Cost of living comparison
compared to
Cuba vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
Cuba is 32.9% cheaper than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 43.0% less in Cuba
- Groceries
-
pay 0.8% more in Cuba
- Transportation
-
pay 20.0% more in Cuba
- Housing
-
pay 51.0% less in Cuba
- Childcare
-
pay 72.7% less in Cuba
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 64.6% less in Cuba
- Clothing
-
pay 19.9% less in Cuba
The cost of transportation and groceries in Cuba are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Cuba.
Cuba vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Cuba instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 43.0% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Cuba
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$4.40
CUC4.40
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$5.00
CUC5.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$2.08
CUC2.08
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.25
CUC1.25
|
|
Iowa vs. Cuba - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.8% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Cuba
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$1.22
CUC1.22
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$2.89
CUC2.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$10.68
CUC10.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$4.15
CUC4.15
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$2.49
CUC2.49
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$2.27
CUC2.27
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.59
CUC0.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$1.36
CUC1.36
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$1.00
CUC1.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$0.95
CUC0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.17
CUC1.17
|
|
Iowa vs. Cuba - Cost of groceries
pay 20.0% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Cuba
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$4.77
CUC4.77
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$25.00
CUC25.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$60,000.00
CUC60,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$6.60
CUC6.60
|
|
Iowa vs. Cuba - Cost of transportation
pay 51.0% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
Cuba
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$75.00
CUC75.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$251.37
CUC251.37
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$322.73
CUC322.73
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$27.15
CUC27.15
|
|
Iowa vs. Cuba - Cost of housing
pay 72.7% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Cuba
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$112.00
CUC112.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$8,500.00
CUC8,500.00
|
|
Iowa vs. Cuba - Cost of childcare
pay 64.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Cuba
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$2.00
CUC2.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$1.01
CUC1.01
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$4.00
CUC4.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$37.75
CUC37.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$1.00
CUC1.00
|
|
Iowa vs. Cuba - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.9% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Cuba
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$34.75
CUC34.75
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$37.75
CUC37.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$75.00
CUC75.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$80.00
CUC80.00
|
|
Iowa vs. Cuba - Cost of clothing
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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