Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varadero and Mayari

For one person, living is cheaper in Varadero: $1,173 a month against $1,504 in Mayari, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Varadero
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Varadero Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Mayari
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Mayari Living Index

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Varadero

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,173

/mo nomad

Mayari

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varadero and in Mayari

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 Mayari actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,173 in Varadero versus $1,504 in Mayari.

Varadero $1,173
Mayari $1,504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,546 in Varadero versus $2,433 in Mayari.

Varadero $1,546
Mayari $2,433

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Varadero versus $3,363 in Mayari.

Varadero $1,920
Mayari $3,363

Living in Varadero costs roughly 22% less than in Mayari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varadero is 14% below, Mayari is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 CUP 86.2

$5.83 CUP 140

-38.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.95 CUP 479

$19.63 CUP 471

1.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 CUP 123

$6.33 CUP 152

-19.12%

Cappuccino

$1.01 CUP 24.20

$1.27 CUP 30.50

-20.47%

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

$1.58 CUP 37.97

$2.25 CUP 54.0

-29.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.81

$1.23 CUP 29.45

-19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 CUP 29.24

$2.57 CUP 61.6

-52.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 CUP 48.31

$3.02 CUP 72.5

-33.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.71 CUP 65.0

$2.93 CUP 70.2

-7.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 CUP 35.41

$0.78 CUP 18.64

89.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 CUP 35.98

$2.51 CUP 60.4

-40.24%

Eggs

$2.16 CUP 51.9

$3.19 CUP 76.6

-32.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.51 CUP 108

$6.00 CUP 144

-24.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 CUP 106

$5.33 CUP 128

-17.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 CUP 210

$12.03 CUP 289

-27.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CUP 83.7

$4.97 CUP 119

-29.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CUP 25.28

$1.17 CUP 28.09

-10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 CUP 37.96

$1.38 CUP 33.12

14.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 CUP 38.52

$1.46 CUP 35.08

10.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 CUP 53.1

$1.94 CUP 46.45

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 CUP 66.4

$2.79 CUP 67.0

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 CUP 15.78

$0.99 CUP 23.70

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 CUP 12.57

$1.12 CUP 26.78

-53.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 CUP 39.22

$3.44 CUP 82.6

-52.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 CUP 127

$10.02 CUP 241

-47.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 CUP 21.29

$1.79 CUP 42.98

-50.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CUP 51.7

$1.98 CUP 47.56

8.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.09 CUP 2.13

$0.20 CUP 4.75

-55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.73 CUP 378

$19.62 CUP 471

-19.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 CUP 47.41

$2.25 CUP 54.0

-12.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 CUP 8.10

$0.41 CUP 9.95

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.68 CUP 472

$20.04 CUP 481

-1.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CUP 31.91

$1.27 CUP 30.46

4.72%

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

$70.4K CUP 1.7M

$69.1K CUP 1.7M

1.96%

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

$81.3K CUP 2.0M

$80.6K CUP 1.9M

0.80%

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

$39.23 CUP 941

$35.62 CUP 855

10.13%

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

$39.53 CUP 949

$40.42 CUP 970

-2.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.0 CUP 2,184

$246 CUP 5,916

-63.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.45 CUP 947

$40.68 CUP 976

-3.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 CUP 361

$15.29 CUP 367

-1.64%

Cinema Ticket

$0.88 CUP 21.05

$0.99 CUP 23.68

-11.11%

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

$89.4 CUP 2,144

$115 CUP 2,768

-22.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K CUP 302.0K

$17.8K CUP 427.4K

-29.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.42 CUP 946

$55.9 CUP 1,342

-29.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.09 CUP 722

$39.64 CUP 951

-24.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 CUP 1,818

$44.32 CUP 1,064

70.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 CUP 1,631

$49.81 CUP 1,196

36.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 CUP 11.8K

$213 CUP 5,102

131.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 CUP 13.7K

$668 CUP 16.0K

-14.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 CUP 28.7K

$383 CUP 9,186

212.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 CUP 15.5K

$1,764 CUP 42.3K

-63.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$396 CUP 9,494

$392 CUP 9,408

0.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 CUP 8,323

$345 CUP 8,274

0.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$19.53 CUP 469

$21.86 CUP 525

-10.66%

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 Mayari: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varadero

$573 48.9%

Mayari

$668 44.4% 16.6% $95

Groceries & Markets

Varadero

$197 16.8%

Mayari

$247 16.4% 25.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varadero

$170 14.5%

Mayari

$323 21.4% 90% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Varadero

$96 8.2%

Mayari

$85 5.7% 11% $11

Eating Out

Varadero

$77 6.5%

Mayari

$114 7.6% 48.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Varadero

$41 3.5%

Mayari

$43 2.8% 3.5% $1.4

Getting Around

Varadero

$20 1.7%

Mayari

$25 1.6% 25.2% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $492 in Varadero and $213 in Mayari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mayari pays 12% 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: $20 in Varadero vs $20 in Mayari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $247 per month, with Varadero cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Varadero

🇨🇺 Mayari

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

Same time as Varadero

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,170

29,259

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varadero Mayari 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Varadero
Mayari

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 Mayari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varadero wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Mayari. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varadero the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Varadero. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $492 in Varadero versus $213 in Mayari. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Mayari. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,173 per month in Varadero versus $1,504 in Mayari – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Varadero wins on affordability, Mayari on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.