A Cuban living in the United States after having lived in Spain published a video on TikTok under the username @odette_vibes in which she strongly discourages migrating to the European country for economic reasons, and defends her decision to cross the Atlantic in search of better opportunities.
"Don't go live in Spain if your interest is to make money, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to your face," asserts the young woman in the video, which has sparked extensive debate among the Cuban diaspora on social media.
The creator acknowledges that many call her "crazy" for leaving Spain, but she flips the argument: "The crazy ones are those who stay there thinking that the government will let them move forward."
Her main criticism targets the Spanish tax system. "There too, you work incredibly hard just for the government to take half of your money in extremely high taxes," she points out, describing the model as "a system designed to keep you completely stagnant." The Personal Income Tax in Spain is progressive, with rates ranging from 19% to 47% depending on the taxable base, which can represent a significant burden for those with middle or high incomes.
The Cuban also warns about the problem of so-called "squatters." "If one day you manage to buy a house through your hard work, and anyone can just move in... well, you won't be able to remove them. The government will protect them," she explains. The current Spanish regulations allow for the temporary suspension of evictions when the occupants demonstrate a situation of vulnerability, a measure that the Government has extended through Royal Decree-Law 16/2025.
For the young woman, the debate is not only economic but also identity-related. "Those of us who emigrated from Cuba are not just trying to survive out there. On the contrary, we are here to succeed in countries of opportunity," she asserts, directly appealing to the shared experience of those who left the island.
Their testimony adds to that of other Cubans who have made the same decision to move from Spain to the U.S. in search of better income and economic advancement opportunities. Salaries for low and medium-skilled jobs in Spain range from 1,100 to 1,300 euros per month, a margin that leaves little room for savings after covering rent and basic expenses.
The contrast between the two destinations is one of the most recurring debates in the Cuban diaspora on TikTok: while Spain is associated with a higher quality of life and a more relaxed pace, the United States is perceived as the place where effort translates more directly into tangible results. A Cuban woman who left Spain after six years also chose to reunite with her family in the northern country.
"There is no money out there, and that’s the reality. If you don’t have money, you will never have stability because we live in a world like that," concludes @odette_vibes, inviting her followers to choose between living "day by day, worried about not having money" or making an effort for a while to see real results.
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