A young Cuban mother has sparked debate on social media after revealing how much she spends on disposable diapers for her baby, amid a context marked by scarcity and high prices of basic products on the island.
In a video posted on TikTok, the Cuban mother @briana_matancera narrates: “The price of diapers, or what we call disposable diapers here in Cuba, is truly insane.” She explains that she had to take a motorcycle to a store where these products are sold for foreign currency.
"This is a store in dollars, because the best part is that you have to pay in dollars, and each package costs eight or a little over eight dollars, almost nine," he states. The package, from the brand Premium Plus, contains 32 units.
The mother adds that this expense amounts to "approximately four thousand pesos, over four thousand Cuban pesos, which is the salary." She also reports irregularities in the change: "Since they don’t have small change, they return it to you with little packets of soda."
After the purchase, she describes the daily conditions in her home: “Back home, I got to cooking, making a little meal… on the oil stove because there’s no electricity.”
The testimony has generated numerous reactions, especially concerning the comparison between prices and income levels in different countries. Several comments agree that the issue is not just the price in dollars, but the purchasing power within Cuba.
"Love, but in Cuba nobody gets paid in dollars... imagine that almost your entire salary goes just on diapers," notes one of the messages. Another summarizes: "The issue is the country situation; it’s obvious that everything is hyper expensive in Cuba."
International comparisons were also shared: "In Chile, they are worth about the same... but the minimum wage is around 600 dollars," while another user pointed out that in the United States "32 diapers cost 9.99."
The diapers shown by the mother, from the brand Premium Plus, are part of the products manufactured in Cuba following the establishment of a plant in the Special Development Zone of Mariel, and they began to be sold in state-run networks such as TRD and Cimex. However, these products continue to be sold in foreign currency and remain inaccessible to a significant portion of the population.
In practice, disposable diapers continue to be a product that is hard to access for many families. In some cases, shortages and high prices have led to the search for alternatives such as reusing used diapers, washing them, and filling them with gauze to extend their use—a practice documented on the island due to the lack of options just like the recycling of diapers in Cuba.
The viral testimony once again highlights the daily difficulties faced by Cuban mothers in accessing basic products, in an environment where prices in foreign currencies contrast with incomes that are largely in Cuban pesos.
Filed under: