The Pros and Cons of Expatriating to Cuba

Published on January 17, 2026 and written by Cyril Jarnias

Moving to Cuba is a dream for many foreigners: images of gleaming American cars, music in the streets of Havana, picture-perfect beaches, a renowned healthcare system, a sense of security rarely matched in the region. But behind the postcard, daily reality is complex, sometimes harsh—for Cubans and expatriates alike.

A Unique Living Environment but a Fragile Economic Context

Moving to Cuba first means choosing a very particular environment: an island of 11 million inhabitants, the largest in the Caribbean, organized as a single-party socialist republic, with a largely planned economy. The capital, Havana, is home to just over two million residents and concentrates the majority of services useful to expatriates.

The country shows mixed indicators. Life expectancy is around 78 years, with a universal healthcare system that has regularly seen Cuba cited as an example by the World Health Organization. The education level is high, the literacy rate is close to 100%, and there are 60 universities, including the University of Havana.

On the other hand, the economy remains fragile. GDP per capita is around $9,600, the country heavily depends on food imports and tourism, and high inflation has seriously eroded purchasing power. Reforms have been initiated, including the legalization and growth of a private sector (small and medium-sized enterprises, self-employment), but the transition is chaotic.

Cost of Living: Affordable… If You Earn Abroad

One of the major paradoxes of Cuba lies in its cost of living. For a Cuban paid in local currency, life is extremely difficult. For an expatriate with income in foreign currency, the picture changes.

Overall, the cost of living in Cuba is estimated to be slightly above the world average (1.07 times), placing the country 60th out of 197 for cost of living, but only 101st among countries where it’s “good to live.”

Currency and Inflation: An Unstable Environment

For a long time, Cuba’s monetary system was built on two currencies: the Cuban peso (CUP) and the convertible peso (CUC). Since 2021, a unification process has begun and the CUP has once again become the official currency. The official exchange rate is around 120 CUP for 1 dollar, but informal rates are often more advantageous for holders of foreign currency, to the point of structuring a real parallel exchange “market.”

This dual landscape—official rates and the informal market—makes economic life extremely complicated. Inflation has already driven prices up significantly and is expected to remain high in 2025 and 2026, while the local currency depreciates.

Expatriates earning in foreign currencies (dollars, euros) benefit from this situation: their imported income gives them significant purchasing power. Conversely, living solely on local income exposes one to major difficulties, as prices for imported goods (electronics, clothing, imported food products, milk, etc.) are high.

Housing: Between “Attractive” Prices and Short Supply

Housing is one of the areas that presents both opportunities and real constraints.

A Dual Market: State Housing and Private Sector

For Cubans, housing is in principle provided by the state: most pay neither rent nor a mortgage. For expatriates, the reality is completely different: one must assume rent, or even a purchase, in a market largely dominated by the private sector.

The rental market is divided into: unfurnished rentals and furnished rentals.

– housing under public control, generally intended for locals;

– private rentals, often better maintained and equipped, but more expensive.

“Casas particulares”—rooms or apartments in people’s homes that are legally authorized—are a very widespread and generally affordable option, especially for temporary stays. You can find rooms or small apartments for between 20 and 60 dollars per night, or even less in the provinces.

Rental Levels: From Affordable to Very Expensive

Available data shows great variability in rents, but still provides benchmarks:

Type of housing / area	Monthly price range (approx.)
Furnished studio 45 m² in a “normal” neighborhood	350 – 399 CUC
1-bedroom apartment in city center	251 – 7,000 CUP (highly dispersed data)
3-bedroom apartment in city center	904 – 1,325 USD
Comfortable apartment or house in Havana	400 – 700 USD
High-end housing / desirable neighborhood	1,500 – 3,000 USD

Overall, rents remain significantly lower than in major international cities. It is estimated, for example, that rents are up to 89% lower than in New York for comparable space. For an expatriate with North American or European income, rental property can therefore seem attractive.

On the other hand, construction quality varies enormously: the condition of buildings, water and electricity networks, the presence of elevators, and maintenance of common areas are not at all standardized. Visiting in person, ideally with a Spanish speaker, is essential.

