Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $862 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$862

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Havana and in San Jose

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Havana versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Havana $862
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,397 in Havana versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Havana $1,397
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,932 in Havana versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Havana $1,932
San Jose $4,054

Living in Havana costs roughly 59% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Havana is 36% below, San Jose is 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 CUP 88.2

$12.37 ₡5,563

-70.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.84 CUP 668

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-55.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 CUP 116

$11.71 ₡5,264

-58.58%

Cappuccino

$1.05 CUP 25.21

$4.54 ₡2,040

-76.87%

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

$1.54 CUP 36.92

$2.75 ₡1,238

-44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CUP 22.61

$1.86 ₡837

-49.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 CUP 28.09

$3.35 ₡1,505

-65.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 CUP 46.75

$4.32 ₡1,944

-54.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 CUP 66.8

$2.36 ₡1,061

17.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 CUP 35.55

$3.07 ₡1,379

-51.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 CUP 40.86

$2.51 ₡1,128

-32.27%

Eggs

$3.48 CUP 83.6

$3.53 ₡1,585

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 CUP 104

$10.54 ₡4,738

-59.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 CUP 115

$10.57 ₡4,754

-54.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.67 CUP 208

$13.92 ₡6,261

-37.72%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 CUP 146

$5.20 ₡2,338

16.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 CUP 24.28

$1.65 ₡740

-38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 CUP 92.7

$4.89 ₡2,198

-21.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 CUP 53.7

$3.84 ₡1,728

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CUP 67.3

$3.91 ₡1,757

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 CUP 65.3

$3.76 ₡1,692

-27.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 CUP 17.72

$1.12 ₡504

-33.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 CUP 12.57

$3.22 ₡1,447

-83.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 CUP 38.62

$6.02 ₡2,706

-73.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 CUP 127

$19.84 ₡8,919

-73.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CUP 41.14

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CUP 51.6

$3.65 ₡1,643

-41.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 CUP 15.36

$1.08 ₡487

-40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.25 CUP 534

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-65.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CUP 63.2

$2.26 ₡1,018

16.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 CUP 8.04

$1.78 ₡799

-80.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.86 CUP 477

$7.90 ₡3,551

151.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 CUP 31.79

$1.50 ₡673

-12.00%

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

$60.9K CUP 1.5M

$33.5K ₡15.1M

81.95%

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

$59.4K CUP 1.4M

$42.3K ₡19.0M

40.47%

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

$48.26 CUP 1,158

$93.2 ₡41.9K

-48.21%

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

$39.55 CUP 949

$36.13 ₡16.2K

9.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.4 CUP 2,193

$60.6 ₡27.2K

50.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.84 CUP 380

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-77.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.06 CUP 313

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-47.63%

Cinema Ticket

$0.81 CUP 19.51

$7.67 ₡3,449

-89.44%

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

$159 CUP 3,816

$972 ₡436.9K

-83.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CUP 315.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-30.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CUP 1,216

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.25 CUP 990

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-27.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 CUP 1,927

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 CUP 1,622

$131 ₡58.8K

-48.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 CUP 5,983

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-78.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 CUP 5,177

$943 ₡424.1K

-77.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 CUP 21.3K

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-55.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 CUP 12.4K

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-63.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$308 CUP 7,392

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-88.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$401 CUP 9,631

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-80.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$29.32 CUP 704

$987 ₡443.6K

-97.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

8.62

5.57%

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

Last update for Havana: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Havana

$236 27.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 70.6% $167

Accommodation & Living

Havana

$216 25%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 337% $728

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Havana

$179 20.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Havana

$108 12.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 61.3% $66

Eating Out

Havana

$76 8.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 205% $156

Getting Around

Havana

$29 3.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 177% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Havana

$17 2%

San Jose

$84 4% 383% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $249 in Havana and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Jose pays about 34 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $28 in Havana vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $403 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Havana

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

00:50 12:50 AM

1 h behind Havana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,141,993 Capital

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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 = 26.94 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Havana San Jose 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Havana
San Jose

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 San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $862 in Havana and $2,107 in San Jose, so Havana is about 59% 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 $1,170 in San Jose. 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 $62 in San Jose. 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 $2,107 in San Jose – Havana is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $862 in Havana versus $2,107 in San Jose, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in San Jose. 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 59% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.