Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cienfuegos and Santa Lucia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cienfuegos: $946 a month against $1,272 in Santa Lucia, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Lucia despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cienfuegos
Learn more

Cienfuegos Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Santa Lucia
Learn more

Santa Lucia Living Index

Jump to prices

Cienfuegos

🇨🇺 Cuba

$946

/mo nomad

Santa Lucia

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,272

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cienfuegos and in Santa Lucia

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

A single person spends $946 per month in Cienfuegos vs $1,272 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Cienfuegos $946
Santa Lucia $1,272

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Cienfuegos vs $1,808 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Cienfuegos $1,395
Santa Lucia $1,808

A family of three spends $1,845 per month in Cienfuegos vs $2,344 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Cienfuegos $1,845
Santa Lucia $2,344

Cienfuegos is about 26% cheaper than Santa Lucia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cienfuegos and Santa Lucia are more affordable than the global median – Cienfuegos 30% lower, Santa Lucia 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 CUP 88.0

$9.89 CUP 237

-62.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.57 CUP 662

$30.45 CUP 731

-9.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 CUP 122

$7.20 CUP 173

-29.44%

Cappuccino

$1.01 CUP 24.35

$3.22 CUP 77.2

-68.63%

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

$1.57 CUP 37.58

$1.09 CUP 26.14

44.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CUP 22.61

$0.92 CUP 22.17

2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 CUP 24.48

$1.94 CUP 46.65

-47.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 CUP 48.59

$2.97 CUP 71.4

-31.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CUP 49.24

$1.89 CUP 45.46

8.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 CUP 17.60

$1.82 CUP 43.61

-59.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 CUP 35.69

$1.48 CUP 35.46

0.68%

Eggs

$3.60 CUP 86.4

$3.58 CUP 86.0

0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.07 CUP 97.7

$6.43 CUP 154

-36.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 CUP 87.2

$5.73 CUP 137

-36.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 CUP 162

$11.16 CUP 268

-39.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 CUP 112

$2.83 CUP 67.8

64.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.46

$1.51 CUP 36.12

-32.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 CUP 34.21

$2.08 CUP 49.85

-31.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 CUP 39.37

$2.19 CUP 52.5

-25.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 CUP 36.90

$2.03 CUP 48.61

-24.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CUP 47.93

$1.73 CUP 41.41

15.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 CUP 18.67

$0.98 CUP 23.53

-20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 CUP 12.87

$1.03 CUP 24.66

-47.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 CUP 58.2

$3.96 CUP 95.0

-38.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 CUP 122

$11.90 CUP 286

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.59

$1.62 CUP 38.79

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 CUP 46.75

$2.31 CUP 55.4

-15.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 CUP 8.72

$0.20 CUP 4.87

80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.35 CUP 488

$24.54 CUP 589

-17.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 CUP 24.61

$3.33 CUP 79.9

-69.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 CUP 8.69

$0.41 CUP 9.85

-12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 CUP 330

$15.13 CUP 363

-9.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CUP 31.95

$1.02 CUP 24.45

30.39%

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

$50.8K CUP 1.2M

$69.8K CUP 1.7M

-27.24%

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

$63.2K CUP 1.5M

$81.5K CUP 2.0M

-22.47%

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

$35.24 CUP 846

$34.74 CUP 834

1.44%

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

$39.50 CUP 948

$14.96 CUP 359

164.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.6 CUP 2,198

$246 CUP 5,898

-62.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.86 CUP 957

$39.58 CUP 950

0.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.86 CUP 237

$15.23 CUP 366

-35.26%

Cinema Ticket

$0.98 CUP 23.58

$1.02 CUP 24.48

-3.92%

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

$112 CUP 2,679

$168 CUP 4,025

-33.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K CUP 248.3K

$4,041 CUP 97.0K

156.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.48 CUP 828

$69.0 CUP 1,655

-50.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.47 CUP 659

$53.9 CUP 1,294

-49.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.7 CUP 1,385

$99.4 CUP 2,386

-41.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.8 CUP 1,243

$107 CUP 2,557

-51.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$364 CUP 8,737

$548 CUP 13.2K

-33.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 CUP 9,048

$350 CUP 8,400

7.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 CUP 24.4K

$759 CUP 18.2K

34.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 CUP 14.5K

$500 CUP 12.0K

21.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$342 CUP 8,207

$342 CUP 8,199

0.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$240 CUP 5,772

$373 CUP 8,947

-35.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$37.45 CUP 899

$56.7 CUP 1,361

-33.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

4.94

35.02%

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

Last update for Cienfuegos: October 31, 2026

Last update for Santa Lucia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cienfuegos

$377 39.9%

Santa Lucia

$350 27.5% 7.2% $27

Groceries & Markets

Cienfuegos

$183 19.4%

Santa Lucia

$243 19.1% 32.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cienfuegos

$166 17.6%

Santa Lucia

$295 23.2% 77.6% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Cienfuegos

$77 8.2%

Santa Lucia

$148 11.6% 91.8% $71

Eating Out

Cienfuegos

$76 8%

Santa Lucia

$163 12.8% 115% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Cienfuegos

$42 4.4%

Santa Lucia

$42 3.3% 0.5% $0.2

Getting Around

Cienfuegos

$25 2.6%

Santa Lucia

$31 2.4% 24.8% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $364 in Cienfuegos versus $548 in Santa Lucia. 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 51% higher in Santa Lucia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Cienfuegos versus $30 in Santa Lucia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $243 – making Cienfuegos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Cienfuegos

🇨🇺 Santa Lucia

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

Same time as Cienfuegos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,404

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cienfuegos Santa Lucia 350 km

From you

Cienfuegos
Santa Lucia

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 Santa Lucia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $946 in Cienfuegos, $1,272 in Santa Lucia – Cienfuegos comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,419 per month in Cienfuegos and $1,908 in Santa Lucia. 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 $548 in Santa Lucia.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Cienfuegos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $112 per month in Cienfuegos and $168 in Santa Lucia. 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 Santa Lucia at $1,272. In Cienfuegos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Lucia 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, Santa Lucia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.