Property Purchase: A Path Full of Obstacles

Access to property is even more problematic for an expatriate. In theory:

The purchase must go through an official appraisal of the property by the Housing Institute, a visit to a notary, and a cash payment from a Cuban bank account. The transaction amount cannot be less than the legal value set by the authorities, and both buyer and seller typically pay a 4% tax each.

For U.S. citizens, an additional constraint is added: U.S. legislation (Trading with the Enemy Act) effectively prohibits real estate investment in Cuba. Many are therefore forced to rent long-term rather than acquire property.

Conclusion: for the majority of expatriates, renting—sometimes in the form of a long-term casa particular—is the most realistic solution. Buying remains the exception, highly regulated, and legally risky.

Daily Basket Cost: Food, a Real Headache

In daily life, grocery shopping in Cuba requires patience, flexibility, and a strong sense of improvisation. Access to basic goods remains very unequal and prices are fluctuating.

Average Prices of Some Common Products

The data shows how some products have become expensive, especially relative to local incomes:

Product (approx.)	Price range
Simple lunch menu in a business district	46 – 56 CUC
Fast-food type combo meal	18 – 35 CUC
Meal in an inexpensive restaurant	3.80 – 10.20 USD
Meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (3 courses)	25 – 42 CUC
Cappuccino	1.21 – 2.64 CUC
Local beer (0.5 L, supermarket)	1.51 – 1.93 CUC
Mid-range bottle of wine	10 – 24 CUC
White bread (1 lb)	approx. 1.09 USD
Whole milk (1 L)	2.47 – 5.35 CUC
12 eggs	3.34 – 17 CUC
Chicken (1 kg, breast)	8.95 – 13 CUC
Tomatoes (1 kg)	2.44 – 4.04 CUC
Apples (1 kg)	4.88 – 13 CUC
Potatoes (1 kg)	2.34 – 10 CUC
Marlboro cigarettes (pack)	3.50 – 5.68 USD

In light of these figures, it’s easier to understand why many Cubans spend almost their entire meager salary on food, transportation, and bills. Products as ordinary as milk become luxury goods: one liter can cost almost the equivalent of a worker’s monthly minimum wage, illustrating the daily tension.

Dining, Leisure, and Services: Rather Cheap

On the other hand, dining and leisure remain relatively affordable for a foreigner. The private restaurant sector (paladares) has grown enormously: you can find local fast food as well as gourmet establishments. A simple dinner for two in a neighborhood bar is around 30 CUC.

As for leisure, prices are often negligible compared to Europe or North America:

Service / leisure activity	Price range
Movie ticket	approx. 1 USD
Monthly gym membership	31.70 – 65 CUC
Tennis court rental (1h weekend)	6 – 12.22 USD
Standard haircut (expat area)	6 – 28.20 CUC
Professional massage (45 min neck/back)	approx. 3.95 USD

For an expatriate with income in foreign currency, access to leisure and basic services (haircuts, sports, cultural outings) is therefore a clearly positive aspect of life on the island.

Transportation and Infrastructure: Low Costs, High Constraints

Transportation is another mixed aspect: seemingly inexpensive, but marked by poor infrastructure and great unpredictability.

Daily Travel

Public transportation is theoretically cheap: a local bus ticket costs between 0.10 and 1.25 CUC, while a monthly pass can range from 22.50 to 150 CUC. But for the average Cuban, these costs represent a significant part of the monthly budget, especially since the network is outdated, overcrowded, and unreliable.

For an expatriate, it is common to combine:

– official or collective taxis (often 1950s American cars);

– intercity buses for long trips;

– possibly, car rental (prohibitively expensive for locals).

Some cost benchmarks:

Transportation item	Price range
Gasoline (1 L)	0.91 – 1.80 CUC
Taxi starting fare	2.14 – 2.60 CUC
Monthly public transport pass	22.50 – 150 CUC
New car, Volkswagen Golf type	39,102 – 70,000 CUC

Prices for new vehicles are completely disconnected from local incomes, which explains why so many Cubans keep very old cars running. For an expatriate, renting or using taxis generally remains more rational than purchasing.

