A tent for protection from the sun on Boca Ciega beach, in the east of Havana, is rented for 9,000 Cuban pesos (CUP), as shown by content creator Sisi Aguilera in a video posted on Facebook that caused widespread outrage.
"Nine thousand pesos, money in Cuba is completely losing its value, money is worth nothing anymore, 9,000 CUP folks, what you are seeing there is madness," Aguilera stated while recording some of the devices to protect himself from the sun.
The price takes on a brutal dimension when contrasted with the actual income of Cubans, as the average monthly salary is 6,930 pesos, equivalent to about 14 dollars at the informal exchange rate, which means that renting that cabin costs more than a full month’s salary.
The official minimum pension is 4,000 pesos, less than half the price of the cabin, and the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights estimates that at least 30,000 pesos per month are needed just for basic food.
The comments on the video reflected the blend of sarcasm and helplessness that characterizes the public's reaction to these prices.
Maykel Barroso wrote that if the 9,000 CUP is paid, it's because "breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included, they have to stop."
In addition to that, "consider how you arrived in Boca Ciega, because the transport is beyond words," noted Lidia Hidalgo, referring to another hidden cost.
Pavel Valdes summed up the only real alternative for many: "It's crazy; we have to get some sun, there's no other choice, not to mention how much transport costs and what we need to eat because the beach makes you really hungry," he noted.
Lázara Madelin Herrera proposed the most practical solution, suggesting to take "four long poles and a couple of old sheets, and there you have your tent."
The most striking statement was made by Marino Benítez when he emphasized that "it's not money that has lost its value; it was shame."
A user identified as Janette pointed out the structural cause. "Unfortunately, everything here is based on the dollar and the euro... whoever imposed it... we knowwww."
Pavel González Tejeda's ironic comment in the video encapsulates 67 years of disastrous economic management under the socialist system: "Thanks to the REVOLUTION."
The paradox is even more pronounced because Boca Ciega is an area in ruins. In March, Aguilera documented the state of neglect in Boca Ciega, with destroyed vacation homes, collapsed structures, and spaces overrun by vegetation.
The El Dorado complex, with its empty pool and stagnant water, has also been documented as another abandoned site in Cuba since at least June 2025.
In Tarará, a nearby coastal area, the two faces of abandonment and opulence reveal ruins alongside luxury homes managed by the military monopoly GAESA.
The spiral of impossible prices encompasses all sectors. In the market at 19 and B in Vedado, the prices recorded in April show plantains and tomatoes at 200-250 pesos per pound, while the cachucha pepper reached 1,000 pesos.
An individual pizza with a beer costs 600 pesos, which is 13% of the salary of 4,600 pesos that most workers earn, according to data that demonstrate the unbearable burden on salaries and pensions.
The Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa himself acknowledged in February that "with 6,000 pesos, one cannot live due to the high prices," yet this admission has not led to any structural solution.
The official year-on-year inflation reached 13.42% in March, although independent estimates place the real figure closer to 70%, according to economist Pavel Vidal.
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