Moving to Cuba from South Africa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Africa to Cuba — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Africa to Cuba, and you’d need to navigate life in Spanish. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Havana averages 84°F vs 71°F in Johannesburg, making it significantly warmer.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How South Africa and Cuba stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Cuba performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Cuba generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Cuba performs significantly better than South Africa across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
South Africa generally does better on infrastructure, though Cuba leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
Cuba performs significantly better than South Africa across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Cuba performs significantly better than South Africa across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Weather in Cuba vs South Africa
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Johannesburg | Havana |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 80°/66°F (26°/19°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/45°F (19°/7°C) | 85°/72°F (30°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 67°/44°F (20°/7°C) | 88°/75°F (31°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 82°/70°F (28°/21°C) |
View all months
| Month | Johannesburg | Havana |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78°/58°F (25.6°/14.7°C) | 78°/65°F (25.8°/18.6°C) |
| Feb | 77°/57°F (25.1°/14.1°C) | 79°/65°F (26.1°/18.6°C) |
| Mar | 75°/56°F (24.0°/13.1°C) | 82°/67°F (27.6°/19.7°C) |
| Apr | 70°/51°F (21.1°/10.3°C) | 83°/70°F (28.6°/20.9°C) |
| May | 66°/45°F (18.9°/7.2°C) | 86°/72°F (29.8°/22.4°C) |
| Jun | 61°/39°F (16.0°/4.1°C) | 87°/74°F (30.5°/23.4°C) |
| Jul | 62°/39°F (16.7°/4.1°C) | 88°/75°F (31.3°/23.8°C) |
| Aug | 67°/43°F (19.4°/6.2°C) | 89°/75°F (31.6°/24.1°C) |
| Sep | 73°/49°F (22.8°/9.3°C) | 88°/75°F (31.0°/23.8°C) |
| Oct | 75°/52°F (23.8°/11.2°C) | 85°/73°F (29.2°/23.0°C) |
| Nov | 76°/55°F (24.2°/12.7°C) | 82°/70°F (27.7°/21.3°C) |
| Dec | 77°/57°F (25.2°/13.9°C) | 80°/67°F (26.5°/19.5°C) |
Data:
South African Weather Service,
Instituto de Meteorología
Can you move from South Africa to Cuba?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between South Africa and Cuba. To live, work, or study long-term in Cuba, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Cuba's immigration authority.
South Africa passport holder visiting Cuba
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Cuba passport holder visiting South Africa
Visa Online (e-Visa)Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Cuba?
With 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Cuba can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in South Africa and Cuba.
Is Cuba safe for expats?
Cuba performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Cuba is 4.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 43.7 in South Africa.
How is healthcare in Cuba compared to South Africa?
Cuba generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Cuba, compared to 7.9 in South Africa. Cuba scores 83 on the WHO universal health coverage index (South Africa: 71).
What's the weather like in Cuba compared to South Africa?
The average high temperature in Havana is 84°F, compared to 71°F in Johannesburg. Havana receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Johannesburg gets 28.1 in.
What language do they speak in Cuba?
The official language in Cuba is Spanish. In South Africa, the official languages are Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
Compare further: South Africa vs. Cuba
At a Glance
ZA
|
CU
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,747,319 | 10,937,203 |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu | Spanish |
| Driving side | Left | Right |
| Calling code | +27 | +53 |
| Time zones | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency number | 10111 | 106 |