Cost of living comparison

Cuba

compared to

Syria

Damascus vs. Havana Cost of Living Summary

Damascus is 0.7% cheaper than Havana.

Restaurants: pay 77.9% more in Damascus
Groceries: pay 60.1% less in Damascus
Transportation: pay 15.7% less in Damascus
Housing: pay 43.6% more in Damascus
Childcare: pay 61.1% less in Damascus
Entertainment and Sports: pay 2.4 times more in Damascus
Clothing: pay 6.6% less in Damascus

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

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Damascus vs. Havana Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Damascus instead of Havana, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 77.9% more for restaurants

	Havana	Damascus
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.71 CUC3.71	$10.00 SYP130K	+169.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.00 CUC5.00	$7.00 SYP91,014	+40.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.70 CUC1.70	$2.25 SYP29,254	+32.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.00 CUC1.00	$0.85 SYP11,008	-15.3%
Average			+77.9%

Havana vs. Damascus - Cost of restaurants

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pay 60.1% less for groceries

	Havana	Damascus
Bread 1 loaf	$1.49 CUC1.49	$0.40 SYP5,199	-73.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.22 CUC2.22	$1.96 SYP25,477	-11.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$14.20 CUC14.20	$4.03 SYP52,433	-71.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.71 CUC3.71	$1.59 SYP20,653	-57.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.07 CUC2.07	$2.59 SYP33,645	+25.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.75 CUC2.75	$0.47 SYP6,174	-82.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.48 CUC0.48	$0.63 SYP8,218	+30.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.79 CUC1.79	$0.51 SYP6,582	-71.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.04 CUC1.04	$0.47 SYP6,154	-54.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.73 CUC1.73	$0.35 SYP4,563	-79.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.85 CUC1.85	$0.35 SYP4,608	-80.8%
Average			-60.1%

Havana vs. Damascus - Cost of groceries

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pay 15.7% less for transportation

	Havana	Damascus
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.83 CUC4.83	$13.98 SYP182K	+189.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$22.50 CUC22.50	$10.00 SYP130K	-55.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$60,000.00 CUC60,000.00	$15,000.00 SYP195M	-75.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$6.20 CUC6.20	$13.15 SYP171K	+112.1%
Average			-15.7%

Havana vs. Damascus - Cost of transportation

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pay 43.6% more for housing

	Havana	Damascus
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$90.21 CUC90.21	$46.25 SYP601K	-48.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$254.03 CUC254.03	$523.33 SYP7M	+106.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$214.40 CUC214.40	$186.00 SYP2M	-13.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$36.20 CUC36.20	$107.06 SYP1M	+195.8%
Average			+43.6%

Havana vs. Damascus - Cost of housing

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pay 61.1% less for childcare

	Havana	Damascus
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$112.00 CUC112.00	$66.67 SYP867K	-40.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,000.00 CUC7,000.00	$1,780.73 SYP23M	-74.6%
Average			-61.1%

Havana vs. Damascus - Cost of childcare

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pay 2.4 times more for entertainment and sports

	Havana	Damascus
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.60 CUC1.60	$2.00 SYP26,004	+24.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.11 CUC1.11	$3.71 SYP48,293	+234.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.00 CUC2.00	$2.77 SYP36,000	+38.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$19.00 CUC19.00	$28.00 SYP364K	+47.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$0.85 CUC0.85	$5.50 SYP71,511	+547.1%
Average			+141.6%

Havana vs. Damascus - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 6.6% less for clothing

	Havana	Damascus
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$37.00 CUC37.00	$28.60 SYP372K	-22.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.00 CUC37.00	$40.00 SYP520K	+8.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$68.67 CUC68.67	$60.00 SYP780K	-12.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$56.00 CUC56.00	$58.33 SYP758K	+4.2%
Average			-6.6%

Havana vs. Damascus - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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