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.
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
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.48£16.15
$6.18CUP 148
247.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7£64.4
$24.62CUP 591
248.25%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$10.61£7.98
$6.65CUP 160
59.55%
Cappuccino
$4.91£3.69
$1.71CUP 40.99
187.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66£2.00
$1.82CUP 43.65
46.15%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87£1.40
$1.10CUP 26.46
70.00%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$6.63£4.98
$2.04CUP 48.93
225.00%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84£5.14
$2.43CUP 58.3
181.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.68£1.26
$2.69CUP 64.6
-37.55%
White Bread(500g)
$1.72£1.29
$1.20CUP 28.83
43.33%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.17£1.63
$1.98CUP 47.56
9.60%
Eggs
$4.00£3.01
$3.41CUP 81.9
17.30%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.42£7.08
$5.86CUP 141
60.75%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$9.19£6.90
$5.11CUP 123
79.84%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$14.77£11.10
$11.44CUP 275
29.11%
Apples(1kg)
$2.97£2.23
$4.19CUP 101
-29.12%
Banana(1kg)
$1.62£1.22
$1.16CUP 27.86
39.66%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.85£2.15
$1.78CUP 42.63
60.11%
Tomato(1kg)
$3.52£2.65
$1.88CUP 45.08
87.23%
Potato(1kg)
$1.83£1.38
$1.88CUP 45.17
-2.66%
Onion(1kg)
$1.61£1.21
$2.55CUP 61.2
-36.86%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.25£0.94
$0.96CUP 23.14
30.21%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66£1.25
$0.94CUP 22.52
76.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$23.65£17.77
$3.20CUP 76.8
639.06%
Wine(Bottle)
$10.50£7.89
$9.55CUP 229
9.95%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.98£2.24
$1.79CUP 42.86
66.48%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.51£2.64
$2.10CUP 50.4
67.14%
🚌 Getting Around
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$3.98£2.99
$0.17CUP 4.17
2241.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$107£80.7
$19.66CUP 472
446.39%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$5.18£3.89
$2.31CUP 55.4
124.24%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$2.35£1.76
$0.38CUP 9.16
518.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$26.84£20.17
$19.70CUP 473
36.24%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.99£1.49
$1.29CUP 31.08
54.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.4K£29.6K
$70.7KCUP 1.7M
-44.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K£30.4K
$73.0KCUP 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
$36.43CUP 874
798.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.21£13.69
$34.75CUP 834
-47.60%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.60£32.77
$225CUP 5,403
-80.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$42.36£31.83
$39.62CUP 951
6.92%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.22£13.69
$12.71CUP 305
43.35%
Cinema Ticket
$13.85£10.41
$1.02CUP 24.57
1257.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$1,868£1,404
$115CUP 2,767
1520.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$22.6K£17.0K
$13.5KCUP 323.1K
68.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.9£69.8
$42.90CUP 1,030
116.62%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.92£34.51
$35.23CUP 845
30.34%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$102£76.4
$71.7CUP 1,720
41.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102£76.8
$71.0CUP 1,704
44.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,342£1,009
$332CUP 7,972
304.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,073£807
$454CUP 10.9K
136.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,231£1,677
$876CUP 21.0K
154.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,742£1,309
$589CUP 14.1K
195.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$5,601£4,210
$355CUP 8,524
1477.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$4,265£3,205
$335CUP 8,044
1172.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Kingdom
Cuba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$3,349£2,517
$35.80CUP 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.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
$1.1K 43.6%
Cuba
$454 35.7% ↓ 57.7%$619
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
$389 15.8%
Cuba
$296 23.3% ↓ 23.8%$93
🍽Eating Out
United Kingdom
$328 13.3%
Cuba
$117 9.2% ↓ 64.4%$211
🛒Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
$307 12.5%
Cuba
$240 18.9% ↓ 21.7%$67
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
$154 6.3%
Cuba
$99 7.8% ↓ 35.6%$55
🚌Getting Around
United Kingdom
$140 5.7%
Cuba
$25 1.9% ↓ 82.5%$116
🎉Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
$70 2.9%
Cuba
$42 3.3% ↓ 40.5%$28
🏠Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
$1.7K 36.8%
Cuba
$589 26.8% ↓ 66.2%$1.2K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
$407 8.6%
Cuba
$331 15% ↓ 18.7%$76
🍽Eating Out
United Kingdom
$1.1K 23.1%
Cuba
$352 16% ↓ 67.8%$742
🛒Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
$705 14.9%
Cuba
$562 25.5% ↓ 20.3%$143
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
$343 7.2%
Cuba
$221 10% ↓ 35.6%$122
🚌Getting Around
United Kingdom
$288 6.1%
Cuba
$49 2.3% ↓ 82.8%$239
🎉Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
$158 3.3%
Cuba
$96 4.4% ↓ 39.3%$62
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.
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