Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Havana and in Santiago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $860 in Havana versus $1,190 in Santiago.

Havana $860
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,388 in Havana versus $1,892 in Santiago.

Havana $1,388
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,916 in Havana versus $2,595 in Santiago.

Havana $1,916
Santiago $2,595

Living in Havana costs roughly 28% less than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Havana 36% lower, Santiago 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 CUP 86.3

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

-65.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.63 CUP 663

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

-46.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 CUP 117

$8.94 CLP 8,805

-45.41%

Cappuccino

$1.06 CUP 25.42

$3.26 CLP 3,211

-67.48%

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

$1.51 CUP 36.33

$1.67 CLP 1,640

-9.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.80

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 CUP 29.66

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-68.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.10

$4.54 CLP 4,465

-54.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 CUP 64.3

$1.28 CLP 1,263

109.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CUP 29.26

$1.85 CLP 1,817

-34.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 CUP 42.35

$1.59 CLP 1,567

10.69%

Eggs

$3.50 CUP 83.9

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-14.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.52 CUP 108

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-60.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 CUP 112

$6.69 CLP 6,586

-30.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 CUP 205

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

-20.81%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 CUP 149

$1.94 CLP 1,905

219.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.55

$1.52 CLP 1,497

-32.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CUP 92.0

$1.60 CLP 1,577

139.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 CUP 53.8

$1.69 CLP 1,668

32.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CUP 70.2

$1.10 CLP 1,084

166.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 CUP 65.7

$1.52 CLP 1,500

80.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 CUP 17.33

$1.18 CLP 1,164

-38.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 CUP 13.60

$1.08 CLP 1,061

-47.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 CUP 38.72

$5.07 CLP 4,995

-68.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 CUP 129

$5.95 CLP 5,858

-9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.38

$1.49 CLP 1,470

18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.30

$2.38 CLP 2,342

-13.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 CUP 15.17

$0.83 CLP 821

-24.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.13 CUP 531

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

-44.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 CUP 63.1

$0.40 CLP 393

557.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 CUP 7.98

$0.91 CLP 897

-63.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.63 CUP 471

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

68.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CUP 30.50

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-15.89%

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

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

243.78%

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

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

168.88%

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

$46.62 CUP 1,119

$151 CLP 149.0K

-69.21%

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

$39.24 CUP 942

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

217.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.3 CUP 2,144

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

376.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 CUP 392

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

-51.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 CUP 308

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

8.81%

Cinema Ticket

$0.83 CUP 19.99

$7.45 CLP 7,334

-88.86%

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

$156 CUP 3,752

$430 CLP 423.7K

-63.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

15.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CUP 1,253

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

5.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.71 CUP 1,001

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

44.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 CUP 1,919

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

21.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 CUP 1,623

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

-16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 CUP 5,911

$559 CLP 550.4K

-55.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 CUP 5,245

$384 CLP 377.8K

-43.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 CUP 20.9K

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

-13.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 CUP 12.2K

$780 CLP 767.9K

-34.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$314 CUP 7,545

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-88.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$407 CUP 9,762

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-84.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$29.60 CUP 710

$804 CLP 791.0K

-96.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

5.39

68.83%

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

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Havana

$234 27.2%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 0.9% $2.1

Accommodation & Living

Havana

$219 25.4%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 75.6% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Havana

$175 20.4%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 4.2% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Havana

$109 12.6%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 6.9% $7.5

Eating Out

Havana

$76 8.9%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 148% $113

Getting Around

Havana

$29 3.4%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 67.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Havana

$18 2.1%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 170% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Havana and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 2615% 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 $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $236 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Havana

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

1 h ahead of Havana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,141,993 Capital

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Havana Santiago 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Havana
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Havana and Santiago differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($860 vs $1,190 including rent). Havana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2615% lower in Santiago. 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: $246 in Havana versus $559 in Santiago. 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 $28.00 versus $52.0 in Santiago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $860 per month in Havana versus $1,190 in Santiago – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $860 in Havana versus $1,190 in Santiago, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Santiago. 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 38% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.