Cost of living comparison

Nicaragua

compared to

Cuba

Havana vs. Managua Cost of Living Summary

Havana is 8.5% cheaper than Managua.

Restaurants: pay 39.0% less in Havana
Groceries: pay 20.9% more in Havana
Transportation: pay 67.5% more in Havana
Housing: pay 5.8% less in Havana
Childcare: pay 25.9% less in Havana
Entertainment and Sports: pay 60.5% less in Havana
Clothing: pay 47.5% less in Havana

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

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Havana vs. Managua Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 39.0% less for restaurants

	Managua	Havana
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$10.00 NIO368.55	$3.71 CUC3.71	-62.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.61 NIO280.46	$5.00 CUC5.00	-34.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.88 NIO32.54	$1.70 CUC1.70	+92.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.71 NIO26.22	$1.00 CUC1.00	+40.6%
Average			-39.0%

Managua vs. Havana - Cost of restaurants

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pay 20.9% more for groceries

	Managua	Havana
Bread 1 loaf	$2.37 NIO87.46	$1.49 CUC1.49	-37.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.80 NIO213.64	$2.22 CUC2.22	-61.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.68 NIO172.61	$14.20 CUC14.20	+203.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.37 NIO87.18	$3.71 CUC3.71	+57.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.87 NIO105.79	$2.07 CUC2.07	-27.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.82 NIO67.08	$2.75 CUC2.75	+50.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.27 NIO10.03	$0.48 CUC0.48	+77.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.82 NIO30.09	$1.79 CUC1.79	+118.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.11 NIO41.05	$1.04 CUC1.04	-6.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.79 NIO65.90	$1.73 CUC1.73	-3.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.01 NIO37.13	$1.85 CUC1.85	+83.6%
Average			+20.9%

Managua vs. Havana - Cost of groceries

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pay 67.5% more for transportation

	Managua	Havana
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.06 NIO186.38	$4.83 CUC4.83	-4.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$6.01 NIO221.41	$22.50 CUC22.50	+274.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$22,973.64 NIO847K	$60,000.00 CUC60,000.00	+161.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$14.69 NIO541.39	$6.20 CUC6.20	-57.8%
Average			+67.5%

Managua vs. Havana - Cost of transportation

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pay 5.8% less for housing

	Managua	Havana
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$32.47 NIO1,196.57	$90.21 CUC90.21	+177.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$256.40 NIO9,449.50	$254.03 CUC254.03	-0.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$181.00 NIO6,670.67	$214.40 CUC214.40	+18.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$115.83 NIO4,268.74	$36.20 CUC36.20	-68.7%
Average			-5.8%

Managua vs. Havana - Cost of housing

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pay 25.9% less for childcare

	Managua	Havana
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$235.82 NIO8,690.94	$112.00 CUC112.00	-52.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,060.00 NIO223K	$7,000.00 CUC7,000.00	+15.5%
Average			-25.9%

Managua vs. Havana - Cost of childcare

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pay 60.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Managua	Havana
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.50 NIO55.28	$1.60 CUC1.60	+6.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.60 NIO95.82	$1.11 CUC1.11	-57.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.73 NIO100.51	$2.00 CUC2.00	-26.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$34.79 NIO1,282.16	$19.00 CUC19.00	-45.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$9.00 NIO331.69	$0.85 CUC0.85	-90.6%
Average			-60.5%

Managua vs. Havana - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 47.5% less for clothing

	Managua	Havana
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$59.88 NIO2,206.90	$37.00 CUC37.00	-38.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$65.00 NIO2,395.54	$37.00 CUC37.00	-43.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$122.64 NIO4,519.99	$68.67 CUC68.67	-44.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$144.83 NIO5,337.49	$56.00 CUC56.00	-61.3%
Average			-47.5%

Managua vs. Havana - 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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