Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
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Havana Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Havana and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $860 in Havana versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Havana $860
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,388 in Havana versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Havana $1,388
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,916 in Havana versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Havana $1,916
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Havana costs roughly 68% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Havana is 36% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 CUP 86.3

$20.77 $20.77

-82.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.63 CUP 663

$84.6 $84.6

-67.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 CUP 117

$12.32 $12.32

-60.39%

Cappuccino

$1.06 CUP 25.42

$5.63 $5.63

-81.17%

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

$1.51 CUP 36.33

$3.72 $3.72

-59.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.80

$2.50 $2.50

-60.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 CUP 29.66

$8.05 $8.05

-84.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.10

$9.01 $9.01

-77.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 CUP 64.3

$1.12 $1.12

139.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CUP 29.26

$3.75 $3.75

-67.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 CUP 42.35

$3.26 $3.26

-46.01%

Eggs

$3.50 CUP 83.9

$4.17 $4.17

-16.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.52 CUP 108

$12.90 $12.90

-64.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 CUP 112

$14.16 $14.16

-67.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 CUP 205

$16.22 $16.22

-47.23%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 CUP 149

$4.33 $4.33

43.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.55

$1.46 $1.46

-30.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CUP 92.0

$4.51 $4.51

-15.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 CUP 53.8

$4.34 $4.34

-48.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CUP 70.2

$2.58 $2.58

13.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 CUP 65.7

$2.35 $2.35

16.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 CUP 17.33

$1.78 $1.78

-59.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 CUP 13.60

$2.22 $2.22

-74.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 CUP 38.72

$9.88 $9.88

-83.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 CUP 129

$15.08 $15.08

-64.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.38

$2.92 $2.92

-39.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.30

$3.46 $3.46

-40.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 CUP 15.17

$1.49 $1.49

-57.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.13 CUP 531

$41.72 $41.72

-46.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 CUP 63.1

$2.73 $2.73

-3.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 CUP 7.98

$1.66 $1.66

-80.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.63 CUP 471

$35.30 $35.30

-44.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CUP 30.50

$0.95 $0.95

33.68%

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

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

$36.0K $36.0K

67.61%

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

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

$27.1K $27.1K

118.34%

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

$46.62 CUP 1,119

$229 $229

-79.64%

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

$39.24 CUP 942

$59.4 $59.4

-33.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.3 CUP 2,144

$69.9 $69.9

27.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 CUP 392

$57.2 $57.2

-71.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 CUP 308

$16.33 $16.33

-21.37%

Cinema Ticket

$0.83 CUP 19.99

$14.28 $14.28

-94.19%

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

$156 CUP 3,752

$1,506 $1,506

-89.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

$21.5K $21.5K

-41.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CUP 1,253

$52.8 $52.8

-1.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.71 CUP 1,001

$43.82 $43.82

-4.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 CUP 1,919

$84.8 $84.8

-5.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 CUP 1,623

$103 $103

-34.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 CUP 5,911

$1,907 $1,907

-87.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 CUP 5,245

$1,274 $1,274

-82.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 CUP 20.9K

$3,664 $3,664

-76.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 CUP 12.2K

$2,538 $2,538

-79.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$314 CUP 7,545

$7,614 $7,614

-95.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$407 CUP 9,762

$3,157 $3,157

-87.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$29.60 CUP 710

$5,121 $5,121

-99.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

6.79

34.02%

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

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Havana

$234 27.2%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 73% $171

Accommodation & Living

Havana

$219 25.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 483% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Havana

$175 20.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 105% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Havana

$109 12.6%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 17.8% $19

Eating Out

Havana

$76 8.9%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 363% $277

Getting Around

Havana

$29 3.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 103% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Havana

$18 2.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 376% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Havana and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 17200% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $28.00 in Havana vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $405 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Havana

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

12:30 12:30 PM

1 h behind Havana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,141,993 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Havana Austin, TX 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Havana
Austin, TX

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Havana vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Havana wins on cost – living expenses run 210% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Havana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17200% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Havana versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $860 per month in Havana versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 210% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Havana runs roughly 89% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $860 in Havana versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Havana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Havana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 210% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.