Cuba
BahamasHavana makes sense if
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
Havana vs Nassau
Havana and Nassau separate sharply: Havana brings richer street culture and lower costs, while Nassau offers a more open English-speaking economy and steadier safety.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Nassau makes sense if
- You want the easier housing and budget equation in this comparison.
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Nassau50
Leads on money, work & family and moving & settling in; stands out for getting by in english and jobs in english.
- 2Havana47
Leads on nature & outdoors and safety & health; stands out for doctors and music & art scene.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Nassau70Havana63
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
$135/mo$2,444/mo
- $419/mo, leads
- $968/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- >100%
- ~50%, leads
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 53, leads
- 69
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 5–50%
- 5–5%, leads
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 218 days, leads
- 188 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 344 days
- 334 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 10.3 µg/m³
- 7.1 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Havana40Nassau32
Beach & sea
110
- 7/10
- 10/10, leads
Mountains
110
- 2/10, leads
- 1/10
City parks
110
- 5/10, leads
- 4/10
Weekend escapes
110
- 7/10, leads
- 6/10
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Havana50Nassau49
Walkability
110
- 7/10, leads
- 4/10
Public transport
110
- 3/10, leads
- 2/10
Restaurants
110
- 5/10
- 6/10, leads
Public spaces
110
- 8/10, leads
- 6/10
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Havana60Nassau52
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 4.5, leads
- 20.6
Feels safe day to day
110
- 7/10, leads
- 4/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 7/10, leads
- 6/10
English-speaking care
110
- 3/10
- 10/10, leads
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Nassau44Havana37
Job market
110
- 2/10
- 4/10, leads
Jobs in English
110
- 2/10
- 9/10, leads
Work–life balance
110
- 5/10, leads
- 4/10
Schools
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Nassau52Havana32
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 8/10
- 4/10, leads
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 8/10
- 1/10, leads
Openness to newcomers
110
- 8/10, leads
- 7/10
Flight connections
110
- 4/10
- 6/10, leads
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 6/10
- 3/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 8/10
- 5/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 4/10
- 7/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 8/10
- 3/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Havana
A mid-size capital built for walking, with daily life happening on foot and at street level rather than from behind a windshield. The pace is unhurried to a fault, slower than almost any comparable Latin American capital.
Nassau
Nassau is a small capital that sprawls rather than rises, far less dense than Panama City or any major mainland metro. The pace is calm and unhurried.
Safety
Havana
Violent crime is genuinely low by regional standards, and serious incidents are rare in a way that sets Havana apart from many Latin American capitals. Streets feel calm after dark and traffic is light.
Nassau
Safety is a real weak spot. The homicide rate runs high by regional standards, above Panama City and Mexico City, and residents tend to be cautious about where and when they move around at night.
Work and healthcare
Havana
Career prospects are exceptionally thin. Cuba is famous for the sheer number of doctors it trains, and access to a physician is about as easy as anywhere on earth.
Nassau
English removes the main language barrier in Nassau, but the local market remains narrow. Care is serviceable for routine needs and everything operates in English, which removes a major source of stress for newcomers.
Culture and public life
Havana
Where Havana is unbeatable is its own culture. Havana is crumbling, its grand buildings decaying for want of upkeep funds.
Nassau
Culture here is relaxed and outward-facing rather than deep. Nassau's cruise-port strip is kept presentable, but step past it and the upkeep frays into litter and wear.
Summary
Havana suits music, food, heritage and low daily costs despite constrained services. Nassau is the practical English-speaking base for tourism work, with higher rent and more after-dark caution.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.