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Investing in Medellín: the projects, the numbers and the rules

Last checked: 3 October 2026. Figures last changed: 2 October 2026.

A dated, sourced record of the public works, tourism figures and rules people cite when they pitch Medellín property, with a page on each.

The pages

This page is a dated, sourced record of the public works, tourism figures and rules that people cite when they pitch Medellín property. We sell nothing.

What's being built

Project What it is Where Status, as of the date shown Official target date More
Metro de la 80 A 13.25 km light-rail line run by Metro de Medellín [2] Along Avenida 80, through Robledo and Laureles/Estadio [2] 55% of activities executed as of 23 September 2026, a figure that includes land acquisition [3] Works to finish in the first quarter of 2028 [2]; service from 2028 [1] Metro de la 80
Atanasio Girardot stadium A rebuild of the main stadium to hold about 60,000 people, up from 45,200 [6] Its current site; the plan rebuilds the existing stadium [6] Preparatory works only: removal of the west-stand roof began in July 2026 [6]; the main construction contract had not gone out to tender as of 7 September 2026 [8] Closure planned for the second half of 2027 [6]; no official reopening date, and El Colombiano reported completion in the first half of 2028 [9] Stadium rebuild
Mar Medellín A 12,000 m² man-made sea with a 5,000 m² sand beach, plus a wave pool [11][10] Gran Parque Medellín, beside Olaya Herrera airport [11] No construction tender for the sea, beach or wave pool as of 2 October 2026 [12]; Telemedellín reported in September 2026 that it will be the park's last phase to go to tender [29] None for the beach; the first half of 2027 was the August 2025 target for the whole park [10] Mar Medellín

The sources also record risks. For the Metro, the risk is money: on 17 September 2026 the Metro's manager told El Tiempo that national funds were still pending and that late payment could cause financial difficulties [4]. For the beach, El Tiempo reported in August 2025 that the citizen oversight group Todos por Medellín said the project was not in the city's Development Plan [28]. For the stadium, both the cost and the schedule have changed since the November 2025 plan [5][7][9].

The numbers

International arrivals through the migration checkpoint at José María Córdova airport reached 2,059,183 in 2025, 48.6% more than in 2022 [13]. SITE's non-resident visitors include Colombians who live abroad [13][16].

Growth slowed in 2026. January to July arrivals were 1,208,763, up 5.4% on the same months of 2025 [14], and June 2026 was 4.6% below June 2025 [15]. Average hotel occupancy in the city was 59.0% in the first half of 2026, 6.6 points below the first half of 2025 [15]. Short-term rental occupancy was 50.5% in the first half of 2026, down from 52.2% a year earlier [15].

What each figure counts is on our tourism numbers page.

The rules

Short-term rentals. Colombian law treats renting a property for periods of less than 30 days as tourist housing [17]. It is legal when the apartment is in the Registro Nacional de Turismo [18], the land use permits the activity [19], and, in an apartment building, the building's rules authorise it [18]. On 19 August 2026 a revision of the city's land-use plan was filed with the Concejo with tourist-housing regulation among its priorities, and as of 2 October 2026 it is a proposal, not law [20]. Details are on our short-term rental rules page.

Buying as a foreigner, and the visa. The Constitution gives foreigners the same civil rights as Colombians, subject to limits the law may set for public order [26]. Property worth at least 350 monthly minimum wages, titled only in your name and registered with Banco de la República, can qualify you for the M (Migrant) investor visa [21][22]. At the 2026 minimum wage of COP 1,750,905 that is COP 612,816,750 [21][24], about USD 185,000 at the 1 October 2026 TRM of COP 3,312.84 per dollar [25]. The visa is not residency: a Resident (R) visa is a separate application after 5 years on the M visa [21], and citizenship needs 5 more years of domicile counted from the resident visa [23]. Details are on our investor visa page.

What you may hear

You may see the stadium's cost given as COP 750,000 million. That was the November 2025 announcement [5], and the Concejo approved COP 926,000 million in August 2026 [7].

You may see an April to June 2027 opening given for the beach. No official source gives that date for the beach; the first half of 2027 was the August 2025 target for the whole park [10][29].

You may hear that buying property leads to citizenship in five years. On the investor route the minimum is about 10 years [21][23].

How we source this

We go to primary records first, such as the Alcaldía, the Concejo, SECOP II and the laws themselves. Where only the press reports something, we say so in the sentence. Every figure carries the date it applies to, and figures that circulate in sales material are checked against the record before they appear here. The date we last checked this page is shown under the title and above the Sources list. To report an error, write to hola@bestmedellin.com.

Frequently asked questions

Can foreigners buy property in Medellín?

