Living in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

Santiago de Cuba is a mid-sized coastal city in Cuba (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 26°C over the year with about 1,134 mm of rain. For foreigners, long-term residency in Cuba is hard to obtain.

See how Santiago de Cuba ranks for you

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Climate: 26°C; 1,134 mm rain a year
Size: Mid-sized; 250,000 to 1 million people
Safety: 61/100; country-level
Residency: Hard to obtain; for most foreigners

Limited data for Cuba. Figures for safety, healthcare and political stability in Cuba are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Cuba, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

What stands out about Santiago de Cuba

Long-term residency is hard to obtain
On or near the sea

Residency and visas

Hard to obtain. Long-term residency realistically comes via family ties (marriage or Cuban relatives), a Cuban employer's work permit, or buying into an authorized foreign-investment property complex for a renewable real-estate-resident visa; there is no retirement or passive-income route.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Cuba:

Investment: about $120k (Cuba 'Residente de Inmobiliaria' visa via purchase in an authorized foreign-investment real estate complex (resort/marina/golf development); no fixed legal minimum, entry-level tourist-complex apartment from about USD 120,000; as of June 2026)

For short visits, 21 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 156 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 21 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Climate

Santiago de Cuba averages 26°C across the year with about 1,134 mm of rain, which makes it warm and wet. It is warmer than 75% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Healthcare

Cuba scores 66 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 59% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Cuba: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2020), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Safety and stability

Cuba scores 61 out of 100 on safety, safer than 54% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 2.7 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Cuba: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2019) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Santiago de Cuba

Is Santiago de Cuba a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on political stability. Our figures for Cuba are partial: no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a warm, wet climate (26°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Santiago de Cuba and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

Can foreigners live in Cuba long term?

Our assessment: hard to obtain. Long-term residency realistically comes via family ties (marriage or Cuban relatives), a Cuban employer's work permit, or buying into an authorized foreign-investment property complex for a renewable real-estate-resident visa; there is no retirement or passive-income route. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $120k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Santiago de Cuba?

Santiago de Cuba averages 26°C across the year with about 1,134 mm of rain, which makes it warm and wet. It is warmer than 75% of the cities we track.