Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $862 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$862

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Havana and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Havana versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Havana $862
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,389 in Havana versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Havana $1,389
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,916 in Havana versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Havana $1,916
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Havana costs roughly 44% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Havana is 36% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 CUP 88.4

$11.02 MX$204

-66.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.47 CUP 659

$48.68 MX$900

-43.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 CUP 123

$10.90 MX$201

-53.03%

Cappuccino

$1.05 CUP 25.28

$3.68 MX$68.1

-71.47%

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

$1.58 CUP 37.86

$1.63 MX$30.18

-3.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 CUP 24.07

$1.25 MX$23.07

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 CUP 29.62

$3.25 MX$60.1

-62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 CUP 48.54

$5.53 MX$102

-63.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.74 CUP 65.7

$1.70 MX$31.50

61.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 CUP 35.30

$3.02 MX$55.8

-51.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 CUP 42.73

$1.92 MX$35.53

-7.29%

Eggs

$3.61 CUP 86.7

$2.73 MX$50.5

32.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.42 CUP 106

$11.77 MX$218

-62.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 CUP 115

$9.53 MX$176

-49.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.43 CUP 202

$14.41 MX$266

-41.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.91 CUP 142

$3.02 MX$55.8

95.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CUP 25.32

$1.89 MX$35.01

-44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CUP 93.2

$1.99 MX$36.70

94.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 CUP 54.9

$2.19 MX$40.38

4.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CUP 67.4

$1.92 MX$35.43

46.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 CUP 64.2

$1.87 MX$34.49

43.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 CUP 19.07

$1.44 MX$26.62

-45.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 CUP 13.68

$1.27 MX$23.39

-55.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 CUP 40.16

$5.22 MX$96.4

-68.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.19 CUP 124

$16.17 MX$299

-67.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CUP 41.30

$1.90 MX$35.03

-9.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 CUP 49.38

$4.22 MX$78.0

-51.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 CUP 15.15

$0.34 MX$6.30

85.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.59 CUP 542

$19.65 MX$363

14.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 CUP 62.1

$2.00 MX$36.90

29.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 CUP 8.73

$0.52 MX$9.67

-30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.97 CUP 479

$5.34 MX$98.7

273.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CUP 31.87

$1.52 MX$28.13

-12.50%

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

$61.0K CUP 1.5M

$22.1K MX$408.0K

176.16%

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

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

$24.5K MX$452.9K

140.95%

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

$46.70 CUP 1,121

$61.1 MX$1,129

-23.53%

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

$39.02 CUP 936

$28.58 MX$528

36.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 CUP 2,191

$34.47 MX$637

164.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.26 CUP 390

$56.4 MX$1,042

-71.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.92 CUP 310

$24.88 MX$460

-48.07%

Cinema Ticket

$0.84 CUP 20.13

$6.66 MX$123

-87.39%

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

$154 CUP 3,688

$427 MX$7,891

-64.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K CUP 302.8K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

8.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 CUP 1,246

$67.8 MX$1,253

-23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.76 CUP 1,002

$52.0 MX$960

-19.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 CUP 1,925

$106 MX$1,959

-24.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.3 CUP 1,590

$113 MX$2,080

-41.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 CUP 5,841

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-76.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 CUP 5,181

$654 MX$12.1K

-67.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 CUP 21.1K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-61.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 CUP 12.0K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-59.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$304 CUP 7,295

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-91.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$406 CUP 9,749

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-79.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$29.43 CUP 706

$964 MX$17.8K

-96.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

11.3

-19.47%

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

Last update for Havana: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Havana

$236 27.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 34.9% $82

Accommodation & Living

Havana

$216 25%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 203% $438

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Havana

$177 20.5%

Mexico City

$124 8% 29.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Havana

$108 12.5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 40.9% $44

Eating Out

Havana

$78 9%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 161% $126

Getting Around

Havana

$30 3.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 13.2% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Havana

$18 2.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 289% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $243 in Havana and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 3176% 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: $27.00 in Havana vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $318 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Havana

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

2 h behind Havana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,141,993 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Havana Mexico City 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Havana
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Havana and Mexico City differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($862 vs $1,548 including rent). Havana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3176% lower in Mexico City. 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: $243 in Havana versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Havana – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Havana versus $1,548 in Mexico City – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $862 in Havana versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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 80% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.