Retirement Lists

Safety in Cartagena, Colombia

This is a photo of a Colombian monument identified by the ID
Photo by Sgonzalezb via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Cartagena safety

A citywide statistic cannot describe every street, property, or coastal block

The 2024 district report includes a 36.0 per 100,000 homicide rate, 9,239 reported thefts, 1,318 road accidents, 299 pedestrian strikes, and 148 transport-accident deaths. Motorcycles were involved in about 80% of the reported road accidents.

Cartagena also activated a coastal defense response in February 2026 after high surf, erosion, intense rain, flooding, and infrastructure damage. Review the exact block for lighting, property access, crossings, motorcycle traffic, drainage, elevation, emergency routes, and the route home.

The safety picture

Start with the overall picture, then look at the details that matter for daily life.

Day to day confidence

Nighttime comfort, response, scams, stability, and solo living add practical context.

Modeled 100-Year Flood Exposure
25.3% of nearby area
National Intentional Homicide Rate
24.9 per 100,000
SIEDCO HURTO PIRATERÍA TERRESTRE Records (2025)
1

Cartagena in everyday life

Could Cartagena work for you?

What may work well

  • Current district safety and traffic measures are available.
  • The city publishes coastal response information.
  • Neighborhood and property review can be done before moving.

What to think about

  • Crime and accident figures vary by place and period.
  • Motorcycle and pedestrian traffic affect daily movement.
  • Coastal rain and flooding can change routes.

Review Cartagena safety by address

  1. Use current local data

    Keep the district, year, category, source, and comparison visible and avoid a blanket label.

  2. Inspect the property

    Review entry control, elevators, lighting, locks, cameras, power, water, stairs, and emergency procedures.

  3. Check the route

    Use care, pharmacy, groceries, transit, culture, and home in daylight, evening, rain, heat, and traffic.

  4. Review coastal hazards

    Ask about flood, drainage, elevation, sea exposure, insurance, alerts, and road access.

Questions retirees ask

Is Cartagena safe?

The available evidence does not support a single citywide label. Review the neighborhood, property, traffic, lighting, coastal exposure, emergency access, and current local information.

Why include traffic accidents?

For a retiree, crossings, motorcycles, walking, taxis, and the route to care can be as important as crime statistics.

Does the coastal defense plan mean every home is at risk?

No. It documents a city response to specific coastal conditions. The exact address still needs elevation, drainage, flood, and access review.

What should a property visit include?

Entry control, elevators, stairs, lighting, locks, water, power, flooding, security, and the route to care and home.

Cartagena safety is best assessed through the neighborhood, property, traffic, coastal exposure, and current district information rather than one reputation or number.

Sources

Safety depends on the neighborhood, the places you go each day, transportation, and personal comfort.

Use official local sources and recent neighborhood-level context before choosing where to stay, rent, or buy.

Not yet available for this place: Overall Safety, Violent Crime, Property Crime.

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How this city research is made

Retirement Lists uses documented public sources and methods to research, review, and correct city information. Read our Editorial Policy.