A video shared on Instagram by content creator Ydalgo Martínez (@ydalgotips) shows how the prices of basic food items continue to soar in Cuba at the beginning of 2026, making it clear that the crisis was not just a "Christmas thing."
"Today I’ll show you how prices are in Cuba in 2026," says the man as he walks through a market, showcasing one by one the products that are part of the daily diet of any family.
The numbers speak for themselves and do not need dramatization: potatoes at 450 pesos per pound, onions at 380, beans at 500, tomatoes between 200 and 300, and lemons at 700. Even fruits that used to be common are now nearly prohibitive. Oranges reach 1,000 pesos per pound.
The most striking moment comes at the end, as he himself hints in the video: the meat. "The meat was a thousand pesos per pound, gentlemen," he states bluntly, aware that this price encapsulates the daily struggle of millions of Cubans.
The complete purchase, nothing extraordinary, cost him 10,300 pesos in national currency.
The reactions were swift. Among the comments, one stood out for the rawness of its testimony. A 75-year-old woman confessed that she hasn't been able to eat vegetables, fruits, or salads for a long time due to prices. "I am diabetic and have high blood pressure; you can't imagine how those of us who can't even buy a tomato eat," she wrote, accompanying her words with crying emojis.
Other users appreciated the video, but they also made it clear that not everyone can access those markets. “I can’t shop there, I’m a nurse. Everything is way too expensive,” commented one internet user. Outside of Cuba, some admitted that the products “looked nice and fresh,” although they acknowledged that the prices seemed disproportionate compared to salaries on the island.
There were also those who asked for more context. Several people requested that the amounts be converted to dollars to better understand the true impact of those figures and compare them with the minimum wage or a pension. "Those who do not live in Cuba have no idea of the real value of those prices," noted a comment.
Ydalgo Martínez himself intervened in the conversation to emphasize that its content aims to showcase that changing reality. Prices, he stated, increase almost daily, and not everyone has the means to purchase what appears in the video.
The material connects with other recent testimonies. Just weeks earlier, another Cuban went viral after showing on TikTok that with 4,500 pesos, the monthly salary of a doctor on the island, she was only able to buy a few basic products like mayonnaise, rice, hamburgers, and toothpaste.
In December, the prices of rice, chicken, and pork skyrocketed just before Christmas, making a traditional dinner practically impossible for many families.
What changes in January is not the prices, but the resignation. It's no longer about occasional celebrations, but rather an economy where the average salary hovers around 4,000 or 5,000 pesos, and a single trip to the market can double that amount.
In that context, the final question posed by Ydalgo Martínez in his video resonates like a shared cry: “Is it cheap or expensive?”.
For many Cubans both on and off the island, the answer is clear. Eating in Cuba, even the basics, remains an uphill battle against rising prices and a purchasing power that continues to shrink day by day.
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