in the Trip Builder.