Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Cuba

Name: Cuba
Address: CU

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuba: $1,306 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Cuba
Learn more

Cuba Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,735 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,306 in Cuba, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,735
Cuba $1,306

A couple spends around $2,710 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,782 in Cuba, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,710
Cuba $1,782

A family of three spends $3,684 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,258 in Cuba, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,684
Cuba $2,258

The cost of living in Costa Rica is about 33% higher than in Cuba on average.

Costa Rica sits 29% above the global median, while Cuba is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 ₡5,312

$5.92 CUP 142

98.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 ₡25.0K

$25.42 CUP 610

118.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 ₡4,831

$6.63 CUP 159

61.69%

Cappuccino

$4.49 ₡2,023

$1.69 CUP 40.51

165.68%

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

$2.33 ₡1,051

$1.85 CUP 44.38

25.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₡815

$1.09 CUP 26.24

66.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ₡1,455

$1.96 CUP 47.06

64.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,992

$2.48 CUP 59.5

78.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,037

$2.78 CUP 66.7

-17.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 ₡1,600

$1.27 CUP 30.42

179.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 ₡1,221

$2.11 CUP 50.7

28.44%

Eggs

$4.05 ₡1,825

$3.36 CUP 80.8

20.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 ₡4,473

$6.00 CUP 144

65.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,729

$5.06 CUP 121

107.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ₡6,111

$11.10 CUP 266

22.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 ₡2,312

$4.21 CUP 101

21.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$1.18 CUP 28.38

42.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,639

$1.79 CUP 43.05

102.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,463

$1.83 CUP 43.95

77.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,534

$1.96 CUP 47.14

73.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$2.34 CUP 56.1

32.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡501

$0.92 CUP 22.18

20.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$0.96 CUP 22.96

175.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 ₡2,446

$3.42 CUP 82.0

58.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 ₡7,048

$9.91 CUP 238

57.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.85 CUP 44.40

48.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ₡1,472

$2.20 CUP 52.9

48.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ₡480

$0.22 CUP 5.39

386.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 ₡29.4K

$20.36 CUP 489

220.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡981

$2.26 CUP 54.2

-3.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ₡916

$0.45 CUP 10.78

351.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 ₡3,977

$19.64 CUP 471

-55.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₡688

$1.28 CUP 30.60

19.53%

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

$32.8K ₡14.8M

$70.6K CUP 1.7M

-53.56%

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

$36.0K ₡16.2M

$73.7K CUP 1.8M

-51.21%

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

$93.4 ₡42.1K

$37.21 CUP 893

151.01%

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

$30.19 ₡13.6K

$34.59 CUP 830

-12.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 ₡25.7K

$230 CUP 5,509

-75.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ₡29.3K

$39.82 CUP 956

63.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.13 ₡9,976

$12.75 CUP 306

73.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 ₡3,645

$0.97 CUP 23.29

734.02%

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

$740 ₡333.8K

$109 CUP 2,614

579.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡5.7M

$13.2K CUP 315.7K

-4.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 ₡34.0K

$41.69 CUP 1,001

81.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$33.92 CUP 814

60.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.4K

$73.5 CUP 1,763

73.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡48.3K

$74.4 CUP 1,785

44.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 ₡375.3K

$343 CUP 8,234

142.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ₡289.1K

$487 CUP 11.7K

31.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 ₡800.8K

$894 CUP 21.5K

98.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ₡536.9K

$598 CUP 14.3K

99.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,437 ₡1.1M

$363 CUP 8,702

572.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 ₡735.2K

$345 CUP 8,270

373.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,033 ₡465.8K

$37.25 CUP 894

2673.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

9.38

1.92%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cuba: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$641 36.7%

Cuba

$487 37.1% 24.1% $155

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$379 21.7%

Cuba

$243 18.5% 36% $136

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$222 12.7%

Cuba

$114 8.7% 48.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$181 10.3%

Cuba

$301 23% 66.8% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$164 9.4%

Cuba

$101 7.7% 38.7% $64

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$82 4.7%

Cuba

$26 2% 68.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$81 4.6%

Cuba

$42 3.2% 48.6% $40

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $843 in Costa Rica vs $272 in Cuba. For reference, capital cities sit at $934 in San Jose and $258 in Havana.

Average salary: $1,078 in Costa Rica vs $36.00 in Cuba. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 210% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 130% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 2894% higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇨🇺 Cuba

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

2 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

10,985,974

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Costa Rica Cuba 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
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

Costa Rica vs Cuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuba is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 33% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $843 versus $272 in Cuba.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Cuba, adding to the overall 33% price gap.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Cuba, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Cuba is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.