Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cienfuegos and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cienfuegos: $1,209 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Cienfuegos
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Cienfuegos Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cienfuegos

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,209

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cienfuegos and in Montevideo

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

A single person spends $1,209 per month in Cienfuegos vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cienfuegos $1,209
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $1,700 per month in Cienfuegos vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cienfuegos $1,700
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Cienfuegos vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cienfuegos $2,191
Montevideo $3,750

Cienfuegos is about 33% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cienfuegos sits 10% below the global median, while Montevideo is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.84 CUP 236

$15.26 UYU 613

-35.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.79 CUP 739

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-54.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.37 CUP 153

$14.37 UYU 578

-55.67%

Cappuccino

$2.31 CUP 55.4

$4.64 UYU 187

-50.22%

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

$4.85 CUP 116

$2.73 UYU 110

77.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 CUP 24.02

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-52.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 CUP 23.62

$4.75 UYU 191

-79.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CUP 49.19

$1.38 UYU 55.5

48.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 CUP 16.24

$2.77 UYU 112

-75.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 CUP 35.70

$1.69 UYU 67.8

-11.83%

Eggs

$3.61 CUP 86.7

$4.52 UYU 182

-20.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.91 CUP 93.8

$14.17 UYU 570

-72.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 CUP 86.6

$12.07 UYU 485

-70.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 CUP 164

$12.16 UYU 489

-44.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CUP 111

$2.87 UYU 116

61.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CUP 27.53

$2.75 UYU 110

-58.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 CUP 33.12

$1.73 UYU 69.5

-20.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 CUP 39.26

$3.24 UYU 130

-49.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 CUP 37.66

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-24.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 CUP 46.91

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 CUP 17.58

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-47.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 CUP 18.38

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-58.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 CUP 58.5

$5.57 UYU 224

-56.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 CUP 158

$8.89 UYU 357

-25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 CUP 44.75

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-18.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 CUP 45.86

$2.70 UYU 109

-29.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 CUP 8.67

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-76.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.90 CUP 478

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-72.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 CUP 23.68

$1.82 UYU 73.4

-45.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 CUP 12.38

$0.40 UYU 16.05

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.76 CUP 330

$10.66 UYU 429

29.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

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

$50.5K CUP 1.2M

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

88.83%

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

$63.2K CUP 1.5M

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

72.09%

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

$35.39 CUP 849

$191 UYU 7,674

-81.46%

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

$40.04 CUP 961

$20.40 UYU 820

96.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$249 CUP 5,967

$44.14 UYU 1,775

463.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.84 CUP 956

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-26.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.17 CUP 244

$19.68 UYU 791

-48.32%

Cinema Ticket

$0.98 CUP 23.48

$12.33 UYU 496

-92.05%

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

$110 CUP 2,646

$613 UYU 24.7K

-82.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,987 CUP 239.7K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-9.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.05 CUP 841

$103 UYU 4,134

-65.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.59 CUP 662

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-50.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.0 CUP 1,368

$124 UYU 5,000

-54.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.9 CUP 1,246

$130 UYU 5,214

-59.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 CUP 8,562

$705 UYU 28.4K

-49.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 CUP 8,991

$575 UYU 23.1K

-34.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 CUP 24.6K

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

-9.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 CUP 14.6K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-40.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$346 CUP 8,304

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-89.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$246 CUP 5,899

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-87.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$37.71 CUP 905

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-96.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.74

16.20%

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

Last update for Cienfuegos: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cienfuegos

$375 31.6%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 53.6% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cienfuegos

$324 27.3%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 21.2% $69

Groceries & Markets

Cienfuegos

$189 15.9%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 76.1% $144

Eating Out

Cienfuegos

$154 * 13%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 76.2% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Cienfuegos

$77 6.5%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 141% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Cienfuegos

$42 3.5%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 88.5% $37

Getting Around

Cienfuegos

$25 2.1%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 236% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $357 in Cienfuegos versus $705 in Montevideo. 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 3160% higher in Montevideo, 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 $31.00 in Cienfuegos versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $332 – making Cienfuegos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Cienfuegos

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h ahead of Cienfuegos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,404

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.89 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cienfuegos Montevideo 6,840 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cienfuegos
Montevideo

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 Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,209 in Cienfuegos, $1,813 in Montevideo – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Cienfuegos and $2,720 in Montevideo. 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 270% less in Cienfuegos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $110 per month in Cienfuegos and $613 in Montevideo. 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 $1,209, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Cienfuegos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,209 in Cienfuegos to $1,813 in Montevideo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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