Road Network and Electricity: Caution Required

Infrastructure suffers from chronic underinvestment. Secondary roads are often damaged, potholes are frequent, public lighting is insufficient. Road accidents are the leading cause of death in the country, and drivers responsible for serious accidents face heavy prison sentences.

Concretely, this means for an expatriate:

– anticipate regular power outages in your home;

– avoid driving at night, especially outside major cities or during outages;

– plan for backup solutions (external batteries, lamps, possibly a small generator if settling long-term).

Healthcare: A Strong System, but Under Pressure

Healthcare is one of Cuba’s strong arguments: the country has a universal, free system for residents, strongly focused on prevention, with one of the highest densities of medical professionals in the world.

Impressive Indicators

The Cuban healthcare system is based on several levels (family doctors, polyclinics, hospitals, specialized institutes) and has shown remarkable results for decades:

– about 9 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, one of the best ratios in the world;

– near-universal childhood vaccination (98% fully vaccinated by age 2);

– very low infant mortality (about 4 deaths per 1,000 live births);

– very extensive prenatal coverage (over 95% of pregnant women monitored from the first trimester);

– elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, recognized by the WHO.

What This Means for an Expatriate

Foreign permanent residents have access to the same free system as citizens. Non-resident expatriates, long-term tourists, or temporary workers are treated in dedicated facilities, often better equipped, fee-based, and billed in foreign currency. Clinics like Cira García in Havana, or medical centers in large resorts, provide services for foreigners, with a higher comfort level and often English-speaking staff.

Tangible advantages:

– very low care costs compared to North America or Europe;

– many experienced doctors;

– strong culture of prevention (family doctors, regular follow-ups, screenings).

But the system now faces several major challenges:

For an expatriate, this translates to several essential precautions:

– have international health insurance covering Cuba and, ideally, medical evacuation (evacuation flights start around $15,000);

– bring your usual medications (prescriptions, chronic treatments, basic products: painkillers, antiseptics, antidiarrheals, creams, repellent, etc.);

– avoid drinking tap water, which is not potable, and be wary of ice cubes.

Cuba also requires all visitors to have non-U.S. health insurance covering the duration of their stay. For flights departing from the United States, medical insurance is generally included in the ticket, valid for 30 days upon arrival; beyond that, coverage must be extended when applying for a visa extension.

Internet and Communication: Real Progress, Constant Frustrations

For the vast majority of expatriates, especially if they work remotely, the question of connectivity is central. On this front, Cuba has made considerable progress… from an extremely low starting point.

Late but Notable Catch-up

The first internet connection dates to 1996, with a ridiculous bandwidth. Until the 2010s, access remained ultra-restricted, state-controlled, very expensive, and centered on a national “intranet.”

Since then, several steps have changed the game:

Recent figures estimate internet penetration at around 70–73% of the population, with 75% of traffic going through mobile. Only about 7% of households have fixed access at home, placing Cuba among the lowest in Latin America in this regard.

Prices and Limitations: The Achilles’ Heel

Access remains managed by a state monopoly, ETECSA. Prices are high, especially for locals, although they have become less prohibitive than in the past. As a reference, some student mobile plans offer 6 GB for 360 CUP, but any additional volume is charged 3,360 CUP for 3 GB, more than half of an average public employee’s monthly salary (about 5,800 CUP).

For an expatriate, the obstacle is less the raw cost than the service quality: irregular speed, frequent outages, network congestion, geo-blocking. Public Wi-Fi connections, in parks or squares, require purchasing prepaid hourly cards. The domestic Nauta Hogar network remains little distributed and unevenly stable.

Expatriate

Strong control constraints are added: Cuba is among the most surveilled and censored countries in the world regarding the internet, classified as “not free” by Freedom House. The state:

– filters sites deemed hostile (human rights, opposition);

– monitors communications, including social media;

– has cut off or severely restricted internet during protests (notably in July 2021).

Many expatriates use VPNs and optimization solutions but must accept a fluctuating level of connectivity, far from Western standards. For a digital nomad, this reality can make expatriation complex, even impossible depending on the nature of the activity.

