Electricity prices in Colombia

Colombia publishes no official national average household price, so this is the regulated tariff of EPM, the main electricity retailer in Medellín and Antioquia, for an estrato 4 home on EPM's low-voltage network, as published for October 2026 and still the latest in force: estrato 4 pays the full cost of supply worked out under the regulator CREG's formula, with no subsidy or surcharge, at the same rate for every kWh. It leaves out the fixed charge of COP 9,611 per bill listed in the same table and any municipal street-lighting tax; household electricity carries no VAT. Estrato 1–3 homes pay less for a subsistence allowance (130 kWh a month in Medellín), estrato 5–6 homes pay 20% more (COP 1,189.54), and a temporary CREG saving scheme running since September 2026 bills estrato 4–6 homes at 1.5 times the tariff for use above 110% of a personal target.

Checked against EPM on November 13, 2026.

Colombia gets most of its electricity from hydropower, with gas and coal plants as backup and solar farms growing quickly, so dry spells linked to El Niño push up wholesale prices and have prompted temporary saving schemes. Regulated retailers such as Enel in Bogotá and EPM in Medellín recalculate their tariffs every month with a formula set by the regulator, CREG, and publish them.

Homes are classed into six socio-economic strata. The lower three receive subsidies on a basic allowance of consumption, the fourth pays the cost of supply, and the top two, along with businesses, pay a solidarity surcharge that helps fund the subsidies. Household electricity is free of value added tax, although many municipalities add a street-lighting tax to the bill.