Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and Erbil

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.

42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
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Havana Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Havana and in Erbil

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

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

Havana $860
Erbil $956

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

Havana $1,388
Erbil $1,421

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

Havana $1,916
Erbil $1,887

Havana is about 10% cheaper than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 CUP 86.3

$6.45 IQD 9,753

-44.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.63 CUP 663

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

-24.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 CUP 117

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

-31.17%

Cappuccino

$1.06 CUP 25.42

$3.23 IQD 4,873

-67.18%

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

$1.51 CUP 36.33

$0.89 IQD 1,338

69.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.80

$0.33 IQD 503

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 CUP 29.66

$5.17 IQD 7,819

-76.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.10

$3.85 IQD 5,825

-46.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 CUP 64.3

$1.06 IQD 1,600

152.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CUP 29.26

$0.73 IQD 1,101

67.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 CUP 42.35

$1.52 IQD 2,300

15.79%

Eggs

$3.50 CUP 83.9

$1.57 IQD 2,373

122.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.52 CUP 108

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

-34.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 CUP 112

$4.27 IQD 6,458

9.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 CUP 205

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

-31.57%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 CUP 149

$0.99 IQD 1,501

526.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.55

$0.99 IQD 1,495

3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CUP 92.0

$1.03 IQD 1,555

271.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 CUP 53.8

$0.65 IQD 988

244.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CUP 70.2

$0.64 IQD 964

357.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 CUP 65.7

$0.61 IQD 925

349.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 CUP 17.33

$0.60 IQD 909

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 CUP 13.60

$0.47 IQD 709

21.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 CUP 38.72

$2.15 IQD 3,250

-25.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 CUP 129

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

-50.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.38

$1.47 IQD 2,222

20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.30

$1.87 IQD 2,825

9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 CUP 15.17

$0.48 IQD 718

31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.13 CUP 531

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

-43.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 CUP 63.1

$1.68 IQD 2,531

56.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 CUP 7.98

$1.60 IQD 2,421

-79.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.63 CUP 471

$5.67 IQD 8,566

246.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CUP 30.50

$0.55 IQD 825

130.91%

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

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

269.75%

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

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

248.36%

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

$46.62 CUP 1,119

$113 IQD 170.3K

-58.64%

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

$39.24 CUP 942

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

221.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.3 CUP 2,144

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

267.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 CUP 392

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

-71.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 CUP 308

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

-3.68%

Cinema Ticket

$0.83 CUP 19.99

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

-91.70%

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

$156 CUP 3,752

$315 IQD 476.0K

-50.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

343.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CUP 1,253

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

95.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.71 CUP 1,001

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

5.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 CUP 1,919

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

34.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 CUP 1,623

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

13.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 CUP 5,911

$423 IQD 639.7K

-41.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 CUP 5,245

$275 IQD 415.2K

-20.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 CUP 20.9K

$700 IQD 1.1M

24.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 CUP 12.2K

$406 IQD 613.1K

25.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$314 CUP 7,545

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

-69.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$407 CUP 9,762

$608 IQD 919.3K

-33.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$29.60 CUP 710

$525 IQD 793.9K

-94.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

2.53

259.68%

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

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Havana

$234 27.2%

Erbil

$172 18% 26.4% $62

Accommodation & Living

Havana

$219 25.4%

Erbil

$275 28.7% 25.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Havana

$175 20.4%

Erbil

$149 15.6% 14.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Havana

$109 12.6%

Erbil

$83 8.7% 23.4% $25

Eating Out

Havana

$76 8.9%

Erbil

$150 15.7% 96.4% $74

Getting Around

Havana

$29 3.4%

Erbil

$50 5.3% 74.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Havana

$18 2.1%

Erbil

$77 8% 325% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $246 in Havana versus $423 in Erbil. 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 $28.00 in Havana versus $36.00 in Erbil. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Havana vs $172 in Erbil – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Havana

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

15:34 3:34 PM

7 h ahead of Havana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,141,993 Capital

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

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).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Havana Erbil 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Havana
Erbil

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 Erbil: 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 $1,289 per month in Havana and $1,435 in Erbil. 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 $28.00 in Havana and $36.00 in Erbil. 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 $860 in Havana and $956 in Erbil, 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.