Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cienfuegos and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Cienfuegos: $946 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Cienfuegos

🇨🇺 Cuba

$946

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cienfuegos and in Monterrey

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 Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $946 per month in Cienfuegos vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cienfuegos $946
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Cienfuegos vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cienfuegos $1,395
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $1,845 per month in Cienfuegos vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cienfuegos $1,845
Monterrey $3,504

Cienfuegos is about 42% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cienfuegos sits 30% below the global median, while Monterrey is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 CUP 88.0

$13.37 MX$251

-72.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.57 CUP 662

$47.95 MX$900

-42.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 CUP 122

$10.79 MX$203

-52.92%

Cappuccino

$1.01 CUP 24.35

$3.77 MX$70.7

-73.21%

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

$1.57 CUP 37.58

$1.51 MX$28.37

3.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CUP 22.61

$1.03 MX$19.33

-8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 CUP 24.48

$2.48 MX$46.60

-58.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 CUP 48.59

$4.36 MX$81.8

-53.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CUP 49.24

$1.89 MX$35.58

8.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 CUP 17.60

$2.85 MX$53.5

-74.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 CUP 35.69

$1.86 MX$34.86

-19.89%

Eggs

$3.60 CUP 86.4

$2.47 MX$46.31

45.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.07 CUP 97.7

$11.81 MX$222

-65.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 CUP 87.2

$8.97 MX$168

-59.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 CUP 162

$12.57 MX$236

-46.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 CUP 112

$3.20 MX$60.0

45.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.46

$1.50 MX$28.23

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 CUP 34.21

$2.12 MX$39.90

-32.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 CUP 39.37

$2.33 MX$43.82

-29.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 CUP 36.90

$2.22 MX$41.75

-30.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CUP 47.93

$2.58 MX$48.54

-22.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 CUP 18.67

$1.45 MX$27.15

-46.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 CUP 12.87

$1.22 MX$22.94

-55.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 CUP 58.2

$4.80 MX$90.1

-49.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 CUP 122

$13.30 MX$250

-61.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.59

$1.93 MX$36.28

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 CUP 46.75

$2.86 MX$53.6

-31.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 CUP 8.72

$0.80 MX$15.00

-55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.35 CUP 488

$30.94 MX$581

-34.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 CUP 24.61

$1.83 MX$34.42

-43.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 CUP 8.69

$1.06 MX$19.86

-66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 CUP 330

$10.82 MX$203

26.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CUP 31.95

$1.47 MX$27.65

-9.52%

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

$50.8K CUP 1.2M

$24.1K MX$452.3K

110.90%

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

$63.2K CUP 1.5M

$23.5K MX$442.0K

168.49%

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

$35.24 CUP 846

$115 MX$2,152

-69.25%

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

$39.50 CUP 948

$26.37 MX$495

49.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.6 CUP 2,198

$25.70 MX$483

256.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.86 CUP 957

$30.53 MX$573

30.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.86 CUP 237

$21.27 MX$400

-53.64%

Cinema Ticket

$0.98 CUP 23.58

$4.96 MX$93.1

-80.24%

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

$112 CUP 2,679

$679 MX$12.7K

-83.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K CUP 248.3K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

-27.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.48 CUP 828

$72.2 MX$1,356

-52.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.47 CUP 659

$41.94 MX$788

-34.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.7 CUP 1,385

$107 MX$2,019

-46.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.8 CUP 1,243

$119 MX$2,228

-56.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$364 CUP 8,737

$1,018 MX$19.1K

-64.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 CUP 9,048

$722 MX$13.6K

-47.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 CUP 24.4K

$1,966 MX$36.9K

-48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 CUP 14.5K

$1,416 MX$26.6K

-57.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$342 CUP 8,207

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-91.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$240 CUP 5,772

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-91.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$37.45 CUP 899

$1,096 MX$20.6K

-96.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.79

-43.43%

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

Last update for Cienfuegos: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cienfuegos

$377 39.9%

Monterrey

$722 44% 91.4% $345

Groceries & Markets

Cienfuegos

$183 19.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 64.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cienfuegos

$166 17.6%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cienfuegos

$77 8.2%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 98.5% $76

Eating Out

Cienfuegos

$76 8%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 184% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Cienfuegos

$42 4.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 3.3% $1.4

Getting Around

Cienfuegos

$25 2.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 67.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $364 in Cienfuegos versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Monterrey are about 29 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Cienfuegos versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $302 – making Cienfuegos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Cienfuegos

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

21:41 9:41 PM

1 h behind Cienfuegos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,404

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.94 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cienfuegos Monterrey 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cienfuegos
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $946 in Cienfuegos, $1,641 in Monterrey – Cienfuegos comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,419 per month in Cienfuegos and $2,461 in Monterrey. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $364 there versus $1,018 in Monterrey.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Cienfuegos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $112 per month in Cienfuegos and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cienfuegos, where all-in costs run around $946, than in Monterrey at $1,641. In Cienfuegos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cienfuegos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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