Cuba is roughly 90–105 miles (about 145–170 km) from Key West, depending on how you define the endpoints.

Quick Scoop

  • The commonly quoted distance is about 90 miles across the Florida Straits from Key West, Florida, to Cuba.
  • If you measure city to city (Key West to Havana), the straight‑line or “as-the-crow-flies” distance is about 105 miles / 169–170 km.
  • By plane, this distance takes under an hour of flight time (around 45–50 minutes on a typical commercial route).

Why you hear “90 miles”

People often say “Cuba is 90 miles from Key West” because it refers to the shortest straight stretch across the Florida Straits, not necessarily between the exact city centers of Key West and Havana. That number has also become a historical and cultural shorthand in U.S.–Cuba discussions, so it shows up on signs and in travel talk a lot.

Can you see Cuba from Key West?

Even though 90–105 miles feels close, you cannot actually see Cuba from Key West with the naked eye, because the Earth’s curvature hides it below the horizon. This is why the famous Southernmost Point buoy talks about the distance but you still just see open ocean.

Fast facts table

[10][1][7] [1][7] [3][9] [9][3] [1][9]
Measure Distance Notes
Shortest stretch across Florida Straits ~90 miles / 145 kmPopular “Cuba is 90 miles away” figure.
Key West (city) to Havana (city) ~105 miles / 169–170 kmStraight-line, air-travel distance.
Typical flight time ~45–50 minutesNonstop commercial/charter flight.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.