Havana vs Las Terrenas
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Las Terrenas edges it, 56 to 52, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Havana is stronger on getting there & around, healthcare; Las Terrenas on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Crumbling, magnetic Caribbean capital where the internet barely works
Full Havana profile →Plan a trip to Havana →Caribbean beach town with a French accent
Full Las Terrenas profile →Plan a trip to Las Terrenas →Where they differ
- Internet. Las Terrenas leads on internet, 45 to 9, against Havana. Measured download: 1.5 Mbps vs 9.9 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Havana leads on getting there & around, 23 to 11, against Las Terrenas. Non-stop airport destinations: 23 vs 4.
- Healthcare. Havana leads on healthcare, 82 to 72, against Las Terrenas. Health coverage index: 86 vs 73.
Where they are close. Within five points on safety, visa ease.
Pick Havana if you want
- stronger healthcare
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Las Terrenas if you want
- faster internet (9.9 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Havana | Las Terrenas |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 70 |
| Safety | 62 ✓ | 57 |
| Healthcare | 82 ✓ | 72 |
| Internet | 9 | 45 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 32 | 33 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 23 ✓ | 11 |
| Climate | 67 | 75 ✓ |
| Air quality | 79 | 88 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 60 ✓ | 55 |
Cost
| Metric | Havana | Las Terrenas |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,100 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Havana | Las Terrenas |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.46 ✓ | 9.12 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 71 | 76.2 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 86 ✓ | 73 |
| Life expectancy | 77.2 yrs ✓ | 75.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Havana | Las Terrenas |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 1.5 Mbps | 9.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 0.5 Mbps | 4.7 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Havana | Las Terrenas |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | 30 days ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | 30 days ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | 30 days ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Havana | Las Terrenas |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 23 ✓ | 4 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Havana | Las Terrenas |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 9 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.3 µg/m³ | 10.3 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Havana or Las Terrenas?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Havana or Las Terrenas safer?
- Havana scores higher on safety (62 vs 57), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Havana or Las Terrenas?
- Las Terrenas: a measured median of 9.9 Mbps versus 1.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Havana vs Varadero
- Havana vs Santiago de Cuba
- Las Terrenas vs Punta Cana
- Las Terrenas vs Larache
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.