Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varadero and Cayo Coco

For one person, living costs are similar in Varadero and in Cayo Coco: $1,173 and $1,224 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Varadero
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Varadero Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Cayo Coco
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Cayo Coco Living Index

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Varadero

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,173

/mo nomad

Cayo Coco

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varadero and in Cayo Coco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,173 in Varadero versus $1,224 in Cayo Coco.

Varadero $1,173
Cayo Coco $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,546 in Varadero versus $1,689 in Cayo Coco.

Varadero $1,546
Cayo Coco $1,689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Varadero versus $2,155 in Cayo Coco.

Varadero $1,920
Cayo Coco $2,155

Living in Varadero costs roughly 4% less than in Cayo Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Varadero 14% lower, Cayo Coco 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 CUP 86.2

$5.11 CUP 123

-29.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.95 CUP 479

$14.92 CUP 358

33.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 CUP 123

$6.90 CUP 166

-25.80%

Cappuccino

$1.01 CUP 24.20

$0.97 CUP 23.34

4.12%

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

$1.58 CUP 37.97

$2.05 CUP 49.24

-22.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.81

$0.98 CUP 23.61

1.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 CUP 29.24

$1.94 CUP 46.63

-37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 CUP 48.31

$3.08 CUP 74.0

-34.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.71 CUP 65.0

$3.04 CUP 72.9

-10.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 CUP 35.41

$0.99 CUP 23.72

49.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 CUP 35.98

$1.97 CUP 47.29

-23.86%

Eggs

$2.16 CUP 51.9

$3.69 CUP 88.6

-41.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.51 CUP 108

$5.86 CUP 141

-23.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 CUP 106

$5.06 CUP 121

-12.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 CUP 210

$9.80 CUP 235

-10.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CUP 83.7

$5.07 CUP 122

-31.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CUP 25.28

$1.01 CUP 24.25

3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 CUP 37.96

$1.02 CUP 24.48

54.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 CUP 38.52

$0.99 CUP 23.73

62.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 CUP 53.1

$0.98 CUP 23.58

125.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 CUP 66.4

$3.09 CUP 74.2

-10.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 CUP 15.78

$1.01 CUP 24.30

-34.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 CUP 12.57

$0.99 CUP 23.64

-47.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 CUP 39.22

$2.95 CUP 70.8

-44.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 CUP 127

$10.02 CUP 241

-47.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 CUP 21.29

$1.96 CUP 46.99

-54.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CUP 51.7

$1.96 CUP 47.01

9.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.09 CUP 2.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.73 CUP 378

$20.39 CUP 489

-22.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 CUP 47.41

$0.97 CUP 23.33

104.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 CUP 8.10

$1.02 CUP 24.48

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.68 CUP 472

$20.19 CUP 485

-2.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CUP 31.91

$0.98 CUP 23.42

35.71%

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

$70.4K CUP 1.7M

$71.3K CUP 1.7M

-1.27%

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

$81.3K CUP 2.0M

$80.8K CUP 1.9M

0.63%

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

$39.23 CUP 941

$39.92 CUP 958

-1.73%

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

$39.53 CUP 949

$40.23 CUP 966

-1.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.0 CUP 2,184

$221 CUP 5,307

-58.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.45 CUP 947

$40.44 CUP 971

-2.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 CUP 361

$10.03 CUP 241

49.95%

Cinema Ticket

$0.88 CUP 21.05

$0.99 CUP 23.71

-11.11%

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

$89.4 CUP 2,144

$89.0 CUP 2,136

0.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K CUP 302.0K

$15.1K CUP 362.8K

-16.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.42 CUP 946

$40.38 CUP 969

-2.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.09 CUP 722

$29.55 CUP 709

1.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 CUP 1,818

$73.9 CUP 1,773

2.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 CUP 1,631

$81.3 CUP 1,950

-16.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 CUP 11.8K

$404 CUP 9,699

21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 CUP 13.7K

$417 CUP 10.0K

37.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 CUP 28.7K

$1,031 CUP 24.7K

16.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 CUP 15.5K

$623 CUP 14.9K

3.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$396 CUP 9,494

$300 CUP 7,202

31.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 CUP 8,323

$354 CUP 8,487

-1.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$19.53 CUP 469

$19.60 CUP 471

-0.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

-9.00%

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

Last update for Varadero: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varadero

$573 48.9%

Cayo Coco

$417 34.1% 27.2% $156

Groceries & Markets

Varadero

$197 16.8%

Cayo Coco

$234 19.2% 19.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varadero

$170 14.5%

Cayo Coco

$301 24.6% 77.5% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Varadero

$96 8.2%

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3% 5.6% $5.3

Eating Out

Varadero

$77 6.5%

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3% 32.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Varadero

$41 3.5%

Cayo Coco

$42 3.5% 2.9% $1.2

Getting Around

Varadero

$20 1.7%

Cayo Coco

$26 * 2.2% 34% $6.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $492 in Varadero and $404 in Cayo Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Varadero vs $15 in Cayo Coco. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $234, with Varadero cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Varadero

🇨🇺 Cayo Coco

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

Same time as Varadero

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,170

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.74 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Varadero Cayo Coco 300 km

From you

Varadero
Cayo Coco

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Varadero vs Cayo Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varadero wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Cayo Coco. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varadero the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,759 in Varadero and $1,836 in Cayo Coco to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $492 in Varadero versus $404 in Cayo Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Varadero runs roughly 23% less than in Cayo Coco. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $89 in Varadero versus $89 in Cayo Coco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Varadero is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.