The Cuban culture is rather famous around the world, but what is there behind the curtain? Most likely you heard about the Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara, retro cars, and salsa. However, little is known about the lifestyle of local people and their traditions. If you are going to immigrate to Cuba, then you should obligatory acquaint with the local culture, learn basic facts about this country, and choose the best services for international removals to Cuba. Check this comprehensive guide if you are about moving to Cuba soon.
The first thing you need to do is to get ready for moving to Cuba by learning basic facts about this country. When one acknowledges the specifics of the local climate, population, and language preferences, it becomes easier to get accustomed in the country after you immigrate to Cuba.
| Location | Cuba is an island in the northern Caribbean. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. |
| Capital city | Havana |
| Climate | The climate of Cuba is tropical with strong winds throughout the year. |
| Currency | Peso (CUP) |
| Population | There are about 11 million people living in Cuba now. However, the birth rate is gradually declining, while the immigration rates are increasing. |
| Language | Spanish is the official language in Cuba. |
| Time zone | UTC -5 |
| Surprising fact | About 200,000 of the US travellers come to Cuba both legally and illegally each year. |
Before moving to Cuba, you should also take care of visa, work and residence permit, learn some basics of the local language, and choose reliable services for international removals to Cuba. We acknowledge that relocating to Cuba could be exhausting and challenging in terms of moving house. It is practically impossible to take all your suitcases, furniture, sports equipment, and other necessary items with you because of the bus and airline baggage restrictions. Thus, it would be the right decision to move personal belongings to Cuba with Eurosender.
The brightest feature of living in Cuba is the way of life of local people. They love freedom and joy. That is why you will hear many musicians in the streets and many people on the beach. From first sight, it may seem that life in Cuba is carefree, but people struggle to earn decent salaries as most of them live beyond the poverty line. Expats have shared some advantages and disadvantages of living in Cuba which will help you to decide whether it is worth immigrating to this country or not.
Advantages
Disadvantages
The cost and standard of living in Cuba are much lower than that in the USA and the EU countries. The average monthly salary of locals ranges between $30-50, but people search for additional opportunities to earn extra money. This salary rate is barely enough to support living in Cuba asthe average expenses are the following.
| 1-bedroom apartment rental | $60-400 |
| 1 square meter of real estate property | $15-25 |
| utility bills | $10-15 |
| internet | $75 |
| cup of cappuccino | $1 |
| meal of the day | $5 |
There are different visa types for those who are going to visit or immigrate to Cuba.
The contemporary healthcare system in Cuba is one of the biggest achievements born on the basis of the revolutionary socialist ideology of El Comandante. The quality of medical services is second to none and considered one of the best in the Central America region. Doctors and clinical staff are very professional. In Cuba, both citizens and legal residents are entitled to healthcare services free of charge. Cuban healthcare system primarily focuses on primary care and prevention.
In Cuba, public education in schools and universities is available to all Cuban nationals and residents. Children at the age of 6 need to go to primary school followed by the middle and high school up to the age of 16. Students also have to obligatorily wear uniforms at school.
There are only several options for private education in Cuba because there are a few international schools in Havana. Yearly tuition fees could be about $12,000 which is a high price for sure. Those expats who do not have an opportunity for paying such great sums need to take care of their children’s education in advance. It is advisable that your children take basic Spanish courses in your home country before enrolling in Cuban national schools.
Cuba cannot boast a very powerful economy, but such industries as agriculture and tourism are fairly prospering. Expats would find it a little be challenging to find appealing job opportunities on the island of freedom, but those who have a qualification in a medical and engineering field have much higher chances to be employed in Cuba. However, basic knowledge of Spanish would be obligatorily required regardless of the industry or sector of your future work in Cuba.
The average salary in Cuba varies depending on your profession and years of experience. Nevertheless, even managers might earn about $100 per month. As compensation for such low salary rates, Cubans get a range of benefits, including medical services, education, and gratis coupons for food and essential products.
As Havana is the most popular hotspot among expats and immigrants, most of the apartments and houses for rent are located in that area. The average monthly cost of the apartment rental could range from $50 in the suburbs to $500 in the centre of the city. Some expats decide to buy a real estate property before moving to Cuba. The prices for square meter range from $12 to $30 depending on the city and the particular district you are planning to live in.
After you immigrate to Cuba and plan to drive a car there, you should remember several simple rules:
Before relocating to Cuba, you need to discover the average moving costs, check how long does it take for a parcel to arrive in Cuba from your country, discover the cheapest way to move furniture to Cuba, etc. With Eurosender, you can choose a safe and cheap way to move personal belongings to Cuba.
To discover the average moving costs, Eurosender offers exclusive shipping services for expats and international students planning to move personal belongings to Cuba. By using our platform, you get the best offer in terms of the price-to-performance ratio. Thus, you can enjoy the cheapest way to move furniture to Cuba and take advantage of door-to-door shipping which excludes the necessity to take your heavy parcels and pallets to a drop-off point.
We acknowledge that relocation is directly associated with a necessity to move personal belongings to Cuba. Before you do that, take the dimensions of your parcel and insert them in the Shipment Size Checker on our website. If your package exceeds standard dimensions or you need to ship multiple parcels, contact our logistics experts for organizing an individual offer and provide lower than average moving costs to Cuba.
If you are moving to Cuba from Canada and looking for an affordable solution to send your packages, suitcases, or pallets, Eurosender can offer you access to a wide network of international logistics companies and affordable cost of moving house to Cuba. By using our online platform, you can automatically see the cost of your shipment and the estimated delivery time of shipping services from Canada to Cuba.
Disclaimer: The materials provided in this article were collected from other credible resources to be used for general information purposes only. Given that the legislative basis of the country and its economic development have a changing nature, the information provided in the article could be subject to change. Whilst we endeavour to keep the information up-to-date and correct, Eurosender will not be liable for any inappropriate, incomplete, or inaccurate information. Certain links will lead to websites which are not under control of Eurosender. Thus, Eurosender accepts no liability in respect of materials, products or services being not under control of Eurosender.