Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cienfuegos and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cienfuegos: $935 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cienfuegos
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Cienfuegos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cienfuegos

🇨🇺 Cuba

$935

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cienfuegos and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cienfuegos and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Cienfuegos vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Cienfuegos $935
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,384 per month in Cienfuegos vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Cienfuegos $1,384
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,834 per month in Cienfuegos vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Cienfuegos $1,834
Medellin $3,199

Cienfuegos is about 42% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cienfuegos sits 31% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 CUP 87.2

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-56.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.37 CUP 657

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-41.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 CUP 117

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-47.08%

Cappuccino

$1.01 CUP 24.21

$3.05 COP 9,676

-66.89%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CUP 38.16

$1.80 COP 5,707

-11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 CUP 21.94

$1.38 COP 4,382

-34.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 CUP 23.66

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-69.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 CUP 47.52

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-64.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 CUP 48.61

$1.50 COP 4,760

35.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 CUP 17.34

$2.37 COP 7,508

-69.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 CUP 36.51

$1.70 COP 5,377

-10.59%

Eggs

$3.41 CUP 81.8

$2.96 COP 9,379

15.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.95 CUP 94.8

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-61.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 CUP 89.1

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-61.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 CUP 160

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-51.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 CUP 113

$4.13 COP 13.1K

13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 CUP 25.58

$1.53 COP 4,839

-30.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 CUP 34.46

$2.22 COP 7,052

-35.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 CUP 39.37

$2.27 COP 7,194

-27.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 CUP 38.22

$1.99 COP 6,311

-20.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 CUP 48.57

$1.67 COP 5,285

20.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 CUP 17.20

$1.18 COP 3,742

-38.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 CUP 12.84

$1.24 COP 3,919

-57.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 CUP 56.4

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-39.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 CUP 124

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-62.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 CUP 42.70

$1.66 COP 5,256

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 CUP 44.91

$2.40 COP 7,615

-22.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 CUP 8.69

$1.24 COP 3,944

-70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.62 CUP 471

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-74.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 CUP 23.29

$1.28 COP 4,044

-24.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 CUP 8.12

$2.15 COP 6,803

-84.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 CUP 318

$8.37 COP 26.5K

58.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CUP 30.79

$1.35 COP 4,288

-5.19%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$50.4K CUP 1.2M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

44.94%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$63.0K CUP 1.5M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

81.77%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$34.98 CUP 839

$167 COP 528.4K

-79.01%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$39.09 CUP 938

$13.62 COP 43.2K

187.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.9 CUP 2,183

$29.12 COP 92.3K

212.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.14 CUP 963

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-10.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.02 CUP 240

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-41.68%

Cinema Ticket

$1.01 CUP 24.30

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-85.51%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$108 CUP 2,600

$790 COP 2.5M

-86.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K CUP 240.7K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

10.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.89 CUP 837

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-60.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.99 CUP 672

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-51.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.0 CUP 1,368

$139 COP 440.7K

-58.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.5 CUP 1,236

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-47.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$367 CUP 8,811

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-64.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 CUP 8,868

$620 COP 2.0M

-40.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 CUP 24.5K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-45.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$603 CUP 14.5K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-40.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$347 CUP 8,332

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-91.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$249 CUP 5,971

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-85.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$37.68 CUP 904

$663 COP 2.1M

-94.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

10.94

-39.03%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cienfuegos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cienfuegos

$370 39.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 67.7% $250

Groceries & Markets

Cienfuegos

$183 19.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 63.2% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cienfuegos

$165 17.7%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 26.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Cienfuegos

$77 8.3%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 124% $96

Eating Out

Cienfuegos

$75 8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 129% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Cienfuegos

$42 4.5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 40% $17

Getting Around

Cienfuegos

$24 2.5%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 301% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $367 in Cienfuegos versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1660% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Cienfuegos versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $298 – making Cienfuegos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Cienfuegos

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

1 h behind Cienfuegos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,404

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cienfuegos Medellin 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cienfuegos
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cienfuegos vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $935 in Cienfuegos, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,402 per month in Cienfuegos and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cienfuegos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 299% less in Cienfuegos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $108 per month in Cienfuegos and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cienfuegos, where all-in costs run around $935, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Cienfuegos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Cienfuegos to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cienfuegos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.