The Constitution gives foreigners in Colombia the same civil rights as Colombians, and lets the law restrict those rights for reasons of public order [26]. Exchange rules treat property in Colombia bought by a non-resident as foreign direct investment [27].

Does buying property in Medellín give me residency?

Not directly. Property worth at least 350 monthly minimum wages, titled only in your name and registered with Banco de la República, can qualify you for the M (Migrant) investor visa [21][22]. After 5 years on that visa you may apply for a Resident (R) visa, and approval is not automatic [21]. Citizenship needs 5 continuous years of domicile counted from the date the resident visa is issued [23].

When will the Metro de la 80 open?

Metro de Medellín expects works to finish in the first quarter of 2028 [2] and says passengers can use the line from 2028 [1]. Metro has not published an opening month.

Is Airbnb legal in Medellín?

Renting an apartment to tourists is legal when it is in the Registro Nacional de Turismo [18], the land use permits the activity [19], and in an apartment building the building's rules authorise it [18]. Medellín's POT revision proposes limits on new tourist housing, but it is a proposal before the Concejo, not law [20].

Is tourism in Medellín still growing?

International arrivals grew 48.6% between 2022 and 2025 [13]. In 2026 growth slowed: January to July arrivals were 5.4% above the same months of 2025 [14], and June 2026 was 4.6% below June 2025 [15].

Last checked: 3 October 2026. Figures last changed: 2 October 2026.

