Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Cuba

Name: Cuba
Address: CU

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $1,306 in Cuba, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Cuba
Learn more

Cuba Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in China versus $1,306 in Cuba.

China $784
Cuba $1,306

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,268 in China versus $1,782 in Cuba.

China $1,268
Cuba $1,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,752 in China versus $2,258 in Cuba.

China $1,752
Cuba $2,258

Living in China costs about 40% less than in Cuba on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Cuba 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ¥19.39

$5.92 CUP 142

-51.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 ¥147

$25.42 CUP 610

-13.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.74

$6.63 CUP 159

-21.57%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.31

$1.69 CUP 40.51

79.88%

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

$0.52 ¥3.45

$1.85 CUP 44.38

-71.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$1.09 CUP 26.24

-74.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$1.96 CUP 47.06

-48.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.64

$2.48 CUP 59.5

-11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$2.78 CUP 66.7

-37.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.96

$1.27 CUP 30.42

29.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$2.11 CUP 50.7

-56.40%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$3.36 CUP 80.8

-52.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$6.00 CUP 144

116.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.38

$5.06 CUP 121

-33.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 ¥74.7

$11.10 CUP 266

0.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$4.21 CUP 101

-57.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$1.18 CUP 28.38

11.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$1.79 CUP 43.05

-17.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$1.83 CUP 43.95

-27.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.96 CUP 47.14

-61.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.34 CUP 56.1

-60.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$0.92 CUP 22.18

-35.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.96 CUP 22.96

-43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥25.34

$3.42 CUP 82.0

10.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 ¥81.1

$9.91 CUP 238

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.85 CUP 44.40

-55.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$2.20 CUP 52.9

-25.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.22 CUP 5.39

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.33 ¥149

$20.36 CUP 489

9.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$2.26 CUP 54.2

-32.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.31

$0.45 CUP 10.78

-22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.79

$19.64 CUP 471

-64.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$1.28 CUP 30.60

2.34%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$70.6K CUP 1.7M

-73.05%

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

$17.0K ¥113.7K

$73.7K CUP 1.8M

-76.92%

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

$54.1 ¥362

$37.21 CUP 893

45.47%

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

$8.42 ¥56.3

$34.59 CUP 830

-75.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 ¥71.6

$230 CUP 5,509

-95.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.72 ¥272

$39.82 CUP 956

2.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 ¥97.4

$12.75 CUP 306

14.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.15

$0.97 CUP 23.29

596.91%

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

$462 ¥3,089

$109 CUP 2,614

324.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$13.2K CUP 315.7K

48.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 ¥305

$41.69 CUP 1,001

9.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 ¥241

$33.92 CUP 814

6.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$73.5 CUP 1,763

2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$74.4 CUP 1,785

6.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,577

$343 CUP 8,234

12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,601

$487 CUP 11.7K

-50.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 ¥5,637

$894 CUP 21.5K

-5.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥3,083

$598 CUP 14.3K

-22.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,590 ¥30.7K

$363 CUP 8,702

1165.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$345 CUP 8,270

561.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 ¥7,082

$37.25 CUP 894

2744.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

9.38

-63.11%

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cuba: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30.1%

Cuba

$487 37.1% 103% $247

Groceries & Markets

China

$207 26.1%

Cuba

$243 18.5% 17.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

China

$106 13.4%

Cuba

$101 7.7% 5.3% $5.7

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Cuba

$114 8.7% 29.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.2%

Cuba

$301 23% 311% $228

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Cuba

$42 3.2% 23% $12

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Cuba

$26 2% 3.7% $1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $297 in China, $272 in Cuba. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $258 in Havana.

National salary averages: $868 in China, $36.00 in Cuba. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 9% higher in China.

Dining out costs 10% more in Cuba.

Salaries are 2311% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇨🇺 Cuba

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

12 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

10,985,974

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.89 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Cuba 12,740 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Cuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $784 per month in China and $1,306 in Cuba, there's a 67% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Cuba it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Cuba may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.