Gasoline Price Medellín October 2026: $16,297, Then a Rollback

The gasoline price in Medellín for October 2026 is $16,297 pesos a gallon for regular, up 46 pesos from September, and it may not stay there. The same day the increase took effect, President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered it reversed. This is a developing story, so check the pump price before you budget around any figure below.

Quick answer: On October 1, 2026, regular gasoline rose 46 pesos a gallon nationwide (about 0.28%), to a Medellín reference price of $16,297. Reference prices differ by city (Bogotá’s is $16,377), so the Medellín figure is not a national price. Diesel (ACPM) stayed frozen at $11,641. The president told the Mines and Energy minister to reverse the October increase. As of October 1, 2026 (evening, COT), we have not seen a published resolution confirming the rollback.

Gasoline price in Medellín for October 2026: what changed

According to El Colombiano, the Ministries of Mines and Energy and of Finance updated the fuel reference prices effective October 1. The reference price for regular gasoline in Medellín is now $16,297 a gallon; Bogotá’s is $16,377.

Telemedellín reports the Medellín price moved from $16,251 to $16,297, and that the diesel reference price in the city is unchanged at $11,641.

Fuel (Medellín reference price)	Before	October 1, 2026
Regular gasoline	$16,251	$16,297
Diesel (ACPM)	$11,641	$11,641 (frozen)

Note these are reference prices set by the government. What a station charges can differ slightly.

Why gasoline went up

The government raised the price it recognizes for ethanol producers, according to El Colombiano. Ethanol is blended into Colombian gasoline, so the adjustment passes through to the pump. The stated aim was relief for sugarcane producers in Valle del Cauca, a region hit by the August 10 earthquake. We covered the wider fallout in our guide to Decreto 1423 and the rent freeze for Medellín tenants.

Telemedellín quotes the Mines Ministry describing the adjustment as moderate and as aligned with international ethanol prices. El Colombiano also reports that the diesel freeze is expected to save about COP 15.8 billion (15,803 million pesos) during October.

The president’s reversal order

Hours after the increase took effect, El Tiempo reported, and Infobae and El Heraldo corroborated, that De la Espriella summoned Mines and Energy Minister María Nohemí Arboleda and ordered her to “revierta el aumento correspondiente al mes de octubre” (reverse the increase for October).

His stated reasoning, per El Tiempo: rising international oil prices are squeezing household costs, and citizens should not be surprised by economic decisions. He said, in Spanish, “Nuestro primer deber es con el ciudadano” (our first duty is to the citizen). The government says it is looking for permanent solutions to oil-price swings.

What we do not yet know: how the rollback would be implemented, whether it applies retroactively to the first day, and who absorbs the cost of the ethanol adjustment.

What it means in dollars

Converted at the official TRM of COP 3,341.23 per dollar on September 30, 2026 (from our peso coverage), $16,297 is roughly US$4.88 a gallon. That is our own arithmetic, not an official figure, and the exchange rate moves daily.

The 46-peso change itself is tiny: about 1.4 US cents a gallon at that rate. A driver filling a 10-gallon tank would pay about 460 pesos more. The politics matter more than the amount.

What it means for Medellín drivers and riders

• Driving your own car or motorbike: The practical change is negligible. If the rollback happens, expect the price to return to $16,251.
• Taxis and ride-hailing: A roughly 0.28% fuel move is unlikely to change fares by itself. We have not found any announced fare change tied to this increase.
• Diesel users: Prices are frozen at $11,641 in Medellín, so no change at the pump.
• Budgeting: Treat $16,297 as an October reference price, not a fixed one, and re-check when the Mines Ministry or CREG publishes its next resolution.

For the broader picture of peso-denominated expenses, see our piece on how living costs have increased for expats in Medellín.

What to watch next

• A Mines Ministry resolution confirming or revoking the 46-peso increase.
• Whether the November reference price carries the ethanol adjustment.
• Any change to the diesel freeze.

We will update this article if an official rollback is published.

FAQ

Was the October 2026 gasoline increase reversed? The president ordered it on October 1, 2026, but as of this writing we have seen no published ministry resolution confirming it.

What is the diesel price in Medellín? The ACPM reference price is frozen at $11,641 a gallon, per Telemedellín.

How much is gasoline in Medellín in US dollars? About US$4.88 a gallon at the September 30 TRM, our own arithmetic.