A Cuban woman identified as Rachel Vargas Hurtado posted a video on Facebook in which she documents her weekly shopping on the island and reveals that three basic items cost her approximately 25,000 Cuban pesos, which is just about 47 dollars at the current informal exchange rate.
In the 51-second reel, Rachel describes the process as "a endurance sport" and recounts how she visits several stalls comparing prices before deciding what to buy.
"It's stepping out onto the street and facing a dilemma. 'Should I buy the first thing I see or walk three kilometers to save a few pesos?'” he says in the video.
The most revealing part of the testimony is that after spending more than 15,000 pesos, he still needed to buy eggs, oil, rice, and sugar—products that are part of the basic diet of any Cuban family.
"In the end, I'm not buying food; I'm managing my peace of mind so that nothing is lacking at home," Rachel states.
He also tried to shop at stores in Freely Convertible Currency without success, an option that remains inaccessible to most Cubans who only earn salaries in pesos.
Despite her exhaustion, Rachel ends the video with a reflection that blends relief and resignation: "Walking and walking, I found everything I needed for my home. It may not be much, but believe me, there is a great sacrifice behind this."
The 25,000 pesos that Rachel spent represent between four and twelve times the official monthly minimum wage, which has been frozen at 2,100 pesos since January 2021.
The average monthly salary in Cuba was around 6,830 pesos at the end of November 2025, according to official data, while independent economists estimate that surviving on the island requires between 40,000 and 50,000 pesos per person each month.
The prices of basic products illustrate the extent of the crisis: onion reaches 900 pesos, imported rice ranges from 690 to 840 pesos per kilogram, oil hovers around a thousand pesos per liter, sugar is between 290 and 300 pesos per pound, and a carton of eggs can reach 3,800 pesos.
This situation is exacerbated by the depreciation of the Cuban peso: the dollar reached a historic high of 525 pesos in the informal market last Tuesday, according to data from elTOQUE and the Observatory of Currencies and Finances of Cuba.
The case of Rachel is not unique. Other Cuban women have documented similar experiences: Sheyla, from Matanzas, spent 22,000 pesos on a purchase in March 2025, and another Cuban in Havana paid the equivalent of 100 dollars for a single meat purchase in August of that same year.
The government responded in 2026 with the Resolution 9/2026 from the Ministry of Finance and Prices, which allows the importation of food, hygiene products, and medicines without value limits or customs duties via accompanied luggage. However, the measure has not reversed the upward trend in prices nor relieved those who do not have relatives abroad who can send products.
"Weekly shopping is my headache, and to think it was what I enjoyed the most outside of Cuba," concludes Rachel, summarizing in a single sentence what millions of Cubans face every week.
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