Cost of living in Havana, prices and what it is like to live for an Expat, quality of life / hardship, and compare cost of living for Expatriates as at January 2021.

What is it like to live in Havana?

Havana: Havana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba.

Economy: Havana's economy first developed on the basis of its location, which made it one of the early great trade centres in the New World. Sugar and a flourishing slave trade first brought riches to the city, and later, after independence, it became a renowned resort. Despite efforts by Fidel Castro's government to spread Cuba's industrial activity to all parts of the island, Havana remains the centre of much of the nation's industry.

Inflation: 5.7% for Cuba as at December 2019.

Havana Population: 2.1 Million (2020 est.)

Expat Life: In Cuba decision-making authority is narrowly concentrated, with decisions almost always made at a high level within government agencies. It is generally advisable to address people using their professional title, or by either Senor (Mr), Senora (Mrs), or Senorita (Ms) and their surname. Because of the heat in Cuba, dress code tends to be very light-weight suits or sports coats with trousers. Women are prominent at all levels of business and public life. The safety risk for expatriates in Cuba is low. Risks include petty crime, such as pickpocketing, bag-snatching and theft, particularly in Havana, as well as confidence tricksters who may target expats, while violent crime is relatively rare and unlikely to involve expatriates. Other risks include criticising the authorities which may lead to arrest and harsh punishment, as well as the risks related to hurricanes and earthquakes.

Health Care: Health care facilities in Havana are better than the rest of Cuba, however serious specialist health care emergencies may require health care evacuation which can be very expensive. Many medicines are unavailable in Cuba. Expatriates should bring prescription drugs taken regularly with a copy of the prescription and a letter from the doctor explaining the condition for customs. Cases of Chikungunya virus and cholera have been confirmed. The official Coronavirus COVID-19 total reported cases for Cuba as at 25 February 2021 is 46,896, with 308 deaths. The rate of deaths per 1 million population is 27. Current active cases is 4,685.

For other areas within the country see Cuba.

Cost Of Living

What is the cost of living in Havana?

The cost of living for expatriates in Havana as at January 2021 is high in comparison to other places in the world, with an overall Cost of Living Index (COLI), for all 13 basket groups, of 77.94 (New York =100). We have collected prices for the same items, world wide, based on Expat spending norms, in or closest to the location, and converted them to $USD so that we can compare the cost of 13 different baskets in 780 global locations. For each basket, compared to New York, the equivalent cost in Havana is as follows:

1) Alcohol and/or Tobacco: Cost is average for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$810. Average price in a store for a midrange bottle of wine is USD$12.09, domestic/local beer (500ml) USD$1.52, imported/international beer (330ml) USD$2.04 and a pack of 20 cigarettes is USD$2.90.

2) Clothing: Cost is average for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$920. Average price for an international brand of mens jeans is USD$36, a quality international brand of running shoes USD$79, mens leather shoes suitable for office wear USD$56 while a medium size international summer dress from a global chain store is USD$38.

3) Communication: Cost is very high for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. A basket costing USD$200 in New York costs USD$288. Average price for a monthly standard plan internet subscription is USD$101, while the benchmark mobile tariff is USD$0.31 per minute.

4) Education: Cost is low for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. A basket costing USD$30,000 in New York costs USD$20100. Average annual private international school fee (excluding extras) USD$13,110 for Primary School, and USD$14,589 for High School.

5) Furniture & Appliances: Cost is high for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofas. A basket costing USD$2,500 in New York costs USD$2225. Average price for a 6kg front loader Washing Machine is USD$721, and USD$619 for a 46+'' LED UHD TV.

6) Groceries: Cost is average for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$740. Average grocery prices in a major international retail store for 1 kg apples is USD$5.32, 1 kg oranges USD$0.79, 1 head lettuce USD$0.64, 1 kg potatos USD$1.82, 1 kg boneless, skinless, chicken breast USD$5.45, 1 kg cheddar cheese USD$5.32, 1 dozen large eggs USD$0.96, 500g loaf white bread USD$0.55, 1 L full cream milk USD$3.22, and 1.5 L water USD$1.12.

7) Healthcare: Cost is average for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$600. Average healthcare cost for a private practice Doctor visit for an uninsured patient is USD$49, and a private hospital stay per day including nursing care, medications, diagnostic tests, food, and related costs is USD$1,494.

8) Household Accommodation: Cost is average for items such as apartment rent, house rent, property purchase, mortgage rate, and utilities. A basket costing USD$5,000 in New York costs USD$2150. Average expatriate house / apartment rent for a secure upmarket unfurnished apartment (3 bedrooms) is USD$1,304 in a central location, and USD$812 in a suburban location, per month, excluding utilities.

9) Miscellaneous: Cost is very low for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$255. Average price for dry cleaning (1 mens 2 pc suit) is USD$4.96, while an international newspaper is USD$1.52.

10) Personal Care: Cost is very high for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$655. Average cost for a mens haircut and blow dry is USD$52, while a womens hair colour, cut and blow dry - medium length is USD$262.

11) Recreation & Culture: Cost is high for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$505. Average price for a latest release international cinema ticket (average of on and off peak where applicable) for one adult is USD$2.42, and an international fitness, recreation or sports club membership cost for one adult is USD$14 per month.

12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: Cost is average for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in a restaurant, and take away food and beverages. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$660. Average cappuccino price (regular, medium) is USD$1.65, coke/pepsi (330ml) USD$1.90, burger meal (international franchise or similar) USD$7.25, and a mid-range international restaurant meal for 2 USD$37.05.

13) Transport: Cost is very high for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$1250. Average average price over the last year for highest available octane petrol / gasoline (1L) is USD$1.06, while the benchmark car sedan purchase price including taxes/duties for a compact / small / economy vehicle (1.4 L) is USD$40,332.

How does the cost of living in Havana compare?

Havana is -4.2% cheaper than Houston TX for groceries, 9.4% more expensive for household costs than Kuala Lumpur, and 99.4% more expensive for transport costs than Dubai.

What is the quality of life / hardship in Havana?

Havana is ranked as an extreme hardship location.The hardship premium for Havana for an expat from Perth, is for example 30%, i.e. host location (Havana) premium of 40% minus home (Perth) location premium of 10%.

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