Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuba and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuba: $1,277 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Cuba
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Cuba Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,277

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Cuba is 26.8% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 39.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Cuba is 38.6% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 45.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 CUP 133

$12.37 ₡5,563

-55.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.58 CUP 590

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-60.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.61 CUP 159

$11.71 ₡5,264

-43.55%

Cappuccino

$1.65 CUP 39.71

$4.54 ₡2,040

-63.66%

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

$1.76 CUP 42.27

$2.75 ₡1,238

-36.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 CUP 26.77

$1.86 ₡837

-39.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 CUP 48.57

$3.35 ₡1,505

-39.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 CUP 57.9

$4.32 ₡1,944

-44.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.82 CUP 67.7

$2.36 ₡1,061

19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 CUP 28.79

$3.07 ₡1,379

-60.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 CUP 48.17

$2.51 ₡1,128

-19.92%

Eggs

$3.30 CUP 79.2

$3.53 ₡1,585

-6.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.81 CUP 139

$10.54 ₡4,738

-44.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 CUP 127

$10.57 ₡4,754

-49.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.04 CUP 265

$13.92 ₡6,261

-20.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 CUP 99.7

$5.20 ₡2,338

-20.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 CUP 26.86

$1.65 ₡740

-32.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 CUP 43.45

$4.89 ₡2,198

-62.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 CUP 46.35

$3.84 ₡1,728

-49.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 CUP 47.03

$3.91 ₡1,757

-49.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 CUP 60.7

$3.76 ₡1,692

-32.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 CUP 23.56

$1.12 ₡504

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 CUP 22.71

$3.22 ₡1,447

-70.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 CUP 76.6

$6.02 ₡2,706

-47.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.67 CUP 232

$19.84 ₡8,919

-51.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CUP 41.30

$2.81 ₡1,264

-38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 CUP 53.0

$3.65 ₡1,643

-39.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 CUP 5.16

$1.08 ₡487

-80.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.72 CUP 473

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-69.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 CUP 53.7

$2.26 ₡1,018

-0.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 CUP 9.15

$1.78 ₡799

-78.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.11 CUP 483

$7.90 ₡3,551

154.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CUP 29.62

$1.50 ₡673

-18.00%

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

$68.9K CUP 1.7M

$33.5K ₡15.1M

105.95%

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

$74.3K CUP 1.8M

$42.3K ₡19.0M

75.79%

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

$37.50 CUP 900

$93.2 ₡41.9K

-59.76%

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

$35.07 CUP 842

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-2.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$229 CUP 5,501

$60.6 ₡27.2K

278.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.43 CUP 922

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-44.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.74 CUP 306

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-48.92%

Cinema Ticket

$0.98 CUP 23.56

$7.67 ₡3,449

-87.22%

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

$116 CUP 2,785

$972 ₡436.9K

-88.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K CUP 322.4K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-28.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.50 CUP 1,116

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-34.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 CUP 843

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-38.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 CUP 1,738

$129 ₡57.8K

-43.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 CUP 1,743

$131 ₡58.8K

-44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 CUP 7,840

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-72.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 CUP 10.9K

$943 ₡424.1K

-51.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 CUP 20.6K

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-56.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$603 CUP 14.5K

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-56.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$352 CUP 8,441

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-86.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$344 CUP 8,267

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-83.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$35.85 CUP 860

$987 ₡443.6K

-96.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.38

8.62

8.82%

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

Last update for Cuba: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuba

$456 35.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 107% $487

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuba

$302 23.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 37.1% $112

Groceries & Markets

Cuba

$241 18.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 66.8% $161

Eating Out

Cuba

$111 8.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 110% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Cuba

$102 8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 70.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Cuba

$40 3.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 109% $44

Getting Around

Cuba

$25 1.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 227% $56

Good to know

🇨🇺 Cuba

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

1 h behind Cuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,985,974

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.94 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cuba San Jose 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cuba
San Jose

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuba and San Jose

CRC, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Cuba

San Jose

Cuba

San Jose

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