A Cuban teacher showcased on TikTok what she was able to buy with her monthly salary of 4,000 Cuban pesos, generating outrage and sadness among social media users due to the dramatic economic situation the country is facing.
"This is what I was able to buy with 4,000 Cuban pesos here in Cuba, thanks to my job. This was my salary; well, I’m a teacher," said the young woman, identified as Adhara Toled on her TikTok account (@adharatoled2).
In the video, the woman shows the few products she managed to buy: a package of coffee that cost 2,100 pesos, four eggs at 100 each, a package of beans that exceeded 800 pesos, and a small package of rice that cost over 1,000. "This is all I could buy with 4,000 pesos, and I think I went a little over," she added with resignation. "Everything you see here is the result of my work over a month and four years of university study."
The testimony has quickly gone viral on social media, where many users have expressed solidarity with the teacher and criticized the low salaries that professionals receive in Cuba. "I worked a month for four eggs, a package of coffee, and a package of beans," the young woman summarized in a tone of frustration.
On the island, the average salary is around 4,200 Cuban pesos, a figure that, according to independent economists, barely suffices to cover a few days of basic food needs. The price of the dollar exceeds 350 CUP in the informal market, further devaluing state incomes.
Teachers and workers in the education sector are among the most affected by the economic crisis, blackouts, and inflation. Despite the regime's calls to "resist and have hope," an increasing number of Cubans are publicly denouncing the loss of purchasing power in their salaries and the impossibility of living decently on state wages.
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