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Approximate Monthly Cost of Living
and Prices as of June 1998
Apartment
(small, 1-2 bedrooms)..................................
$200
House (small)..............................................
$250+
Electric Bill (apt.)...........................................
$3.00
Telephone
(basic rate).....................................................$3.00
Telephone Calls:
Local (3min.) .............................................
5 centavos;
Long Distance within Cuba Sliding
scale according to distance:
Long Distance ..................................
U.S. $2.50 per minute;
Americas ...............................................$4.00
per minute;
Europe .....................................................$5.50
per minute
Tips.................................................................
10-15%
Taxi ...........................$1.00 per
kilometer plus 20% at night
Local bus fare...........standard fare 10
centavos to one peso
Gasoline (regular) ........................................
$.65 per liter;
Gasoline (super) .........................................
$1.10 per liter
Minimum wage...................................
$6 to $12 monthly (as stipulated by the
government)
Restaurant (inexpensive)..........................
$3.00 - $10.00
Restaurant (hotel)....................................
$4.00 - $12.00
Beer...............................................................
$.75 - $2.00
Coffee (small cup)...........................................
20 centavos
Doctor's visit..............................................
$25.00 - $35.00
Air Mail letter............ $.65 U.S.; $.45
Americas; $.75 Europe
*These prices are subject to fluctuations
at any time
When figuring out your projected living
expenses before considering a move abroad,
be sure to take into account the following
factors: currency variations, the relative
cost and availability of consumer items,
the price of entertainment, housing prices,
utilities (water, garbage, electricity and
telephone) and health care. You should also
consider the cost of a vehicle, registration,
fuel, maintenance and insurance be sure
and also factor in airfare to and from the
country.
High import taxes are a way of life in
almost all Latin American countries. Therefore,
you will be better off buying domestic goods,
if possible. Before you bring anything from
abroad be sure and find out how much duty
you'll have to pay.
Once you have lived in Cuba for a while,
learned all of the ins and outs, studied
the advice in this book and made contacts,
you will be able to cut your living costs
substantially. This is important for those
people living on small or fixed incomes.
You might want to invest, start a small
business, share a home or apartment, work
as a consultant if you have a particular
field of expertise, trade your services
or engage in other money making ventures
to further reduce your living expenses.
With a little creativity and imagination
you will be able to find you niche and save
money in the process.
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