Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
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Havana Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Havana 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 Havana and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $860 in Havana versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Havana $860
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,388 in Havana versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Havana $1,388
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,916 in Havana versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Havana $1,916
Medellin $3,190

Living in Havana costs roughly 47% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Havana is 36% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 CUP 86.3

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-54.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.63 CUP 663

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-40.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 CUP 117

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-48.63%

Cappuccino

$1.06 CUP 25.42

$3.11 COP 9,866

-65.92%

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

$1.51 CUP 36.33

$1.83 COP 5,800

-17.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.80

$1.38 COP 4,360

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 CUP 29.66

$3.05 COP 9,672

-59.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.10

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-62.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 CUP 64.3

$1.45 COP 4,600

84.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CUP 29.26

$2.36 COP 7,496

-48.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 CUP 42.35

$1.68 COP 5,328

4.76%

Eggs

$3.50 CUP 83.9

$2.86 COP 9,077

22.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.52 CUP 108

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-55.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 CUP 112

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-51.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 CUP 205

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-39.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 CUP 149

$4.07 COP 12.9K

52.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.55

$1.50 COP 4,742

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CUP 92.0

$2.17 COP 6,891

76.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 CUP 53.8

$2.31 COP 7,310

-3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CUP 70.2

$1.93 COP 6,113

51.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 CUP 65.7

$1.64 COP 5,196

67.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 CUP 17.33

$1.13 COP 3,571

-36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 CUP 13.60

$1.25 COP 3,954

-54.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 CUP 38.72

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-59.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 CUP 129

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-59.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.38

$1.70 COP 5,384

4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.30

$2.37 COP 7,525

-13.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 CUP 15.17

$1.21 COP 3,827

-47.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.13 CUP 531

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-71.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 CUP 63.1

$1.32 COP 4,179

99.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 CUP 7.98

$2.14 COP 6,774

-84.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.63 CUP 471

$8.47 COP 26.8K

131.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CUP 30.50

$1.30 COP 4,114

-2.31%

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

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

115.87%

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

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

66.92%

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

$46.62 CUP 1,119

$172 COP 545.6K

-72.91%

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

$39.24 CUP 942

$13.37 COP 42.4K

193.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.3 CUP 2,144

$28.73 COP 91.1K

210.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 CUP 392

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-63.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 CUP 308

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-24.65%

Cinema Ticket

$0.83 CUP 19.99

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-86.78%

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

$156 CUP 3,752

$770 COP 2.4M

-79.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

38.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CUP 1,253

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-39.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.71 CUP 1,001

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-26.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 CUP 1,919

$137 COP 432.9K

-41.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 CUP 1,623

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 CUP 5,911

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-76.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 CUP 5,245

$616 COP 2.0M

-64.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 CUP 20.9K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-53.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 CUP 12.2K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-50.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$314 CUP 7,545

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-92.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$407 CUP 9,762

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-75.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$29.60 CUP 710

$652 COP 2.1M

-95.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

10.94

-16.82%

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

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Havana

$234 27.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 26% $61

Accommodation & Living

Havana

$219 25.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 182% $397

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Havana

$175 20.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 22.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Havana

$109 12.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 56.5% $61

Eating Out

Havana

$76 8.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 120% $92

Getting Around

Havana

$29 3.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 222% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Havana

$18 2.1%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 221% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Havana and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 2104% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $28.00 in Havana vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $295 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Havana

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

1 h behind Havana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,141,993 Capital

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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Havana Medellin 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Havana
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

Havana vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Havana and Medellin differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($860 vs $1,614 including rent). Havana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2104% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Havana versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Havana – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $860 per month in Havana versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $860 in Havana versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Havana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Havana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.