Cost of living comparison

compared to

South Korea vs. Cuba Cost of Living Summary

South Korea is 89.2% more expensive than Cuba overall.

Restaurants: pay 0.2% less in South Korea
Groceries: pay 65.4% more in South Korea
Transportation: pay 12.8% more in South Korea
Housing: pay 2.0 times more in South Korea
Childcare: pay 2.6 times more in South Korea
Entertainment and Sports: pay 3.5 times more in South Korea
Clothing: pay 37.9% more in South Korea

The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, housing, groceries, clothing, and transportation in South Korea are more expensive than in Cuba. Notably, entertainment and sports, childcare, and housing are significantly more expensive in South Korea.

South Korea vs. Cuba Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Korea instead of Cuba, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 0.2% less for restaurants

	Cuba	South Korea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.40 CUC4.40	$6.72 ₩9,695	+52.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.00 CUC5.00	$5.50 ₩7,929	+9.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.08 CUC2.08	$1.47 ₩2,114	-29.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.25 CUC1.25	$0.82 ₩1,190	-34.0%
Average			-0.2%

Cuba vs. South Korea - Cost of restaurants

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pay 65.4% more for groceries

	Cuba	South Korea
Bread 1 loaf	$1.22 CUC1.22	$2.87 ₩4,145	+136.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.89 CUC2.89	$5.63 ₩8,113	+94.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$10.68 CUC10.68	$7.67 ₩11,070	-28.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.15 CUC4.15	$2.84 ₩4,091	-31.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.49 CUC2.49	$3.34 ₩4,812	+33.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.27 CUC2.27	$3.24 ₩4,667	+42.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.59 CUC0.59	$1.39 ₩2,002	+135.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.36 CUC1.36	$2.80 ₩4,033	+105.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.00 CUC1.00	$2.40 ₩3,467	+140.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.95 CUC0.95	$1.78 ₩2,571	+86.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.17 CUC1.17	$1.20 ₩1,737	+2.9%
Average			+65.4%

Cuba vs. South Korea - Cost of groceries

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pay 12.8% more for transportation

	Cuba	South Korea
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.77 CUC4.77	$4.40 ₩6,347	-7.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$25.00 CUC25.00	$47.17 ₩68,039	+88.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$60,000.00 CUC60,000.00	$26,440.41 ₩38,135,795	-55.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$6.60 CUC6.60	$8.33 ₩12,017	+26.2%
Average			+12.8%

Cuba vs. South Korea - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.0 times more for housing

	Cuba	South Korea
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$75.00 CUC75.00	$21.68 ₩31,276	-71.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$251.37 CUC251.37	$473.91 ₩683,528	+88.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$322.73 CUC322.73	$357.19 ₩515,179	+10.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$27.15 CUC27.15	$132.53 ₩191,156	+388.2%
Average			+104.1%

Cuba vs. South Korea - Cost of housing

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pay 2.6 times more for childcare

	Cuba	South Korea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$112.00 CUC112.00	$378.52 ₩545,956	+238.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,500.00 CUC8,500.00	$15,055.40 ₩21,714,861	+77.1%
Average			+157.6%

Cuba vs. South Korea - Cost of childcare

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pay 3.5 times more for entertainment and sports

	Cuba	South Korea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.00 CUC2.00	$3.12 ₩4,497	+55.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.01 CUC1.01	$3.57 ₩5,146	+253.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.00 CUC4.00	$3.18 ₩4,592	-20.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$37.75 CUC37.75	$49.86 ₩71,914	+32.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$1.00 CUC1.00	$10.12 ₩14,594	+911.8%
Average			+246.5%

Cuba vs. South Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 37.9% more for clothing

	Cuba	South Korea
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$34.75 CUC34.75	$66.46 ₩95,857	+91.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.75 CUC37.75	$50.68 ₩73,102	+34.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$75.00 CUC75.00	$72.74 ₩104,915	-3.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$80.00 CUC80.00	$103.23 ₩148,898	+29.0%
Average			+37.9%

Cuba vs. South Korea - 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: December 2025

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