A Cuban shared on Facebook the price she paid for a manicure on an ordinary Sunday, and the amount sparked a debate about the true cost of beauty on the island: 1,800 CUP, equivalent to about three dollars at the current informal exchange rate.
«Today I got this haircut in Cuba and I'll tell you how much it really costs: 1,800 CUP (approximately 3 USD). Do you think that's expensive or cheap? I want to compare prices with you, how much does it cost in your country?», wrote the user @Lili.cubana in the video posted on that social network.
In 2025, a basic manicure with traditional nail polish could cost from 500 CUP, while more elaborate services such as acrylic or polygel nails started at 950 CUP in salons in Havana.
A long manicure could reach 3,000 CUP, and in higher-end salons, prices rose to 6,000 CUP or were quoted directly in dollars: gel nails with design at 25 USD and acrylics between 35 and 45 USD at that time.
In dollars, three USD may not seem like much to someone living outside of Cuba, but the equation changes radically when measured against the local salary.
The average state salary in Cuba is around 6,506 CUP per month, which is only about 10 or 12 dollars at the informal exchange rate, that closed at 630-633 CUP per dollar in June 2026, a historic record.
This means that a manicure costing 1,800 CUP represents about 28% of the average monthly income of a state worker.
The outlook becomes even more stark when considering that a family of six requires around 130,990 CUP per month to meet basic expenses, while the average salary barely reaches 19.4% of that amount.
Despite the crisis, the nail and beauty sector has thrived in Cuba as a private industry.
Manicurists working from their homes or in small salons have turned nails into a source of income and, for many clients, into a space for personal expression that precarious circumstances have been unable to suppress.
In July 2025, the AP agency published an international report highlighting how Cuban women have turned their nails into creative canvases in the face of the economic crisis, with manicurists dedicating up to six hours to a single job.
Other beauty services on the island also reflect this tension between nominally low prices in dollars and high costs in terms of local salary: a hair dye costs between 1,500 and 2,000 CUP, a keratin treatment is around 9,000 CUP, and eyelash extensions can reach up to 3,000 CUP.
The question posed by @Lili.cubana — "Do you think it's expensive or cheap?" — does not have a single answer: it almost always depends on whether the respondent earns in pesos or in dollars.
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