Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Havana

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
Learn more

Havana Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $860 in Havana.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Havana $860

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,388 in Havana.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Havana $1,388

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,916 in Havana.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Havana $1,916

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 93% more expensive than in Havana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Havana is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$3.59 CUP 86.3

431.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$27.63 CUP 663

138.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$4.88 CUP 117

170.49%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.06 CUP 25.42

263.21%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.51 CUP 36.33

31.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.99 CUP 23.80

61.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.24 CUP 29.66

216.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.05 CUP 49.10

124.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.68 CUP 64.3

-44.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.22 CUP 29.26

107.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.76 CUP 42.35

-8.52%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.50 CUP 83.9

-18.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$4.52 CUP 108

127.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.66 CUP 112

114.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$8.56 CUP 205

55.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$6.20 CUP 149

-53.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.02 CUP 24.55

115.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$3.83 CUP 92.0

-63.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.24 CUP 53.8

-11.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$2.93 CUP 70.2

-58.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.74 CUP 65.7

-54.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.72 CUP 17.33

137.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.57 CUP 13.60

201.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$1.61 CUP 38.72

166.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$5.37 CUP 129

6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.77 CUP 42.38

22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.05 CUP 49.30

34.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.63 CUP 15.17

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$22.13 CUP 531

23.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.63 CUP 63.1

-40.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.33 CUP 7.98

212.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$19.63 CUP 471

-59.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.27 CUP 30.50

11.81%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

-53.74%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

-40.84%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$46.62 CUP 1,119

318.70%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$39.24 CUP 942

-35.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$89.3 CUP 2,144

-64.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$16.35 CUP 392

211.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$12.84 CUP 308

30.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$0.83 CUP 19.99

1145.78%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$156 CUP 3,752

196.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

-29.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$52.2 CUP 1,253

129.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$41.71 CUP 1,001

128.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$80.0 CUP 1,919

42.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$67.6 CUP 1,623

106.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$246 CUP 5,911

207.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$219 CUP 5,245

137.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$872 CUP 20.9K

82.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$508 CUP 12.2K

135.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$314 CUP 7,545

763.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$407 CUP 9,762

367.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$29.60 CUP 710

3068.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

9.1

529.12%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Havana

$219 25.4% 58% $301

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Havana

$234 27.2% 17.5% $49

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Havana

$76 8.9% 72.9% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Havana

$175 20.4% 30.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Havana

$109 12.6% 48.5% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Havana

$18 2.1% 74.8% $54

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Havana

$29 3.4% 21.7% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $246 in Havana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 3068% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $28.00 in Havana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $234 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇺 Havana

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

11:43 11:43 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

2,141,993 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Havana 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Havana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Havana differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $860 including rent). Havana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3068% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $246 in Havana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $156 in Havana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $860 in Havana versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Havana are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Havana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.