Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Havana
🇨🇺 Cuba
$860
/mo nomad
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Havana and in Calgary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $860 in Havana versus $2,223 in Calgary.

  • Havana $860
  • Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,388 in Havana versus $3,301 in Calgary.

  • Havana $1,388
  • Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,916 in Havana versus $4,379 in Calgary.

  • Havana $1,916
  • Calgary $4,379

Living in Havana costs roughly 61% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Havana is 36% below, Calgary is 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Havana
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.59 CUP 86.3
$17.22 CA$24.34
-79.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.63 CUP 663
$71.1 CA$100
-61.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.88 CUP 117
$10.53 CA$14.89
-53.66%
Cappuccino
$1.06 CUP 25.42
$3.66 CA$5.18
-71.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 CUP 36.33
$1.98 CA$2.80
-23.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 CUP 23.80
$1.94 CA$2.74
-48.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.24 CUP 29.66
$4.95 CA$7.00
-74.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 CUP 49.10
$5.57 CA$7.87
-63.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Havana
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.68 CUP 64.3
$1.88 CA$2.65
42.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.22 CUP 29.26
$2.67 CA$3.78
-54.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 CUP 42.35
$5.32 CA$7.52
-66.92%
Eggs
$3.50 CUP 83.9
$3.79 CA$5.35
-7.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.52 CUP 108
$11.09 CA$15.68
-59.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.66 CUP 112
$11.36 CA$16.05
-58.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.56 CUP 205
$18.40 CA$26.01
-53.48%
Apples (1kg)
$6.20 CUP 149
$4.56 CA$6.45
35.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.02 CUP 24.55
$1.44 CA$2.04
-29.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.83 CUP 92.0
$4.08 CA$5.76
-6.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.24 CUP 53.8
$3.89 CA$5.50
-42.42%
Potato (1kg)
$2.93 CUP 70.2
$2.64 CA$3.73
10.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.74 CUP 65.7
$2.64 CA$3.73
3.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 CUP 17.33
$2.50 CA$3.54
-71.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 CUP 13.60
$1.50 CA$2.12
-62.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.61 CUP 38.72
$14.05 CA$19.86
-88.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.37 CUP 129
$15.70 CA$22.20
-65.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 CUP 42.38
$2.44 CA$3.45
-27.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 CUP 49.30
$3.09 CA$4.37
-33.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Havana
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.63 CUP 15.17
$2.82 CA$3.99
-77.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.13 CUP 531
$88.6 CA$125
-75.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 CUP 63.1
$3.12 CA$4.41
-15.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 CUP 7.98
$1.35 CA$1.91
-75.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.63 CUP 471
$27.02 CA$38.20
-27.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 CUP 30.50
$1.16 CA$1.64
9.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$60.4K CUP 1.5M
$27.9K CA$39.5K
116.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$59.1K CUP 1.4M
$20.3K CA$28.8K
190.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Havana
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$46.62 CUP 1,119
$161 CA$227
-71.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.24 CUP 942
$38.13 CA$53.9
2.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$89.3 CUP 2,144
$50.0 CA$70.7
78.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Havana
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.35 CUP 392
$51.5 CA$72.8
-68.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.84 CUP 308
$18.14 CA$25.64
-29.22%
Cinema Ticket
$0.83 CUP 19.99
$13.82 CA$19.54
-93.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Havana
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$156 CUP 3,752
$786 CA$1,111
-80.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K CUP 298.9K
$15.5K CA$21.8K
-19.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Havana
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.2 CUP 1,253
$58.3 CA$82.4
-10.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.71 CUP 1,001
$39.27 CA$55.5
6.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.0 CUP 1,919
$89.8 CA$127
-10.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.6 CUP 1,623
$110 CA$155
-38.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Havana
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$246 CUP 5,911
$1,229 CA$1,737
-79.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$219 CUP 5,245
$1,001 CA$1,415
-78.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$872 CUP 20.9K
$1,921 CA$2,716
-54.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$508 CUP 12.2K
$1,621 CA$2,292
-68.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$314 CUP 7,545
$3,549 CA$5,018
-91.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$407 CUP 9,762
$3,335 CA$4,715
-87.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Havana
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$29.60 CUP 710
$3,165 CA$4,474
-99.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.1
4.51
101.77%

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

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Havana
$234
Calgary
$385 64.8% $151
Accommodation & Living
Havana
$219
Calgary
$1K 358% $783
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Havana
$175
Calgary
$249 42.1% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Havana
$109
Calgary
$134 23% $25
Eating Out
Havana
$76
Calgary
$265 247% $188
Getting Around
Havana
$29
Calgary
$110 279% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Havana
$18
Calgary
$79 339% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Havana and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 10592% 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 $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $385 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇺 Havana
🇨🇦 Calgary
🕒 Local time
12:32 12:32 PM
10:32 10:32 AM
2 h behind Havana
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,141,993 Capital
1,267,344
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Havana Calgary 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Havana
  • Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Calgary cheaper than Havana?
Havana is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 159% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Havana or Calgary?
On paper, salaries run 10592% lower in Calgary. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Havana and Calgary?
Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Havana versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Havana or in Calgary?
Dining out is cheaper in Havana – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Havana and in Calgary?
All in, you'll spend $860 per month in Havana versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 159% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Havana or in Calgary?
At $860 in Havana versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Havana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Havana or in Calgary?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Havana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 159% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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