Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuba and Italy

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuba: $1,273 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cuba
Italy
🇨🇺 Cuba
$1,273
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cuba and in Italy

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 Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Cuba versus $1,843 in Italy.

  • Cuba $1,273
  • Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Cuba versus $2,816 in Italy.

  • Cuba $1,737
  • Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,201 in Cuba versus $3,788 in Italy.

  • Cuba $2,201
  • Italy $3,788

Cuba ($185–$1,570) and Italy ($1,038–$2,555) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Cuba costs about 31% less than in Italy on average.

Cuba (6% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cuba
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.18 CUP 148
$20.46 €18.35
-69.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.62 CUP 591
$79.5 €71.3
-69.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.65 CUP 160
$11.15 €10.00
-40.36%
Cappuccino
$1.71 CUP 40.99
$2.04 €1.83
-16.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 CUP 43.65
$3.10 €2.78
-41.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 CUP 26.46
$1.40 €1.25
-21.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.04 CUP 48.93
$5.51 €4.95
-62.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CUP 58.3
$5.74 €5.15
-57.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cuba
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.69 CUP 64.6
$1.57 €1.41
71.34%
White Bread (500g)
$1.20 CUP 28.83
$2.38 €2.14
-49.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 CUP 47.56
$2.90 €2.60
-31.72%
Eggs
$3.41 CUP 81.9
$4.07 €3.65
-16.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.86 CUP 141
$17.44 €15.64
-66.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.11 CUP 123
$12.56 €11.26
-59.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.44 CUP 275
$20.17 €18.09
-43.28%
Apples (1kg)
$4.19 CUP 101
$2.58 €2.32
62.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.16 CUP 27.86
$2.19 €1.96
-47.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 CUP 42.63
$2.68 €2.40
-33.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.88 CUP 45.08
$3.27 €2.93
-42.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 CUP 45.17
$1.90 €1.71
-1.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.55 CUP 61.2
$1.82 €1.63
40.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 CUP 23.14
$1.57 €1.41
-38.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 CUP 22.52
$0.55 €0.49
70.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.20 CUP 76.8
$6.69 €6.00
-52.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.55 CUP 229
$7.99 €7.16
19.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 CUP 42.86
$1.77 €1.59
1.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 CUP 50.4
$2.35 €2.11
-10.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Cuba
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 CUP 4.17
$1.91 €1.71
-91.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.66 CUP 472
$43.44 €38.96
-54.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.31 CUP 55.4
$5.62 €5.04
-58.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 CUP 9.16
$1.71 €1.54
-77.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.70 CUP 473
$33.64 €30.17
-41.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 CUP 31.08
$2.03 €1.82
-36.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$70.7K CUP 1.7M
$35.3K €31.7K
100.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$73.0K CUP 1.8M
$36.7K €33.0K
98.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cuba
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$36.43 CUP 874
$227 €203
-83.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.75 CUP 834
$11.59 €10.40
199.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$225 CUP 5,403
$30.38 €27.25
641.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cuba
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.62 CUP 951
$51.8 €46.44
-23.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.71 CUP 305
$23.70 €21.26
-46.37%
Cinema Ticket
$1.02 CUP 24.57
$10.60 €9.51
-90.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cuba
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$115 CUP 2,767
$568 €509
-79.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.5K CUP 323.1K
$11.5K €10.3K
16.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cuba
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.90 CUP 1,030
$90.5 €81.2
-52.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.23 CUP 845
$38.55 €34.58
-8.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.7 CUP 1,720
$103 €92.1
-30.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.0 CUP 1,704
$131 €118
-45.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cuba
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$332 CUP 7,972
$826 €740
-59.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 CUP 10.9K
$646 €580
-29.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$876 CUP 21.0K
$1,400 €1,256
-37.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$589 CUP 14.1K
$1,054 €946
-44.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$355 CUP 8,524
$3,662 €3,285
-90.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$335 CUP 8,044
$2,301 €2,064
-85.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cuba
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$35.80 CUP 859
$1,886 €1,692
-98.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.38
3.56
163.48%

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

Last update for Cuba: October 27, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cuba
$454
Italy
$646 42.3% $192
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cuba
$296
Italy
$269 9.4% $28
Groceries & Markets
Cuba
$240
Italy
$348 44.7% $107
Eating Out
Cuba
$117
Italy
$279 139% $162
Clothing & Footwear
Cuba
$99
Italy
$163 64.3% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Cuba
$42
Italy
$73 75.1% $31
Getting Around
Cuba
$25
Italy
$65 166% $41

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $380 in Cuba, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $243 in Havana vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $37 in Cuba, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 92% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 161% more in Italy.

Public transport is 87% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 51 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
04:46 4:46 AM
09:46 9:46 AM
5 h ahead of Cuba
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,985,974
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cuba Italy 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cuba
  • Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How does the cost of living in Cuba compare to the cost in Italy?
At $1,273 per month in Cuba and $1,843 in Italy, there’s a 45% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
How do daily expenses compare in Cuba vs Italy?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Cuba: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Is rent more expensive in Cuba or in Italy?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $380 in Cuba. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Which country is better for expats: Cuba or Italy?
It depends on what you’re after: Cuba wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

Cuba vs other spots: cost of living compared

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