Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Cuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuba: $1,273 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

United Kingdom
Cuba
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,462
/mo nomad
🇨🇺 Cuba
$1,273
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,273 in Cuba.

  • United Kingdom $2,462
  • Cuba $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,737 in Cuba.

  • United Kingdom $3,600
  • Cuba $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $2,201 in Cuba.

  • United Kingdom $4,738
  • Cuba $2,201

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $185–$1,570 in Cuba. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 93% more expensive than in Cuba on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and Cuba (6% below) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.48 £16.15
$6.18 CUP 148
247.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7 £64.4
$24.62 CUP 591
248.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.61 £7.98
$6.65 CUP 160
59.55%
Cappuccino
$4.91 £3.69
$1.71 CUP 40.99
187.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 £2.00
$1.82 CUP 43.65
46.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.10 CUP 26.46
70.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.63 £4.98
$2.04 CUP 48.93
225.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84 £5.14
$2.43 CUP 58.3
181.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.26
$2.69 CUP 64.6
-37.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 £1.29
$1.20 CUP 28.83
43.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 £1.63
$1.98 CUP 47.56
9.60%
Eggs
$4.00 £3.01
$3.41 CUP 81.9
17.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.42 £7.08
$5.86 CUP 141
60.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 £6.90
$5.11 CUP 123
79.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.77 £11.10
$11.44 CUP 275
29.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 £2.23
$4.19 CUP 101
-29.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 £1.22
$1.16 CUP 27.86
39.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.85 £2.15
$1.78 CUP 42.63
60.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.52 £2.65
$1.88 CUP 45.08
87.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 £1.38
$1.88 CUP 45.17
-2.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.61 £1.21
$2.55 CUP 61.2
-36.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 £0.94
$0.96 CUP 23.14
30.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 £1.25
$0.94 CUP 22.52
76.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.65 £17.77
$3.20 CUP 76.8
639.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.50 £7.89
$9.55 CUP 229
9.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.98 £2.24
$1.79 CUP 42.86
66.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.51 £2.64
$2.10 CUP 50.4
67.14%
🚌 Getting Around
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.98 £2.99
$0.17 CUP 4.17
2241.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$107 £80.7
$19.66 CUP 472
446.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.18 £3.89
$2.31 CUP 55.4
124.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.35 £1.76
$0.38 CUP 9.16
518.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.84 £20.17
$19.70 CUP 473
36.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.29 CUP 31.08
54.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.4K £29.6K
$70.7K CUP 1.7M
-44.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.4K
$73.0K CUP 1.8M
-44.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$327 £246
$36.43 CUP 874
798.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.21 £13.69
$34.75 CUP 834
-47.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.60 £32.77
$225 CUP 5,403
-80.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.36 £31.83
$39.62 CUP 951
6.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.22 £13.69
$12.71 CUP 305
43.35%
Cinema Ticket
$13.85 £10.41
$1.02 CUP 24.57
1257.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,868 £1,404
$115 CUP 2,767
1520.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.6K £17.0K
$13.5K CUP 323.1K
68.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.9 £69.8
$42.90 CUP 1,030
116.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.92 £34.51
$35.23 CUP 845
30.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 £76.4
$71.7 CUP 1,720
41.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 £76.8
$71.0 CUP 1,704
44.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,342 £1,009
$332 CUP 7,972
304.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,073 £807
$454 CUP 10.9K
136.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,231 £1,677
$876 CUP 21.0K
154.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,742 £1,309
$589 CUP 14.1K
195.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,601 £4,210
$355 CUP 8,524
1477.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,265 £3,205
$335 CUP 8,044
1172.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,349 £2,517
$35.80 CUP 859
9256.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.32
9.38
-43.28%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cuba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
$1.1K
Cuba
$454 57.7% $619
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
$389
Cuba
$296 23.8% $93
Eating Out
United Kingdom
$328
Cuba
$117 64.4% $211
Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
$307
Cuba
$240 21.7% $67
Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
$154
Cuba
$99 35.6% $55
Getting Around
United Kingdom
$140
Cuba
$25 82.5% $116
Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
$70
Cuba
$42 40.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $380 in Cuba. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $243 in Havana.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $37 in Cuba. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 239% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 196% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 339% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 88 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇨🇺 Cuba
🕒 Local time
09:26 9:26 AM
05:26 5:26 AM
4 h behind the United Kingdom
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
67,326,569
10,985,974
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • United Kingdom Cuba 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • United Kingdom
  • 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
United Kingdom vs Cuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How does the cost of living in Cuba compare to the cost in the United Kingdom?
At $1,273 per month in Cuba and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 93% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
How do daily expenses compare in Cuba vs the United Kingdom?
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.
Is rent more expensive in Cuba or in the United Kingdom?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $380 in Cuba. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Which country is better for expats: Cuba or the United Kingdom?
It depends on what you’re after: Cuba wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

United Kingdom vs other spots: cost of living compared

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