Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Lucia and Cienfuegos

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.

61

Cost of Living Index in Santa Lucia
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Santa Lucia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cienfuegos
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Cienfuegos Living Index

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Santa Lucia

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,272

/mo nomad

Cienfuegos

🇨🇺 Cuba

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Santa Lucia $1,272
Cienfuegos $946

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

Santa Lucia $1,808
Cienfuegos $1,395

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

Santa Lucia $2,344
Cienfuegos $1,845

Santa Lucia costs about 34% more than Cienfuegos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.89 CUP 237

$3.67 CUP 88.0

169.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.45 CUP 731

$27.57 CUP 662

10.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 CUP 173

$5.08 CUP 122

41.73%

Cappuccino

$3.22 CUP 77.2

$1.01 CUP 24.35

218.81%

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

$1.09 CUP 26.14

$1.57 CUP 37.58

-30.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 CUP 22.17

$0.94 CUP 22.61

-2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 CUP 46.65

$1.02 CUP 24.48

90.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CUP 71.4

$2.02 CUP 48.59

47.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CUP 45.46

$2.05 CUP 49.24

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 CUP 43.61

$0.73 CUP 17.60

149.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 CUP 35.46

$1.49 CUP 35.69

-0.67%

Eggs

$3.58 CUP 86.0

$3.60 CUP 86.4

-0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 CUP 154

$4.07 CUP 97.7

57.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 CUP 137

$3.63 CUP 87.2

57.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 CUP 268

$6.76 CUP 162

65.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 CUP 67.8

$4.66 CUP 112

-39.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 CUP 36.12

$1.02 CUP 24.46

48.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 CUP 49.85

$1.43 CUP 34.21

45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 CUP 52.5

$1.64 CUP 39.37

33.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CUP 48.61

$1.54 CUP 36.90

31.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 CUP 41.41

$2.00 CUP 47.93

-13.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 CUP 23.53

$0.78 CUP 18.67

25.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 CUP 24.66

$0.54 CUP 12.87

90.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 CUP 95.0

$2.42 CUP 58.2

63.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CUP 286

$5.10 CUP 122

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CUP 38.79

$1.77 CUP 42.59

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 CUP 55.4

$1.95 CUP 46.75

18.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 CUP 4.87

$0.36 CUP 8.72

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.54 CUP 589

$20.35 CUP 488

20.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 CUP 79.9

$1.03 CUP 24.61

223.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 CUP 9.85

$0.36 CUP 8.69

13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.13 CUP 363

$13.74 CUP 330

10.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 CUP 24.45

$1.33 CUP 31.95

-23.31%

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

$69.8K CUP 1.7M

$50.8K CUP 1.2M

37.43%

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

$81.5K CUP 2.0M

$63.2K CUP 1.5M

28.97%

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

$34.74 CUP 834

$35.24 CUP 846

-1.42%

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

$14.96 CUP 359

$39.50 CUP 948

-62.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$246 CUP 5,898

$91.6 CUP 2,198

168.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.58 CUP 950

$39.86 CUP 957

-0.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.23 CUP 366

$9.86 CUP 237

54.46%

Cinema Ticket

$1.02 CUP 24.48

$0.98 CUP 23.58

4.08%

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

$168 CUP 4,025

$112 CUP 2,679

50.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,041 CUP 97.0K

$10.3K CUP 248.3K

-60.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 CUP 1,655

$34.48 CUP 828

100.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 CUP 1,294

$27.47 CUP 659

96.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 CUP 2,386

$57.7 CUP 1,385

72.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CUP 2,557

$51.8 CUP 1,243

105.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 CUP 13.2K

$364 CUP 8,737

50.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 CUP 8,400

$377 CUP 9,048

-7.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 CUP 18.2K

$1,017 CUP 24.4K

-25.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 CUP 12.0K

$605 CUP 14.5K

-17.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$342 CUP 8,199

$342 CUP 8,207

-0.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$373 CUP 8,947

$240 CUP 5,772

55.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$56.7 CUP 1,361

$37.45 CUP 899

51.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

6.67

-25.94%

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

Last update for Santa Lucia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cienfuegos: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Lucia

$350 27.5%

Cienfuegos

$377 39.9% 7.7% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Lucia

$295 23.2%

Cienfuegos

$166 17.6% 43.7% $129

Groceries & Markets

Santa Lucia

$243 19.1%

Cienfuegos

$183 19.4% 24.7% $60

Eating Out

Santa Lucia

$163 12.8%

Cienfuegos

$76 8% 53.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Lucia

$148 11.6%

Cienfuegos

$77 8.2% 47.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Lucia

$42 3.3%

Cienfuegos

$42 4.4% 0.5% $0.2

Getting Around

Santa Lucia

$31 2.4%

Cienfuegos

$25 2.6% 19.9% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $548 in Santa Lucia versus $364 in Cienfuegos. 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 $30 in Santa Lucia versus $28 in Cienfuegos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $183 – making Cienfuegos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Santa Lucia

🇨🇺 Cienfuegos

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

Same time as Santa Lucia

🌤 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

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Santa Lucia Cienfuegos 350 km

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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

Santa Lucia vs Cienfuegos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,908 per month in Santa Lucia and $1,419 in Cienfuegos. 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 $168 per month in Santa Lucia and $112 in Cienfuegos. 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.