The salary of a teacher in Cuba ranges between 4,000 pesos and 9,400 CUP gross per month. If the US dollar (USD) is at 485 CUP according to the current informal market rate, a teacher's salary can be approximately between 8 and 20 dollars.
This week, a video by content creator Adhy Toledo (@adhy_toledo) went viral, showcasing the harsh economic reality faced by professionals in Cuba.
Cubans responded to their post with messages of support, and one person recalled: "When I was a teacher in Cuba, I once bought a carton of eggs, two skinny chickens, and 5 pounds of rice. I ran out of money, waiting for the next month. Now it’s worse."
Adhy explained that she works as a teacher and decided to show what she was able to buy with her monthly salary of 4,000 Cuban pesos in January 2026. She barely managed to purchase a package of coffee, four eggs, one pound of beans, and one kilogram of rice.
"Those foods represent the effort of my work for an entire month and the result of four years of university studies. In other words, I work, and it's not enough for me to eat," he expressed with frustration in the video.
Her testimony went viral quickly. Many users lamented that the situation of teachers on the island is so precarious, while others denounced the collapse of the economic system and the loss of the real value of salaries.
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