Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Cuba

Name: Cuba
Address: CU

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuba: $1,273 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Cuba
Learn more

Cuba Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Cuba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in Cuba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,273 in Cuba.

Italy $1,843
Cuba $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,737 in Cuba.

Italy $2,816
Cuba $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,201 in Cuba.

Italy $3,788
Cuba $2,201

Italy ($1,038–$2,555) and Cuba ($185–$1,570) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Italy is roughly 45% more expensive than in Cuba on average.

Italy (35% above) and Cuba (6% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.38

$6.18 CUP 148

231.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.4

$24.62 CUP 591

222.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €10.02

$6.65 CUP 160

67.67%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$1.71 CUP 40.99

19.30%

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

$3.10 €2.79

$1.82 CUP 43.65

70.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.26

$1.10 CUP 26.46

27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.95

$2.04 CUP 48.93

170.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.16

$2.43 CUP 58.3

136.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.69 CUP 64.6

-41.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.20 CUP 28.83

98.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.98 CUP 47.56

46.46%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.66

$3.41 CUP 81.9

19.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.67

$5.86 CUP 141

197.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.28

$5.11 CUP 123

145.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.12

$11.44 CUP 275

76.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$4.19 CUP 101

-38.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.97

$1.16 CUP 27.86

88.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$1.78 CUP 42.63

50.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.94

$1.88 CUP 45.08

73.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.71

$1.88 CUP 45.17

1.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.55 CUP 61.2

-28.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$0.96 CUP 23.14

63.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.94 CUP 22.52

-41.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €6.01

$3.20 CUP 76.8

109.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.18

$9.55 CUP 229

-16.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.79 CUP 42.86

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.10 CUP 50.4

11.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.17 CUP 4.17

1023.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €39.03

$19.66 CUP 472

120.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.05

$2.31 CUP 55.4

143.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.38 CUP 9.16

350.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.22

$19.70 CUP 473

70.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.29 CUP 31.08

57.36%

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

$35.3K €31.7K

$70.7K CUP 1.7M

-50.05%

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

$36.7K €33.0K

$73.0K CUP 1.8M

-49.64%

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

$227 €204

$36.43 CUP 874

521.88%

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

$11.59 €10.41

$34.75 CUP 834

-66.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.30

$225 CUP 5,403

-86.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.52

$39.62 CUP 951

30.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.29

$12.71 CUP 305

86.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.53

$1.02 CUP 24.57

939.22%

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

$568 €510

$115 CUP 2,767

392.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.4K

$13.5K CUP 323.1K

-14.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.3

$42.90 CUP 1,030

111.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.64

$35.23 CUP 845

9.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$71.7 CUP 1,720

43.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €118

$71.0 CUP 1,704

84.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €742

$332 CUP 7,972

148.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €581

$454 CUP 10.9K

42.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,258

$876 CUP 21.0K

59.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €947

$589 CUP 14.1K

78.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,290

$355 CUP 8,524

931.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,068

$335 CUP 8,044

586.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,695

$35.80 CUP 859

5168.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

9.38

-62.05%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cuba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Cuba

$454 35.7% 29.7% $192

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Cuba

$240 18.9% 30.9% $107

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Cuba

$117 9.2% 58.1% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Cuba

$296 23.3% 10.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Cuba

$99 7.8% 39.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Cuba

$42 3.3% 42.9% $31

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Cuba

$25 1.9% 62.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $380 in Cuba. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $243 in Havana.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $37 in Cuba. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 92% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 161% more in Italy.

Public transport is 87% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 51 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇨🇺 Cuba

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

03:34 3:34 AM

5 h behind Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

10,985,974

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Italy Cuba 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Cuba

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Italy vs Cuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,273 per month in Cuba and $1,843 in Italy, there’s a 45% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Cuba: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $380 in Cuba. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Cuba wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.