Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Havana

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
Learn more

Havana Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Havana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $860 in Havana.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Havana $860

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,388 in Havana.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Havana $1,388

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,916 in Havana.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Havana $1,916

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 50% more expensive than in Havana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Havana 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$3.59 CUP 86.3

180.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$27.63 CUP 663

46.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$4.88 CUP 117

75.20%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.06 CUP 25.42

124.53%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.51 CUP 36.33

6.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.99 CUP 23.80

4.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.24 CUP 29.66

99.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.05 CUP 49.10

80.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.68 CUP 64.3

-55.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.22 CUP 29.26

68.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.76 CUP 42.35

-27.27%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.50 CUP 83.9

-34.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$4.52 CUP 108

138.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$4.66 CUP 112

-5.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$8.56 CUP 205

14.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$6.20 CUP 149

-54.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.02 CUP 24.55

74.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.83 CUP 92.0

-58.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.24 CUP 53.8

-19.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.93 CUP 70.2

-58.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.74 CUP 65.7

-62.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.72 CUP 17.33

6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.57 CUP 13.60

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$1.61 CUP 38.72

86.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$5.37 CUP 129

50.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.77 CUP 42.38

-32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.05 CUP 49.30

22.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.63 CUP 15.17

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$22.13 CUP 531

126.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.63 CUP 63.1

-53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.33 CUP 7.98

178.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$19.63 CUP 471

-54.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.27 CUP 30.50

2.36%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

-60.48%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

-44.41%

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

$133 R$676

$46.62 CUP 1,119

186.14%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$39.24 CUP 942

-72.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$89.3 CUP 2,144

-74.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$16.35 CUP 392

88.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$12.84 CUP 308

148.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$0.83 CUP 19.99

869.88%

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

$598 R$3,029

$156 CUP 3,752

282.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

7.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$52.2 CUP 1,253

-19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$41.71 CUP 1,001

19.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$80.0 CUP 1,919

-6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$67.6 CUP 1,623

1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$246 CUP 5,911

266.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$219 CUP 5,245

142.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$872 CUP 20.9K

52.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$508 CUP 12.2K

48.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$314 CUP 7,545

1175.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$407 CUP 9,762

283.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$29.60 CUP 710

2060.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

9.1

31.10%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Havana

$219 25.4% 58.7% $311

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Havana

$234 27.2% 9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Havana

$175 20.4% 4.8% $8

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Havana

$76 8.9% 53.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Havana

$109 12.6% 2.8% $3

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Havana

$29 3.4% 51.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Havana

$18 2.1% 61.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $246 in Havana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 2061% 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: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $28.00 in Havana. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $234, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇺 Havana

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

2,141,993 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Havana 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Havana

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

Rio de Janeiro vs Havana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Havana differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $860 including rent). Havana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2061% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $246 in Havana. 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $860 in Havana – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $860 in Havana versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. 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 50% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.