Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Havana

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $863 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Havana
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Havana Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$863

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Havana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $863 in Havana.

Medellin $1,639
Havana $863

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,391 in Havana.

Medellin $2,413
Havana $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,919 in Havana.

Medellin $3,186
Havana $1,919

Living in Medellin is roughly 90% more expensive than in Havana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Havana is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.71 CUP 89.2

118.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$28.01 CUP 672

67.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$4.92 CUP 118

93.09%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.05 CUP 25.18

186.67%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.59 CUP 38.22

13.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.99 CUP 23.69

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.17 CUP 27.98

171.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.96 CUP 47.03

193.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.71 CUP 65.1

-44.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.41 CUP 33.74

68.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.72 CUP 41.17

2.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.57 CUP 85.7

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.36 CUP 105

133.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$4.60 CUP 110

114.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.27 CUP 198

69.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.93 CUP 142

-33.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.06 CUP 25.50

46.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.85 CUP 92.5

-43.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.26 CUP 54.3

-3.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.94 CUP 70.6

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.68 CUP 64.3

-40.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.78 CUP 18.80

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.57 CUP 13.60

117.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.68 CUP 40.30

135.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$5.27 CUP 126

159.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.70 CUP 40.85

-2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.05 CUP 49.14

10.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.68 CUP 16.22

72.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$22.84 CUP 548

238.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.57 CUP 61.6

-50.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.34 CUP 8.08

502.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$19.98 CUP 480

-57.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.33 CUP 31.90

1.50%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$59.8K CUP 1.4M

-43.04%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$59.3K CUP 1.4M

-41.49%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$46.59 CUP 1,118

264.13%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$39.68 CUP 952

-65.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$91.6 CUP 2,198

-69.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$16.27 CUP 391

168.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$12.90 CUP 310

33.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$0.87 CUP 20.84

694.25%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$158 CUP 3,798

403.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.7K CUP 303.8K

-28.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$52.3 CUP 1,256

61.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$41.42 CUP 994

39.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$80.3 CUP 1,926

68.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$67.6 CUP 1,622

44.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$243 CUP 5,832

397.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$218 CUP 5,244

193.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$884 CUP 21.2K

129.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$504 CUP 12.1K

100.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$304 CUP 7,288

1273.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$395 CUP 9,473

383.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$28.52 CUP 685

2204.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.1

20.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Havana: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Havana

$218 25.3% 65.9% $423

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Havana

$233 27% 21.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Havana

$178 20.6% 15.8% $33

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Havana

$77 8.9% 54.5% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Havana

$109 12.6% 35.7% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Havana

$30 3.5% 68.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Havana

$18 2.1% 68.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $243 in Havana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 23 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $28 in Havana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $233 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇺 Havana

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,141,993 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.8 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Havana 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Havana

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Havana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $863 in Havana, so Havana is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 23 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $243 in Havana. 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 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $863 in Havana – Havana is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $863 in Havana versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 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 47% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.