Legal and Tax Status: Visas, Residency, and Taxation

Administratively, moving to Cuba is no formality, especially for Americans.

Entering and Staying: Visas and Residency

For most nationalities, entry to Cuba requires a valid passport (often minimum 6 months validity) and a tourist card, valid for 90 days and extendable once for a total of 180 days. There are two colors of cards:

– green, for travelers arriving from a third country;

– pink, for those departing directly from the United States, regardless of nationality.

Under U.S. law, purely tourist travel from the United States remains prohibited; U.S. citizens must register under one of the 12 authorized travel categories (family visits, journalistic activities, educational programs, support for the Cuban people, humanitarian projects, etc.).

For long-term settlement, a resident status is required. Residency can be requested:

– from abroad, via a Cuban consulate;

– through a family member in Cuba, with the Directorate of Identification, Immigration, and Aliens (DIIE).

For Americans, two main paths exist for permanent residency:

– E-1 visa, for close relatives of Cuban citizens (parent, spouse, child);

– E-2 visa, for cases of ” special authorization” issued by the DIIE, often linked to economic criteria.

These categories require, among other things:

– proof of family relationship or special authorization;

– deposit of a sum (historically 5,000 CUC, now more likely in MLC or USD) into a Cuban account;

– proof of sufficient resources;

– medical exam and established residence in Cuba.

Obtaining a simple work permit is no easier: positions are primarily reserved for Cubans, salaries are low, and the procedure is highly regulated.

Banking and Financial Constraints

U.S. sanctions further complicate matters: it is virtually impossible to use U.S. debit or credit cards in Cuba, or to withdraw dollars from official systems. Cuban authorities have also limited some cash transactions in U.S. dollars, especially in public establishments. Expatriates must therefore come with sufficient currency, often euros or other convertible currencies, and juggle official and unofficial exchange.

Taxation for Americans

U.S. citizens living in Cuba remain taxable in the United States. They must:

To avoid double taxation, they can use:

– the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, which allows exempting part of their work income;

– or the Foreign Tax Credit, which offsets tax paid in Cuba.

Another sensitive point: the payment of U.S. Social Security benefits is restricted for residents of Cuba, with a risk of suspension as long as the beneficiary does not reside in an authorized country.

Safety, Society, and Freedoms: A Very Safe but Highly Controlled Island

One of Cuba’s great, widely recognized assets is the level of day-to-day physical safety. The country stands out clearly from the rest of the region in terms of crime.

Crime: Relatively Low but Rising

Available data shows that: results are constantly improving.

– the homicide rate fluctuates around 4–5 per 100,000 inhabitants, much lower than many Latin American countries;

– violent crimes (murders, kidnappings, extortion) remain rare according to available sources;

– petty crime (pickpocketing, snatch theft, scams) is, however, frequent, especially in tourist areas (Havana, Varadero, Santiago, etc.).

For expatriates, this translates into an unusual sense of security in Latin America: walking in Havana in the evening, in frequented neighborhoods (Vedado, Miramar, Habana Vieja), is generally without major risk, subject to usual caution (not displaying valuables, avoiding deserted streets, being wary of overly insistent offers).

Political System and Public Freedoms

The flip side of this high level of security lies in a very locked-down political framework. Cuba is a single-party state, where the Communist Party holds a monopoly on political life. Freedoms of expression, press, and assembly are severely limited.

For an expatriate, it is strongly advised not to participate in gatherings or publicly take sides against the government. Political topics are better approached with caution and sensitivity, especially in public spaces or online.

In parallel, the country has adopted notable social reforms, including a very progressive new Family Code, which protects against discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation and legalizes same-sex marriage. The public institution CENESEX plays an active role in promoting LGBTQ+ rights, and Havana is often seen as the most open city. This does not eliminate de facto discrimination, but the legal framework has evolved significantly in this area.

Work, Employment, and Economic Opportunities: A Narrow Field for Expatriates

For those wishing to work on site, Cuba is a very particular market.

