Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Cuba

Name: Cuba
Address: CU

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico and in Cuba: $1,274 and $1,273 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Cuba
Learn more

Cuba Living Index

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🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico 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 Mexico and in Cuba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,274 in Mexico versus $1,273 in Cuba.

Mexico $1,274
Cuba $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,010 in Mexico versus $1,737 in Cuba.

Mexico $2,010
Cuba $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,746 in Mexico versus $2,201 in Cuba.

Mexico $2,746
Cuba $2,201

Internal cost variation is higher in Mexico: monthly costs span $730 to $2,625, compared to $185–$1,570 in Cuba. City choice carries more weight in Mexico.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mexico 6% lower, Cuba 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 MX$199

$6.18 CUP 148

72.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.29 MX$809

$24.62 CUP 591

75.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MX$167

$6.65 CUP 160

34.44%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.4

$1.71 CUP 40.99

111.11%

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

$1.48 MX$27.57

$1.82 CUP 43.65

-18.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.68

$1.10 CUP 26.46

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$49.80

$2.04 CUP 48.93

30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MX$81.6

$2.43 CUP 58.3

79.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.63

$2.69 CUP 64.6

-40.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$49.98

$1.20 CUP 28.83

122.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.42

$1.98 CUP 47.56

-15.15%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.16

$3.41 CUP 81.9

-26.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 MX$164

$5.86 CUP 141

50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 MX$149

$5.11 CUP 123

55.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MX$215

$11.44 CUP 275

0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.5

$4.19 CUP 101

-34.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.48

$1.16 CUP 27.86

31.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.52

$1.78 CUP 42.63

9.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.75

$1.88 CUP 45.08

4.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.67

$1.88 CUP 45.17

4.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.90

$2.55 CUP 61.2

-20.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.78

$0.96 CUP 23.14

48.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.29

$0.94 CUP 22.52

21.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$84.5

$3.20 CUP 76.8

41.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$203

$9.55 CUP 229

13.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$32.99

$1.79 CUP 42.86

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$59.6

$2.10 CUP 50.4

51.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.59

$0.17 CUP 4.17

264.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.85 MX$558

$19.66 CUP 472

51.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.74

$2.31 CUP 55.4

15.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$50.8

$0.38 CUP 9.16

615.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 MX$199

$19.70 CUP 473

-46.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.12

$1.29 CUP 31.08

8.53%

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

$24.0K MX$447.9K

$70.7K CUP 1.7M

-66.10%

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

$23.9K MX$446.9K

$73.0K CUP 1.8M

-67.23%

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

$69.2 MX$1,293

$36.43 CUP 874

89.90%

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

$23.51 MX$439

$34.75 CUP 834

-32.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.00 MX$542

$225 CUP 5,403

-87.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.74 MX$649

$39.62 CUP 951

-12.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 MX$326

$12.71 CUP 305

37.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$98.0

$1.02 CUP 24.57

413.73%

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

$261 MX$4,869

$115 CUP 2,767

126.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,999 MX$112.1K

$13.5K CUP 323.1K

-55.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MX$1,043

$42.90 CUP 1,030

30.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 MX$777

$35.23 CUP 845

18.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 MX$1,800

$71.7 CUP 1,720

34.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 MX$1,683

$71.0 CUP 1,704

26.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 MX$13.3K

$332 CUP 7,972

114.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,912

$454 CUP 10.9K

5.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 MX$25.4K

$876 CUP 21.0K

54.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 MX$16.9K

$589 CUP 14.1K

53.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,597 MX$48.5K

$355 CUP 8,524

631.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MX$29.2K

$335 CUP 8,044

366.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$14.5K

$35.80 CUP 859

2060.45%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cuba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$477 37.4%

Cuba

$454 35.7% 4.8% $23

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$267 21%

Cuba

$240 18.9% 9.9% $27

Eating Out

Mexico

$187 14.7%

Cuba

$117 9.2% 37.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$128 10%

Cuba

$99 7.8% 22.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$122 9.6%

Cuba

$296 23.3% 144% $175

Getting Around

Mexico

$49 3.8%

Cuba

$25 1.9% 49.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$45 3.6%

Cuba

$42 3.3% 7.9% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $624 in Mexico, $380 in Cuba. Capital cities: $1,113 in Mexico City vs $243 in Havana.

National salary averages: $722 in Mexico, $37 in Cuba. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 64% higher in Mexico.

Dining out costs 54% more in Mexico.

Public transport is 35% more expensive in Mexico.

Salaries are about 20 times higher in Mexico, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Mexico.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇨🇺 Cuba

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

10,985,974

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.71 CUP (100 CUP = 3.74 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico Cuba 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico
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

Mexico vs Cuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $624 in Mexico 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; Mexico may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.