Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Havana

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $956 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Erbil outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
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Havana Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Havana

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Erbil vs $860 in Havana, rent included.

Erbil $956
Havana $860

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Erbil vs $1,388 in Havana, rent included.

Erbil $1,421
Havana $1,388

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Erbil vs $1,916 in Havana, rent included.

Erbil $1,887
Havana $1,916

Erbil costs about 11% more than Havana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Erbil and Havana are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 29% lower, Havana 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$3.59 CUP 86.3

79.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$27.63 CUP 663

31.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$4.88 CUP 117

45.29%

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$1.06 CUP 25.42

204.72%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$1.51 CUP 36.33

-41.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.99 CUP 23.80

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

$1.24 CUP 29.66

316.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

$2.05 CUP 49.10

87.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$2.68 CUP 64.3

-60.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$1.22 CUP 29.26

-40.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$1.76 CUP 42.35

-13.64%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$3.50 CUP 83.9

-55.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$4.52 CUP 108

52.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$4.66 CUP 112

-8.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$8.56 CUP 205

46.14%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$6.20 CUP 149

-84.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$1.02 CUP 24.55

-2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$3.83 CUP 92.0

-73.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$2.24 CUP 53.8

-70.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$2.93 CUP 70.2

-78.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$2.74 CUP 65.7

-77.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$0.72 CUP 17.33

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.57 CUP 13.60

-17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$1.61 CUP 38.72

33.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

$5.37 CUP 129

101.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.77 CUP 42.38

-16.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

$2.05 CUP 49.30

-8.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$0.63 CUP 15.17

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$22.13 CUP 531

75.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$2.63 CUP 63.1

-36.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$0.33 CUP 7.98

384.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$19.63 CUP 471

-71.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$1.27 CUP 30.50

-56.69%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

-72.95%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

-71.29%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$46.62 CUP 1,119

141.76%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$39.24 CUP 942

-68.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$89.3 CUP 2,144

-72.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$16.35 CUP 392

246.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$12.84 CUP 308

3.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$0.83 CUP 19.99

1104.82%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$156 CUP 3,752

101.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

-77.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$52.2 CUP 1,253

-48.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$41.71 CUP 1,001

-5.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$80.0 CUP 1,919

-25.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$67.6 CUP 1,623

-12.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$246 CUP 5,911

71.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$219 CUP 5,245

25.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$872 CUP 20.9K

-19.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$508 CUP 12.2K

-20.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$314 CUP 7,545

233.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

$407 CUP 9,762

49.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$29.60 CUP 710

1675.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

9.1

-72.20%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Havana

$219 25.4% 20.5% $56

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Havana

$234 27.2% 35.9% $62

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Havana

$76 8.9% 49.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Havana

$175 20.4% 17.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Havana

$109 12.6% 30.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Havana

$18 2.1% 76.5% $59

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Havana

$29 3.4% 42.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in Erbil versus $246 in Havana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1675% higher in Erbil, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Erbil versus $28.00 in Havana. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Erbil vs $234 in Havana – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇨🇺 Havana

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

08:30 8:30 AM

7 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

2,141,993 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Havana 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Havana

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

Erbil vs Havana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,435 per month in Erbil and $1,289 in Havana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Havana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 36% cheaper in Erbil – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Erbil and $28.00 in Havana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $956 in Erbil and $860 in Havana, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Havana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Havana. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Erbil makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.