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A study published on May 10 by Cuban economist Javier Pérez Capdevila on the academic platform Horizonte Cubano, from the Columbia University School of Law, estimates that a person in Cuba needs at least 96,060 Cuban pesos (CUP) per month to cover their basic needs, a figure that is equivalent to at least 14 times the average salary on the island.
The analysis, based on a price survey conducted in 51 municipalities across all provinces of the country, breaks down the basket into six components: food (70,070 CUP), personal hygiene (11,450 CUP), clothing and footwear (5,800 CUP), household cleaning (4,740 CUP), medication (2,000 CUP), and transportation (2,000 CUP).
The food category accounts for the highest expenditure, with animal products, powdered milk, and rice being the most expensive items within that category.
The conclusion of the study is clear: "No Cuban can live on their salary: the estimated basic basket costs at least 14 times the average salary."
According to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), the average monthly salary in Cuba was 6,930 CUP in 2025, equivalent to about 15 dollars at the informal exchange rate, while the minimum wage remains at only 2,100 CUP.
With the informal dollar trading around 550 CUP in May 2026, the average Cuban salary is losing value against the dollar and is equivalent to just 12.6 dollars per month, which represents a loss of around 22% in purchasing power over the year.
Pérez Capdevila also warns that the figure of 96,060 CUP is conservative: the estimate excludes basic services such as electricity, water, and internet, beverages, condiments, recreation, appliances, interprovincial transportation, and home maintenance materials.
"These omissions are significant, as they represent unavoidable household expenses and imply that the estimate underestimates the true cost of living," notes the economist.
The study concludes that "the estimated basic basket represents only a minimal threshold for survival, insufficient to cover the essential needs of daily life."
More than 95% of the Cuban population earns the equivalent of less than three dollars a day, placing almost the entire island below the international poverty line, according to international publications mentioned in the analysis.
Previous estimates had already raised concerns about the magnitude of the gap. Economist Elías Amor calculated in April 2026 that surviving in Cuba costs over 50,000 pesos per month, and the Food Monitor Program estimated in August 2025 that the basic food needs for two adults in Havana required 41,735 CUP per month, nearly 20 minimum wages.
The study by Pérez Capdevila surpasses those figures by incorporating more categories of expenditure and applying a methodology based on standards from the World Health Organization, the FAO, and the TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard.
The Cuban economy fell by nearly 5% in 2025, accumulating a contraction of over 11% between 2020 and 2024, while independent estimates suggest that the cost of the basic basket has increased by nearly 70% year-on-year, far exceeding the official inflation rate of 14.07% recorded in 2025.
As a reference for the gap between income and prices, Pérez Capdevila himself notes that a round-trip ticket between Guantánamo and Havana can cost 100,000 CUP, "an amount that far exceeds the annual salary of most workers."
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