Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $862 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Havana
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Havana Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$862

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Havana and in Monterrey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Havana versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Havana $862
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,397 in Havana versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Havana $1,397
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,932 in Havana versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Havana $1,932
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Havana costs roughly 47% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Havana is 36% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 CUP 88.2

$13.37 MX$250

-72.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.84 CUP 668

$47.95 MX$897

-41.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 CUP 116

$10.79 MX$202

-55.05%

Cappuccino

$1.05 CUP 25.21

$3.77 MX$70.4

-72.15%

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

$1.54 CUP 36.92

$1.51 MX$28.26

1.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CUP 22.61

$1.03 MX$19.25

-8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 CUP 28.09

$2.48 MX$46.41

-52.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 CUP 46.75

$4.36 MX$81.5

-55.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 CUP 66.8

$1.89 MX$35.43

47.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 CUP 35.55

$2.85 MX$53.3

-48.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 CUP 40.86

$1.86 MX$34.71

-8.60%

Eggs

$3.48 CUP 83.6

$2.47 MX$46.12

40.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 CUP 104

$11.81 MX$221

-63.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 CUP 115

$8.97 MX$168

-46.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.67 CUP 208

$12.57 MX$235

-31.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 CUP 146

$3.20 MX$59.8

89.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 CUP 24.28

$1.50 MX$28.12

-32.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 CUP 92.7

$2.12 MX$39.74

82.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 CUP 53.7

$2.33 MX$43.64

-3.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CUP 67.3

$2.22 MX$41.58

26.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 CUP 65.3

$2.58 MX$48.34

5.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 CUP 17.72

$1.45 MX$27.04

-48.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 CUP 12.57

$1.22 MX$22.85

-57.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 CUP 38.62

$4.80 MX$89.7

-66.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 CUP 127

$13.30 MX$249

-60.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CUP 41.14

$1.93 MX$36.14

-11.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CUP 51.6

$2.86 MX$53.4

-24.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 CUP 15.36

$0.80 MX$14.94

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.25 CUP 534

$30.94 MX$579

-28.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CUP 63.2

$1.83 MX$34.28

44.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 CUP 8.04

$1.06 MX$19.78

-67.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.86 CUP 477

$10.82 MX$202

83.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 CUP 31.79

$1.47 MX$27.54

-10.20%

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

$60.9K CUP 1.5M

$24.1K MX$450.4K

152.90%

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

$59.4K CUP 1.4M

$23.5K MX$440.2K

152.45%

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

$48.26 CUP 1,158

$115 MX$2,144

-57.89%

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

$39.55 CUP 949

$26.37 MX$493

49.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.4 CUP 2,193

$25.70 MX$481

255.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.84 CUP 380

$30.53 MX$571

-48.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.06 CUP 313

$21.27 MX$398

-38.60%

Cinema Ticket

$0.81 CUP 19.51

$4.96 MX$92.8

-83.67%

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

$159 CUP 3,816

$679 MX$12.7K

-76.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CUP 315.0K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

-7.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CUP 1,216

$72.2 MX$1,350

-29.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.25 CUP 990

$41.94 MX$784

-1.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 CUP 1,927

$107 MX$2,011

-25.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 CUP 1,622

$119 MX$2,219

-43.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 CUP 5,983

$1,018 MX$19.0K

-75.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 CUP 5,177

$722 MX$13.5K

-70.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 CUP 21.3K

$1,966 MX$36.8K

-54.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 CUP 12.4K

$1,416 MX$26.5K

-63.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$308 CUP 7,392

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-92.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$401 CUP 9,631

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-85.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$29.32 CUP 704

$1,096 MX$20.5K

-97.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

11.79

-22.82%

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

Last update for Havana: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Havana

$236 27.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 28% $66

Accommodation & Living

Havana

$216 25%

Monterrey

$722 44% 235% $506

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Havana

$179 20.8%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Havana

$108 12.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 41.9% $45

Eating Out

Havana

$76 8.9%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 183% $140

Getting Around

Havana

$29 3.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 41.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Havana

$17 2%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 132% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $249 in Havana and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays about 37 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $28 in Havana vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $302 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Havana

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h behind Havana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,141,993 Capital

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.82 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Havana Monterrey 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Havana
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $862 in Havana and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Havana is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 97% lower in Havana. 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: $249 in Havana versus $1,018 in Monterrey. 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 $28 versus $48 in Monterrey. 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 $1,641 in Monterrey – Havana is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $862 in Havana versus $1,641 in Monterrey, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. 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 47% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.