Local Salaries and Jobs Reserved for Cubans

The vast majority of jobs are distributed by the state, with extremely low official salaries. The main sectors of activity are tourism, healthcare, education, agriculture, light industry, and, increasingly, private services.

The average salary after taxes is estimated at about 299 dollars, but many state employees earn significantly less (23–34 dollars per month according to several sources). This income barely covers a few days of current expenses for a household and explains the widespread practice of the “double day”: a second job or informal activity to supplement income.

Opportunities for Expatriates

For a foreigner, room for maneuver is limited:

– finding local salaried employment is difficult and often not very profitable;

– many positions (bartender, server, receptionist, etc.) are legally reserved for Cubans;

– however, possibilities exist in offices of foreign companies, in tourism, teaching French or English, journalism, certain technical sectors (engineering, healthcare, IT), often as consultants or on secondment.

Entrepreneurial prospects also exist: growth of private SMEs, rise of self-employment (restaurants, casas particulares, crafts, transport), opening of special development zones like Mariel. On the other hand, the health and education sectors remain largely closed to foreign investment, and very strict constraints persist (limitation on the number of employees, import difficulties, exchange controls, international sanctions).

Daily Life, Society, and Culture: Deep Immersion, Relative Comfort

Beyond the numbers, expatriation to Cuba is lived in daily life: human relationships, pace of life, access to services, cultural possibilities.

A Warm Society, but Codes to Adapt To

Cubans are often described as warm, talkative, very sociable, with a strong sense of community and mutual aid. It is common to see neighbors dropping by unannounced, sharing coffee, exchanging news in the street. Hospitality is a strong value, despite material scarcity.

Nevertheless, expatriates are still perceived as foreigners, sometimes first as potential wallets before being seen as friends. Building deep friendships takes time, patience, and a willingness to truly integrate into local life, far from purely tourist circuits.

Culture and Leisure: Exceptional Richness for a Small Island

Culturally, Cuba is exceptionally dense: music, dance, visual arts, literature, architectural heritage, festivals, theater, cinema… Havana concentrates many prestigious institutions (National Ballet, major theaters, Museum of the Revolution, contemporary art factory, etc.) and iconic places like the Malecón, where locals gather in the evening.

With nine sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, green valleys like Viñales, preserved colonial cities like Trinidad or Cienfuegos, and beaches like those of Varadero or the cayos, there is no shortage of excursion possibilities for an expatriate.

Shortages, Rationing, and Frustrations

The major drawback of daily life lies in recurrent shortages: basic foods, medicines, fuel, construction materials, hygiene products, clothing. A rationing system continues to distribute some subsidized products, but insufficient for a full month, and to which foreigners do not have access.

Expatriates must accept spending time looking for what they need, stocking up when a product reappears, and giving up part of the consumption comfort they are used to. You can’t find everything, not all the time, and rarely the same brand.

Complicated internet, power outages, administrative slowness, political surveillance, banking restrictions, and travel constraints create a background noise of frustrations, especially for those arriving with overly “Western” expectations.

Advantages and Disadvantages: How to Decide?

Weighing the pros and cons of expatriation to Cuba allows sketching a profile of people for whom the island can be an interesting option—and those for whom it would be a mistake.

Main Assets

The major advantages can be summarized as follows:

Main Drawbacks

On the other hand, the challenges and disadvantages are numerous:

For Which Expatriate Profile Might Cuba Be Suitable?

Cuba is not, at this stage, an “easy” destination. However, it can be a coherent choice for certain profiles:

On the other hand, for a young graduate looking to “build a career”, for a digital nomad needing fast and reliable internet, or for a family accustomed to a high level of material comfort, Cuba can quickly prove frustrating.

Ultimately, expatriation to Cuba is less a matter of budget than a matter of tolerance for uncertainty, capacity for adaptation, and appetite for an environment that is both fascinating and demanding. Those who arrive thinking they will find a cheap tropical paradise risk being disillusioned. Those who come with full knowledge, with a real desire to immerse themselves in a society in full transition, can on the other hand live a unique experience—and sometimes, despite everything, a profoundly happy one.