Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Cuba Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Cuba

Name: Cuba
Address: CU

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Mexico versus $932 in Cuba.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,025 in Mexico versus $1,316 in Cuba.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,785 in Mexico versus $1,699 in Cuba.

Living in Mexico is roughly 36% more expensive than in Cuba on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mexico 8% lower, Cuba 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.89 MX$202

$5.92 CUP 142

100.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.46 MX$788

$24.68 CUP 592

88.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 MX$169

$6.39 CUP 153

56.34%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$64.5

$1.78 CUP 42.63

113.48%

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

$1.53 MX$26.00

$1.81 CUP 43.44

-15.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$18.64

$1.06 CUP 25.50

3.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 MX$51.3

$2.05 CUP 49.17

47.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 MX$80.0

$2.51 CUP 60.2

88.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$29.16

$2.78 CUP 66.7

-38.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 MX$50.1

$1.27 CUP 30.52

132.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 MX$31.73

$2.01 CUP 48.12

-6.97%

Eggs

$2.62 MX$44.39

$3.37 CUP 80.9

-22.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.10 MX$171

$5.64 CUP 135

79.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 MX$156

$5.13 CUP 123

78.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.63 MX$214

$10.83 CUP 260

16.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MX$51.6

$4.18 CUP 100

-27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MX$29.88

$1.12 CUP 26.99

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 MX$36.14

$1.80 CUP 43.18

18.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MX$36.20

$1.84 CUP 44.12

15.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$37.43

$1.99 CUP 47.69

11.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 MX$37.35

$2.43 CUP 58.3

-9.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$25.34

$0.96 CUP 22.98

55.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$21.15

$0.96 CUP 23.08

30.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.00 MX$84.9

$3.16 CUP 75.8

58.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 MX$200

$10.07 CUP 242

17.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 MX$31.79

$1.82 CUP 43.77

2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 MX$60.5

$2.12 CUP 50.8

68.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$11.79

$0.21 CUP 4.98

228.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.98 MX$492

$19.85 CUP 476

45.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 MX$49.14

$2.19 CUP 52.5

32.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$50.5

$0.43 CUP 10.27

593.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 MX$201

$19.92 CUP 478

-40.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$26.36

$1.28 CUP 30.61

21.09%

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

$22.5K MX$381.3K

$69.9K CUP 1.7M

-67.85%

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

$26.2K MX$444.3K

$73.7K CUP 1.8M

-64.49%

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

$75.6 MX$1,283

$37.37 CUP 897

102.41%

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

$25.85 MX$438

$34.65 CUP 832

-25.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.98 MX$526

$224 CUP 5,378

-86.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.98 MX$678

$39.47 CUP 947

1.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.05 MX$323

$12.73 CUP 305

49.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.50 MX$93.2

$1.01 CUP 24.35

444.55%

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

$280 MX$4,745

$107 CUP 2,568

161.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,643 MX$112.7K

$13.1K CUP 315.0K

-49.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 MX$1,036

$41.47 CUP 995

47.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.80 MX$777

$31.93 CUP 766

43.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,818

$71.1 CUP 1,707

50.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,676

$68.5 CUP 1,644

44.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 MX$13.0K

$333 CUP 7,993

129.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MX$8,320

$479 CUP 11.5K

2.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 MX$24.8K

$879 CUP 21.1K

66.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 MX$16.4K

$618 CUP 14.8K

56.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,715 MX$46.1K

$363 CUP 8,711

647.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,595 MX$27.1K

$339 CUP 8,145

369.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$821 MX$13.9K

$35.13 CUP 843

2237.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.43

9.38

21.86%

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

Last update for Mexico: September 7, 2026

Last update for Cuba: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $668 in Mexico, $269 in Cuba. Capital cities: $1,148 in Mexico City vs $251 in Havana.

National salary averages: $787 in Mexico, $36.00 in Cuba. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 148% higher in Mexico.

Dining out costs 114% more in Mexico.

Salaries are 2086% higher in Mexico, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Mexico.

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

Mexico vs Cuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $802 per month in Cuba and $1,829 in Mexico, there's a 128% 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 simply cheaper in Cuba: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Mexico is consistently higher than in Cuba across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Cuba, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Mexico it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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