Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Havana

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.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
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Havana Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Santiago $1,190
Havana $860

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

Santiago $1,892
Havana $1,388

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

Santiago $2,595
Havana $1,916

Living in Santiago is roughly 38% more expensive than in Havana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$3.59 CUP 86.3

188.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$27.63 CUP 663

87.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$4.88 CUP 117

83.20%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$1.06 CUP 25.42

207.55%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$1.51 CUP 36.33

10.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$0.99 CUP 23.80

24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$1.24 CUP 29.66

220.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$2.05 CUP 49.10

121.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$2.68 CUP 64.3

-52.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$1.22 CUP 29.26

51.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$1.76 CUP 42.35

-9.66%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$3.50 CUP 83.9

17.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$4.52 CUP 108

152.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$4.66 CUP 112

43.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$8.56 CUP 205

26.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$6.20 CUP 149

-68.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$1.02 CUP 24.55

49.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$3.83 CUP 92.0

-58.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$2.24 CUP 53.8

-24.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$2.93 CUP 70.2

-62.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$2.74 CUP 65.7

-44.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$0.72 CUP 17.33

63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$0.57 CUP 13.60

89.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$1.61 CUP 38.72

214.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$5.37 CUP 129

10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$1.77 CUP 42.38

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$2.05 CUP 49.30

16.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

$0.63 CUP 15.17

31.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

$22.13 CUP 531

81.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$2.63 CUP 63.1

-84.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$0.33 CUP 7.98

175.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$19.63 CUP 471

-40.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.27 CUP 30.50

18.90%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

-70.91%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

-62.81%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$46.62 CUP 1,119

224.77%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$39.24 CUP 942

-68.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$89.3 CUP 2,144

-79.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

$16.35 CUP 392

106.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$12.84 CUP 308

-8.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$0.83 CUP 19.99

797.59%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$156 CUP 3,752

175.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

-13.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$52.2 CUP 1,253

-4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$41.71 CUP 1,001

-30.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$80.0 CUP 1,919

-17.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$67.6 CUP 1,623

19.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

$246 CUP 5,911

127.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

$219 CUP 5,245

75.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$872 CUP 20.9K

15.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

$508 CUP 12.2K

53.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$314 CUP 7,545

739.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$407 CUP 9,762

525.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

$29.60 CUP 710

2614.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

9.1

-40.77%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Havana

$219 25.4% 43.1% $165

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Havana

$234 27.2% 0.9% $2.1

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Havana

$76 8.9% 59.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Havana

$175 20.4% 4% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Havana

$109 12.6% 7.4% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Havana

$18 2.1% 62.9% $31

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Havana

$29 3.4% 40.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $559 in Santiago and $246 in Havana. 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: $52.0 in Santiago vs $28.00 in Havana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $234 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇺 Havana

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

1 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

2,141,993 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

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).

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 CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Havana 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Santiago
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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

Santiago vs Havana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 2615% higher in Santiago, 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: $559 in Santiago 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 $52.0 in Santiago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Santiago versus $860 in Havana – 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.