A video of just 31 seconds published by the Cuban Yuli Mai on Facebook caused a wave of reactions throughout Latin America by showing a reality that many users described as "unbelievable": in Cuba, a single egg can cost around 130 pesos and a full carton can reach 3,600, which is more than the country's minimum monthly wage.
In the recording, the young woman, who appears to be pregnant, calmly explains the high cost of a basic staple for millions of families.
"I live in Cuba, and something as simple as eating an egg can be very difficult for many people. An egg costs around 130 Cuban pesos, and a whole carton can cost up to 3,600 pesos. Yes, it's crazy; the price exceeds the minimum wage in Cuba," he states.
That day, she recalls, her family was only able to buy three eggs.
"We took the privilege of buying three eggs. We thank God for the joy of having lunch every day, as we know that many have nothing to eat."
The post quickly went viral, and the comment section turned into a spontaneous comparison of egg prices in different countries in the region. For thousands of users, the difference with Cuba was hard to believe.
From Mexico, Jade SanMar commented: "And here I am complaining that an egg costs 3 pesos in Mexico." Another user, Jan Martínez, added: "130 Cuban pesos is almost 100 Mexican pesos, which means you can buy about three kilos of eggs. How crazy, such different circumstances in the same world."
Reactions continued from other countries. Costa Rican Yazmin Mejías Barrantes stated that in her country a carton costs about 2.5 dollars, while Guatemalan May Santizo noted that 30 eggs equate to around 95 Cuban pesos, less than the cost of a single unit on the Island. From Colombia, Heidy Vanegas summarized the contrast with a phrase that garnered dozens of reactions: "With what they spend on a basket of eggs in Cuba, you can buy a whole market in Colombia."
In Argentina, astonishment also prevailed. "How incredible that it's the same world and that an egg signifies a luxury. It's sad what's happening in Cuba and unbelievable that they endure it," wrote Magalí Martínez. Her fellow countryman Yael Escudero stated that with the money it costs for a single egg in Cuba, he could buy a dozen of 30 units in his country and still have money left over. From Brazil, Elismar Brito claimed that with the price of a Cuban carton, he could purchase around 25 cartons.
The impact of the video aligns with an increasingly challenging economic reality for Cubans. As of this month, the minimum wage on the Island has risen to 3,210 pesos, equivalent to about 4.65 dollars based on the informal exchange rate, a figure that doesn't even suffice to buy a carton of eggs in the informal market, where prices typically range between 3,000 and 5,000 pesos, depending on the province.
The scarcity is also a result of a profound productive crisis. The national egg production fell from about five million daily in 2020 to 2.2 million in 2023 and, during 2024, over 1.3 million laying hens died due to the lack of feed. Additionally, there is an economic distortion: while producing an egg in the state system costs 8.65 pesos, the official price remains set at only two pesos, a difference that discourages production and exacerbates the shortages.
Independent economists estimate that a Cuban family needs between 50,000 and 96,000 pesos a month to cover its basic needs, which is to say, between 12 and 14 times the current minimum wage. One of the comments left on the video summed up this reality with an ironic phrase: "Before, an egg cost one peso and now earning one peso costs an egg."
Filed under: