Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuba and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

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.

63

Cost of Living Index in Cuba
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Cuba Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,306

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cuba and in Costa Rica

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

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

Cuba $1,306
Costa Rica $1,735

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

Cuba $1,782
Costa Rica $2,710

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

Cuba $2,258
Costa Rica $3,684

The cost of living in Cuba is roughly 25% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.92 CUP 142

$11.78 ₡5,312

-49.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.42 CUP 610

$55.5 ₡25.0K

-54.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 CUP 159

$10.72 ₡4,831

-38.15%

Cappuccino

$1.69 CUP 40.51

$4.49 ₡2,023

-62.36%

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

$1.85 CUP 44.38

$2.33 ₡1,051

-20.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 CUP 26.24

$1.81 ₡815

-39.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 CUP 47.06

$3.23 ₡1,455

-39.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 CUP 59.5

$4.42 ₡1,992

-43.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 CUP 66.7

$2.30 ₡1,037

20.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 CUP 30.42

$3.55 ₡1,600

-64.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 CUP 50.7

$2.71 ₡1,221

-22.14%

Eggs

$3.36 CUP 80.8

$4.05 ₡1,825

-17.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.00 CUP 144

$9.92 ₡4,473

-39.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.06 CUP 121

$10.49 ₡4,729

-51.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 CUP 266

$13.56 ₡6,111

-18.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 CUP 101

$5.13 ₡2,312

-17.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 CUP 28.38

$1.68 ₡758

-29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 CUP 43.05

$3.63 ₡1,639

-50.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 CUP 43.95

$3.24 ₡1,463

-43.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 CUP 47.14

$3.40 ₡1,534

-42.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 CUP 56.1

$3.09 ₡1,394

-24.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 CUP 22.18

$1.11 ₡501

-17.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 CUP 22.96

$2.64 ₡1,192

-63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 CUP 82.0

$5.43 ₡2,446

-37.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 CUP 238

$15.63 ₡7,048

-36.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 CUP 44.40

$2.75 ₡1,238

-32.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 CUP 52.9

$3.27 ₡1,472

-32.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 CUP 5.39

$1.07 ₡480

-79.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.36 CUP 489

$65.3 ₡29.4K

-68.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 CUP 54.2

$2.18 ₡981

3.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 CUP 10.78

$2.03 ₡916

-77.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.64 CUP 471

$8.82 ₡3,977

122.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CUP 30.60

$1.53 ₡688

-16.34%

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

$70.6K CUP 1.7M

$32.8K ₡14.8M

115.34%

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

$73.7K CUP 1.8M

$36.0K ₡16.2M

104.97%

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

$37.21 CUP 893

$93.4 ₡42.1K

-60.16%

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

$34.59 CUP 830

$30.19 ₡13.6K

14.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$230 CUP 5,509

$57.1 ₡25.7K

302.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 CUP 956

$65.1 ₡29.3K

-38.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.75 CUP 306

$22.13 ₡9,976

-42.39%

Cinema Ticket

$0.97 CUP 23.29

$8.09 ₡3,645

-88.01%

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

$109 CUP 2,614

$740 ₡333.8K

-85.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K CUP 315.7K

$12.6K ₡5.7M

4.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.69 CUP 1,001

$75.5 ₡34.0K

-44.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.92 CUP 814

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-37.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 CUP 1,763

$127 ₡57.4K

-42.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 CUP 1,785

$107 ₡48.3K

-30.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 CUP 8,234

$833 ₡375.3K

-58.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 CUP 11.7K

$641 ₡289.1K

-24.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 CUP 21.5K

$1,776 ₡800.8K

-49.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$598 CUP 14.3K

$1,191 ₡536.9K

-49.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$363 CUP 8,702

$2,437 ₡1.1M

-85.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$345 CUP 8,270

$1,631 ₡735.2K

-78.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$37.25 CUP 894

$1,033 ₡465.8K

-96.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.38

9.56

-1.88%

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

Last update for Cuba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuba

$487 37.1%

Costa Rica

$641 36.7% 31.8% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuba

$301 23%

Costa Rica

$181 10.3% 40.1% $121

Groceries & Markets

Cuba

$243 18.5%

Costa Rica

$379 21.7% 56.2% $136

Eating Out

Cuba

$114 8.7%

Costa Rica

$222 12.7% 94.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Cuba

$101 7.7%

Costa Rica

$164 9.4% 63.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cuba

$42 3.2%

Costa Rica

$81 4.6% 94.6% $40

Getting Around

Cuba

$26 2%

Costa Rica

$82 4.7% 218% $56

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $36.00 in Cuba vs $1,078 in Costa Rica. 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

🇨🇺 Cuba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

2 h behind Cuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,985,974

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Cuba
Costa Rica

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

Cuba vs Costa Rica: 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.