Monday, August 24th 2026 - 21:08 UTC
Among those seeking accommodation, the prevailing perception is of a generalised rise in prices
The municipal survey in Cali, Colombia's third city with more than two million inhabitants, now covers 10,000 families affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake of August 10 and estimates around 25,000 people have been left without adequate housing. Many have spent recent days in shelters or with relatives while searching for a rental, in a market strained by the sudden loss of supply.
The city government has carried out detailed assessments of 920 buildings, of which 56 collapsed. Technical analyses place the greatest concentration of damage in commune 19, where close to 200 properties may end up being demolished.
Among those seeking accommodation, the prevailing perception is of a generalised rise in prices. “Rents have gone up in every neighbourhood,” says Laura del Mar Villada, 29, who left her flat in the El Limonar district on the day of the quake and has not yet been able to retrieve her belongings. Manuel Alejandro Molina, 40, who lived with his wife and three-month-old son in the south of the city, says properties that previously cost 2.8 million pesos a month are now being advertised at up to 3.8 million.
