Money money money! Or should we say pesos, pesos, pesos! Cuban pesos that is. When in Cuba, you will definitely need some money. When preparing to go to Cuba, after getting a visa, the next item on your checklist is to make sure you a withdraw some cash BEFORE you get to Cuba! I cannot stress this enough. And better yet, withdraw Euros instead of US Dollars because US dollars are charged an extra 10% conversion fee on top of the current conversion fee. US financial companies are not allowed to operate or do business in Cuba. SO\o your ATM cards will absolutely not work in Cuba nor will your credit cards. If you decide to show up to Cuba with no Cash (like some people who will remain unnamed lol) you will have to wire money from the United States to a Cuban citizen living in Cuba. Imagine your family’s & friends’ excitement when they learn that you’re stuck in Cuba with no money and they now have to send hundreds of dollars to a Cuban national they have never heard of. Yeah… Sounds fun doesn’t it? So do yourself and your loved ones a favor and please be prepared.
History side note: the face on the Cuban peso is that of journalist & revolutionary leader, Jose Marti, one of Cuba’s founding fathers. The pictures above were taken at Jose Marti Memorial in Havana.
So how much do you need? It depends. I met some tourists who were exploring Cuba on a super low budget of about $35 per day and some who did not really care too much about how much they were spending. However, I think $35 is too extreme and will prevent you from enjoying some of what Cuba has to offer. So a (medium range) budget that I would recommend is about $70 – $100 a day. This should be enough for a room, food, transportation, & entertainment. Also something to keep in mind is, almost everything in Cuba (price-wise) is negotiable. Housing and food usually have set prices, but transportation is definitely negotiable. When negotiating it helps to either know how to speak Spanish and/or be in a group – otherwise you will pay the “gringo tax” (pay higher just because you’re Western/American). So, for this and other practical reasons, a menos que puedes hablar Espanol, go in a group of 2 or more people!