A Cuban woman showcased this week in a video posted on Facebook the actual cost of preparing a single meal on the island: 3,000 pesos, which is equivalent to the full monthly salary of a Cuban worker.
The content creator SoyEly Vlog recorded in real time the preparation of a "lucky rice," one of the most popular resourceful dishes in Cuba because it allows feeding several people with minimal resources.
The recipe includes rice, pieces of pork, tender corn kernels, onion, garlic, and other seasonings. When breaking down the expenses, Ely was direct and clear.
"In this meal you see here, which is only for today, there are 600 pesos worth of rice, 2,000 pesos for pork, and 400 pesos for corn. That doesn't include the spices I've been adding. The total comes to about 3,000 pesos, equivalent to any worker's salary in Cuba," he explained.
The video is published days after the regime removed price caps on basic products such as chicken, oil, powdered milk, pasta, and sausages, through Resolution 150/2026 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, signed on June 20.
Ely stated that the political measure effectively means: "Basically, it means that today I can sell you a pound of rice for 300 pesos, and tomorrow I can wake up wanting to sell it to you for 500, and no one is going to come and challenge that decision. Even though your salary remains the same 3,000 pesos as always."
The creator also noted that the previous limits were meaningless; when they were in effect, no one enforced them, and sellers ignored them without any consequences.
The price crisis is compounded by the collapse of the banking system
Ely warned that going to the bank to withdraw cash can cost up to 300 pesos just for transportation. Many times, the bank only dispenses 500 or 1,000 pesos, a fraction of the salary deposited on the card, but that money can hardly buy anything.
The comments on the video reflected the desperation of Cubans across the country. "Now everything is going up even more and wages remain the same as always," wrote one person.
From Camagüey, another person recounted: "You have to spend the whole night waiting in line just to be able to collect 500 or 1,000 pesos the next day, and that's not enough for anything."
"It's very sad the situation we Cubans are going through. The salary isn't enough for anything, but well, it is what we have to deal with, without words," lamented a follower.
A Cuban summarized the situation with bitterness: "This is every man for himself, and hardly any of us can."
The elimination of caps is part of a package of 176 economic measures presented by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz to the parliament on June 18 and 19, endorsed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party with the participation of Raúl Castro.
The contrast between these reforms and everyday reality is stark: covering basic needs requires about 96,000 pesos monthly, while the official minimum wage is 3,210 pesos, less than 5 dollars at the informal exchange rate, and the average salary hovers around 7,000 pesos, barely 10 dollars.
"Arroz con suerte" gets its name precisely because it is made with whatever ingredients are available, reflecting a survival philosophy that characterizes the domestic economy in Cuba. The fact that a single pot of this dish costs an entire salary speaks volumes about the crisis, more than any official figure.
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