Sources

  1. Metro de Medellín (Metro de la 80 project site), “Sobre el proyecto”, undated; read 2026-10-02. metrodela80.gov.co/sobre-el-proyecto
  2. Metro de Medellín, “En Medellín inicia la construcción de la primera estación subterránea de un sistema férreo en Colombia”, 2026-06-03. www.metrodemedellin.gov.co/al-dia/noticias/en-medellin-inicia-la-construccion-de-la-primera-estacion-subterranea-de-un-sistema-ferreo-en-colombia-federico-gutierrez-anuncio-avances-en-el-metro-de-la-80
  3. Metro de Medellín, “Comienzan cierres viales por el inicio de la construcción del patio taller del Metro de la 80”, 2026-09-23. www.metrodemedellin.gov.co/al-dia/noticias/comienzan-cierres-viales-por-el-inicio-de-la-construccion-del-patio-taller-del-metro-de-la-80
  4. El Tiempo, “Metro de la 80, Tren del Río y 13 nuevos corredores: cómo y cuándo se construirán las megaobras que definirán el futuro de Medellín”, 2026-09-17. www.eltiempo.com/colombia/medellin/metro-de-la-80-tren-del-rio-y-13-nuevos-corredores-como-y-cuando-se-construiran-las-megaobras-que-definiran-el-futuro-de-medellin-3586656
  5. Alcaldía de Medellín, “El estadio que la ciudad se merece: alcalde Federico Gutiérrez presentó plan para modernizar el Atanasio Girardot”, 2025-11-05. www.medellin.gov.co/es/sala-de-prensa/noticias/el-estadio-que-la-ciudad-se-merece-alcalde-federico-gutierrez-presento-plan-para-modernizar-el-atanasio-girardot/
  6. Alcaldía de Medellín, “Comenzó la transformación del estadio de Medellín: Federico Gutiérrez anunció la aprobación de la licencia de construcción e inicio del desmonte de la cubierta occidental”, 2026-07-08. www.medellin.gov.co/es/sala-de-prensa/noticias/comenzo-la-transformacion-del-estadio-de-medellin-federico-gutierrez-anuncio-la-aprobacion-de-la-licencia-de-construccion-e-inicio-del-desmonte-de-la-cubierta-occidental/
  7. Concejo de Medellín, “Una nueva voz para servir a Medellín”, 2026-08-18. www.concejodemedellin.gov.co/blog/2026/08/18/una-nueva-voz-para-servir-a-medellin/
  8. El Colombiano, “Avance de las principales obras de Medellín y Antioquia en 2026”, 2026-09-07. www.elcolombiano.com/medellin/avance-principales-obras-medellin-antioquia-2026-PB40723837
  9. El Colombiano, “Cómo será la renovación del estadio Atanasio Girardot de Medellín en 2028”, 2026-09-27. www.elcolombiano.com/medellin/como-sera-renovacion-estadio-atanasio-girardot-medellin-en-2028-PI41588520
  10. Alcaldía de Medellín, “Transformación arquitectónica y paisajística del Aeroparque Juan Pablo II”, 2025-08-20. www.medellin.gov.co/es/sala-de-prensa/noticias/transformacion-arquitectonica-y-paisajistica-del-aeroparque-juan-pablo-ii/
  11. Alcaldía de Medellín, “El Gran Parque Medellín toma forma: relato de una tarde de parkour, triatlón y disc golf”, 2025-11-18. www.medellin.gov.co/es/sala-de-prensa/noticias/el-gran-parque-medellin-toma-forma-relato-de-una-tarde-de-parkour-triatlon-y-disc-golf/
  12. Colombia Compra Eficiente, datos.gov.co, “SECOP II: Procesos de contratación (open dataset), EDU records searched for the aquatic zone”, 2026-10-02. www.datos.gov.co/resource/p6dx-8zbt.json
  13. SITE, Sistema de Inteligencia Turística de Medellín (Alcaldía de Medellín), “Informe consolidado 2025”, 2026-02-09. sitmde-media.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Inf_consol_2025_1ccfe3e38b.pdf
  14. SITE, Sistema de Inteligencia Turística de Medellín (Alcaldía de Medellín), “Infográfico SIT No. 7, 2026”, 2026-09-14. sitmde-media.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/INFOGRAFICO_SIT_N_7_2026_c26ee28c1a.pdf
  15. Alcaldía de Medellín, “Qué está pasando con el turismo en Medellín: las cifras que deja el primer semestre de 2026”, 2026-09-03. www.medellin.gov.co/es/sala-de-prensa/noticias/que-esta-pasando-con-el-turismo-en-medellin-las-cifras-que-deja-el-primer-semestre-de-2026/
  16. Alcaldía de Medellín, “El top cinco de los países que más visitan a Medellín lo lidera Estados Unidos con 32% de los viajeros”, 2025-05-25. www.medellin.gov.co/es/sala-de-prensa/noticias/el-top-cinco-de-los-paises-que-mas-visitan-a-medellin-lo-lidera-estados-unidos-con-32-de-los-viajeros/
  17. Secretaría General del Senado de la República, “Ley 2068 de 2020, por la cual se modifica la Ley General de Turismo”, 2020-12-31. www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_2068_2020.html
  18. Función Pública (Gestor Normativo), “Decreto 1836 de 2021, on the Registro Nacional de Turismo”, 2021-12-24. www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=175266
  19. Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo, “Preguntas frecuentes relacionadas con formalización (page undated, read 2026-10-02)”, 2026-10-02. www.mincit.gov.co/minturismo/analisis-sectorial-y-promocion/preguntas-frecuentes-relacionadas-con-formalizacio
  20. Concejo de Medellín, “Se radicó en el Concejo proyecto de acuerdo para la revisión y ajuste de mediano plazo del POT”, 2026-08-19. www.concejodemedellin.gov.co/blog/2026/08/19/se-radico-en-el-concejo-proyecto-de-acuerdo-para-la-revision-y-ajuste-de-mediano-plazo-del-pot/
  21. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería), “Resolución 5477 de 2022, por la cual se dictan disposiciones en materia de visas (consolidated, as amended by Resolución 10434 de 2023)”, 2022-07-22. www.cancilleria.gov.co/sites/default/files/Normograma/docs/resolucion_minrelaciones_5477_2022.htm
  22. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería), “Visa M Inversionista”, 2026-10-02. www.cancilleria.gov.co/node/26979
  23. Secretaría General del Senado, “Ley 2332 de 2023, normas sobre nacionalidad colombiana”, 2023-09-25. www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_2332_2023.html
  24. Icfes (official legal compilation), “Decreto 0159 de 2026, salario mínimo mensual legal vigente para 2026”, 2026-02-19. normograma.com/documentospdf/icfes2024/compilacion/docs/decreto_0159_2026.htm
  25. Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (datos.gov.co), “Tasa de Cambio Representativa del Mercado (TRM), value for 1 October 2026”, 2026-10-01. www.datos.gov.co/resource/32sa-8pi3.json?vigenciadesde=2026-10-01T00:00:00.000
  26. Secretaría General del Senado, “Constitución Política de Colombia, Artículo 100”, 1991-07-04. www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/constitucion_politica_1991_pr003.html
  27. Secretaría Distrital de Hacienda de Bogotá (official legal compilation), “Decreto 119 de 2017, régimen general de inversiones internacionales”, 2017-01-26. compilacionjuridica.shd.gov.co/compilacion/docs/decreto_0119_2017.htm
  28. El Tiempo, “Turbulento debate por el mar de Medellín: voces a favor y en contra”, 2025-08-23. www.eltiempo.com/colombia/medellin/turbulento-debate-por-el-mar-de-medellin-voces-a-favor-y-en-contra-del-proximo-gran-proyecto-estrategico-de-la-capital-de-antioquia-3484034
  29. Telemedellín, “Nuevo y mejorado centro acuático del Gran Parque Medellín será una realidad”, 2026-09-04. telemedellin.tv/centro-acuatico-gran-parque-medellin-realidad/