Cost of living comparison

compared to

China vs. Cuba Cost of Living Summary

China is 27.2% more expensive than Cuba overall.

Restaurants: pay 57.5% less in China
Groceries: pay 17.1% less in China
Transportation: pay 33.0% less in China
Housing: pay 33.0% less in China
Childcare: pay 3.0 times more in China
Entertainment and Sports: pay 2.3 times more in China
Clothing: pay 1.5% more in China

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and clothing in China are more expensive than in Cuba. Expenses including restaurants, transportation, housing, and groceries are lower in China. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in China.

China vs. Cuba Cost Breakdown

If you lived in China instead of Cuba, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 57.5% less for restaurants

	Cuba	China
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.06 CUC5.06	$2.85 CN¥20.91	-43.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.75 CUC7.75	$5.07 CN¥37.11	-34.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.08 CUC2.08	$0.49 CN¥3.58	-76.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.23 CUC1.23	$0.30 CN¥2.20	-75.6%
Average			-57.5%

Cuba vs. China - Cost of restaurants

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pay 17.1% less for groceries

	Cuba	China
Bread 1 loaf	$1.17 CUC1.17	$1.59 CN¥11.66	+35.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.75 CUC2.75	$5.85 CN¥42.85	+112.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$11.92 CUC11.92	$6.86 CN¥50.25	-42.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.97 CUC2.97	$1.60 CN¥11.69	-46.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.32 CUC2.32	$1.54 CN¥11.29	-33.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.27 CUC2.27	$0.76 CN¥5.59	-66.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.44 CUC0.44	$0.57 CN¥4.20	+29.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.79 CUC0.79	$0.65 CN¥4.79	-16.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.64 CUC0.64	$0.52 CN¥3.84	-18.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.86 CUC0.86	$0.32 CN¥2.35	-62.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.91 CUC1.91	$0.40 CN¥2.93	-79.0%
Average			-17.1%

Cuba vs. China - Cost of groceries

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pay 33.0% less for transportation

	Cuba	China
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.81 CUC4.81	$4.44 CN¥32.56	-7.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$22.50 CUC22.50	$22.47 CN¥164.59	-0.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$65,000.00 CUC65,000.00	$19,071.53 CN¥139,698.98	-70.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$8.60 CUC8.60	$3.97 CN¥29.11	-53.8%
Average			-33.0%

Cuba vs. China - Cost of transportation

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pay 33.0% less for housing

	Cuba	China
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$147.50 CUC147.50	$11.70 CN¥85.67	-92.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$381.94 CUC381.94	$328.33 CN¥2,405.02	-14.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$544.70 CUC544.70	$205.78 CN¥1,507.34	-62.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$29.63 CUC29.63	$40.46 CN¥296.36	+36.5%
Average			-33.0%

Cuba vs. China - Cost of housing

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pay 3.0 times more for childcare

	Cuba	China
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$101.00 CUC101.00	$459.70 CN¥3,367.29	+355.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$12,500.00 CUC12,500.00	$18,318.08 CN¥134,179.93	+46.5%
Average			+200.8%

Cuba vs. China - Cost of childcare

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pay 2.3 times more for entertainment and sports

	Cuba	China
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.88 CUC2.88	$1.09 CN¥7.99	-62.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.10 CUC1.10	$3.07 CN¥22.47	+177.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.85 CUC3.85	$3.23 CN¥23.68	-16.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$40.17 CUC40.17	$41.41 CN¥303.32	+3.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$0.93 CUC0.93	$5.93 CN¥43.40	+540.6%
Average			+128.6%

Cuba vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 1.5% more for clothing

	Cuba	China
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$39.88 CUC39.88	$48.23 CN¥353.25	+20.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$31.83 CUC31.83	$31.67 CN¥231.99	-0.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$75.62 CUC75.62	$72.53 CN¥531.26	-4.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$84.17 CUC84.17	$75.53 CN¥553.29	-10.3%
Average			+1.5%

Cuba vs. China - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: January 2025

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