Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and Cuba

Name: Cuba
Address: CU

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $865 a month against $1,273 in Cuba, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
Learn more

Brazil Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Cuba
Learn more

Cuba Living Index

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🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil and in Cuba

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

A single person spends $865 per month in Brazil vs $1,273 in Cuba, rent included.

Brazil $865
Cuba $1,273

A couple spends around $1,373 per month in Brazil vs $1,737 in Cuba, rent included.

Brazil $1,373
Cuba $1,737

A family of three spends $1,880 per month in Brazil vs $2,201 in Cuba, rent included.

Brazil $1,880
Cuba $2,201

The regional cost range is wider in Cuba ($185–$1,570) than in Brazil ($569–$1,349), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 32% lower than in Cuba on average.

Both Brazil and Cuba are more affordable than the global median – Brazil 36% lower, Cuba 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 R$35.08

$6.18 CUP 148

5.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.71 R$164

$24.62 CUP 591

24.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 R$39.89

$6.65 CUP 160

12.03%

Cappuccino

$1.91 R$10.22

$1.71 CUP 40.99

11.70%

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

$1.15 R$6.18

$1.82 CUP 43.65

-36.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.04

$1.10 CUP 26.46

-30.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$9.90

$2.04 CUP 48.93

-9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 R$15.28

$2.43 CUP 58.3

17.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.52

$2.69 CUP 64.6

-61.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$8.38

$1.20 CUP 28.83

30.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.61

$1.98 CUP 47.56

-37.37%

Eggs

$2.10 R$11.26

$3.41 CUP 81.9

-38.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R$47.45

$5.86 CUP 141

51.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 R$21.37

$5.11 CUP 123

-21.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 R$41.51

$11.44 CUP 275

-32.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 R$11.53

$4.19 CUP 101

-48.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.80

$1.16 CUP 27.86

9.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.18

$1.78 CUP 42.63

-34.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.88 CUP 45.08

-18.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.21

$1.88 CUP 45.17

-38.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.46

$2.55 CUP 61.2

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 R$3.97

$0.96 CUP 23.14

-22.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.84

$0.94 CUP 22.52

-23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 R$12.06

$3.20 CUP 76.8

-29.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 R$40.94

$9.55 CUP 229

-19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R$6.97

$1.79 CUP 42.86

-27.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R$11.58

$2.10 CUP 50.4

2.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.03

$0.17 CUP 4.17

452.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.00 R$235

$19.66 CUP 472

123.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.58

$2.31 CUP 55.4

-46.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R$5.11

$0.38 CUP 9.16

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.42 R$39.70

$19.70 CUP 473

-62.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.49

$1.29 CUP 31.08

-6.20%

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

$22.1K R$118.5K

$70.7K CUP 1.7M

-68.67%

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

$31.6K R$168.9K

$73.0K CUP 1.8M

-56.75%

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

$77.2 R$413

$36.43 CUP 874

111.86%

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

$12.44 R$66.6

$34.75 CUP 834

-64.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.80 R$106

$225 CUP 5,403

-91.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.36 R$130

$39.62 CUP 951

-38.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.46 R$136

$12.71 CUP 305

100.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.98 R$37.37

$1.02 CUP 24.57

584.31%

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

$316 R$1,690

$115 CUP 2,767

174.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,298 R$44.4K

$13.5K CUP 323.1K

-38.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 R$264

$42.90 CUP 1,030

15.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 R$245

$35.23 CUP 845

29.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 R$446

$71.7 CUP 1,720

16.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 R$351

$71.0 CUP 1,704

-7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 R$1,996

$332 CUP 7,972

12.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,341

$454 CUP 10.9K

-44.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 R$3,847

$876 CUP 21.0K

-17.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 R$2,624

$589 CUP 14.1K

-16.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,795 R$9,605

$355 CUP 8,524

405.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,269 R$6,791

$335 CUP 8,044

278.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 R$2,657

$35.80 CUP 859

1286.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.17

9.38

19.08%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cuba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$251 29%

Cuba

$454 35.7% 81.3% $204

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$183 21.2%

Cuba

$240 18.9% 31.4% $57

Eating Out

Brazil

$120 13.9%

Cuba

$117 9.2% 3.1% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$110 12.7%

Cuba

$99 7.8% 9.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$109 12.6%

Cuba

$296 23.3% 171% $187

Getting Around

Brazil

$54 6.2%

Cuba

$25 1.9% 54.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$38 4.4%

Cuba

$42 3.3% 8.7% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $335 in Brazil vs $380 in Cuba. For reference, capital cities sit at $517 in Brasilia and $243 in Havana.

Average salary: $468 in Brazil vs $37 in Cuba. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 13% higher in Cuba.

Public transport is 87% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are about 13 times higher in Brazil, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brazil.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇨🇺 Cuba

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h behind Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

10,985,974

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.71 CUP (100 CUP = 3.74 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brazil Cuba 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
Cuba

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

Brazil vs Cuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 32% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Cuba: a central one-bedroom averages $380 versus $335 in Brazil.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.