Cartagena’s Airbnb Hosts Earned Nearly $120 Million Last Year

Travel

Key Facts

—The income. Airbnb hosts in the Bolívar region earned over 398 billion pesos, about 119 million dollars, in 2025.

—The growth. Host earnings rose more than twenty percent from 2023, when they were near 326 billion pesos.

—The average. The typical host earned about 4.6 million pesos over the year from the platform.

—The spread. Smaller towns like Mompox and Turbaco also drew meaningful host income beyond the city.

—The context. Bolívar is Colombia’s second-largest Airbnb market, behind Antioquia.

If you are weighing a move to Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the money flowing through short-term rentals is worth understanding. Cartagena Airbnb earnings hit new highs last year, and the gains are spreading well beyond the walled city.

For a newcomer, this is a read on a whole local economy. The rental platform has become a significant income source for residents, and where that money lands says a lot about how tourism is reshaping the region.

The headline figure is large. According to the platform’s own data, hosts across the Bolívar region earned more than 398 billion pesos, roughly 119 million dollars, over 2025.

What the Cartagena Airbnb numbers show

The growth has been steady. Host earnings across the region rose more than twenty percent between 2023 and 2025, climbing from about 326 billion pesos to the latest total.

The typical host is not getting rich. The average host earned around four point six million pesos over the year, close to nine hundred dollars, which reads as useful extra income rather than a full living.

Cartagena drives most of it. The colonial port is one of the Caribbean’s top international destinations, and it concentrates the bulk of the region’s short-term rental activity and income.

The money is also spreading out. Smaller towns recorded real income too, with Mompox drawing more than 391 million pesos and Turbaco over 266 million, pushing tourism cash into places off the usual map.

The other side of the boom

The upside is genuine. Visitor spending flows past the rental itself into corner shops, restaurants, transport and small businesses, spreading the benefit through neighbourhoods that rarely saw tourist money before.

But the picture is not all positive. Elsewhere in Colombia, cities like Medellín have cracked down on unlicensed short-term rentals, blaming them for rising rents and the hollowing-out of central neighbourhoods.

Cartagena sits with the same tension. A wave of foreign visitors and remote workers supports local incomes, yet it also pushes up housing costs in the most desirable districts, a trade-off residents feel directly.

For an expat, the takeaway is balance. The platform is a real economic engine on this coast, but the smart move is to weigh the neighbourhood, the local rules and the effect on long-term rents before settling in.

The national picture frames the local one. Airbnb says its hosts and guests supported more than two hundred thousand jobs across Colombia and generated billions of pesos in economic activity in a single year.

Bolívar’s ranking underlines Cartagena’s pull. The region is Colombia’s second-largest short-term rental market after Antioquia, home to Medellín, with the two together accounting for a large share of the national total.

There is a gender angle worth noting. More than half of Colombia’s Airbnb hosts are women, which the platform frames as a form of economic inclusion in a sector that reaches households directly.

The wider tourism boom sits underneath all of it. Colombia drew record visitor numbers in 2025, and the Caribbean coast, with Cartagena at its centre, remains one of the country’s single strongest draws for foreign travellers.

How much did Cartagena Airbnb hosts earn?

Hosts across the Bolívar region, which includes Cartagena, earned more than 398 billion pesos, about 119 million dollars, in 2025. That was up more than twenty percent from 2023, with the average host earning roughly four point six million pesos over the year.

Is the income only in Cartagena?

No. While Cartagena drives most of the activity, smaller towns such as Mompox and Turbaco also recorded meaningful host income, showing tourism money spreading into areas beyond the main city.

Are there downsides for residents?

Yes, there is a trade-off. Short-term rentals boost local incomes but can push up housing costs, a tension that has already prompted crackdowns in other Colombian cities like Medellín.