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Planning a Trip to Cuba: Cost Breakdown

Ready to plan your own trip to Havana? If you're on a Budget, check out our cost breakdown to find ways to save money on your flights, accommodations, food and entertainment! 

Flights

We booked our flights thru Southwest from Fort Lauderdale at a total cost of:

2,232 Southwest Points (FLL to HAV)

$112 Expense (HAV to FLL)

We have a Southwest Companion Pass so we only had to buy one ticket. Note - The Companion Pass works for all Domestic and International routes operated by Southwest!

In addition to the flights, we had to buy Cuba Travel Visas for $50 per person before takeoff from the Fort Lauderdale Airport (Terminal 1, 1st floor Baggage Claim)

$100 Expense

Accommodations

We stayed in an apartment booked via Airbnb in Vedado (adjacent to Havana Vieja). The apartment was equipped with a working kitchen, TV (antenna service), AC, and a modern bathroom.

For 3 nights, we paid $196 (including taxes and fees). We also decided to rent out our own home on Airbnb during this time and we were fortunate enough to recover $213 as someone wanted to rent our home for 2 of the 3 nights we were going to be out. This worked out well as it ended up generating some positive cash flow:

$196 Expense + $213 AirBnb Income = $17 Income  

Food, Entertainment, Travel

Havana Tour Company for 2 People:              $200 Expense

Purchased prior to departure for an all-day tour which included an English-speaking guide that will take you through a walking adventure of Havana and teach you about the history, culture, and people. The full day option also included:

  • Lunch
  • Cruise in a classic 1950’s American muscle car
  • Drinks overlooking the Ocean @ Hotel Nacional

Expenses incurred in Cuba:                             $280 Expense

We exchanged $200 USD at the Airport after clearing Customs. Although, the conversion rate is supposed to be $1 USD to 1 CUC, after the exchange charged its fees, we were left with 182 CUC. We also exchanged 70 EUR at a Hotel later in our trip and received 65 CUC.

You may be able to get better rates elsewhere or perhaps arrange with your Airbnb host at a better rate. Unfortunately, the few ATMs in the city do not accept American Debit Cards, I tried!!

Total CUCs:                                                     247 CUC         

  • Souvenirs:                                                       50 CUC
  • City Map of Havana:                                       2 CUC
  • Food, Drinks, Misc:                                         95 CUC
  • Taxis, including Airport to Vedado:               100 CUC

We had our Airbnb host arrange for a Taxi to pick us up from the airport. We felt like we were traveling back in time as there was a gentleman waiting for us with a sign with our name ready to take us to our destination.

Have you traveled to Cuba lately? How much did your trip cost?