A Cuban family of four living in Spain, with 2,000 euros monthly coming from two workers, allocates about 1,600 euros to fixed expenses, according to the testimony shared by the TikToker Karmen Torres in a video published on May 29, where she detailed her household's economy.
Karmen lives with her partner, her son, and her mother. Only she and her partner earn an income, which means four people rely on that joint budget.
The breakdown presented is as follows: 500 euros for rent, 400 for food—approximately 100 weekly—between 200 and 250 for basic services such as electricity, water, gas, and internet, and 300 for child-related expenses and leisure activities, which includes school outings, dance classes, and other unforeseen school costs. Additionally, there are about 200 occasional euros for clothing and footwear.
"Out of those 2,000, I roughly added it up and found that I spend about 1,600, which means we have around 400 euros left for the entire month," he explained in the video.
With that margin of 400 euros, Karmen's conclusion was straightforward: "Life in Spain isn't that easy. If you want to emigrate, this is the reality: you're going to work practically to pay for everything."
The testimony is not an isolated case. A Cuban construction worker in Spain revealed in December 2025 that, earning between 1,200 and 1,300 euros, more than half of it went toward rent — 610 euros — and electricity — 100 euros — leaving him barely 200 euros "and a bit" for the rest of the month.
The rental market in Spain places particular pressure on immigrant families. The national average price is set at 15.1 euros per square meter in 2026, and in Madrid, a 70-square-meter apartment costs around 1,638 euros per month, significantly more than what Karmen pays, suggesting that her family resides in a city or area with more moderate costs.
This internal pressure is compounded by the obligation to send remittances to Cuba. The Cuban Linet recently described a never-ending cycle of expenses to help her family on the island: first, a power generator, then portable batteries costing between $549 and $1,150, with blackouts lasting more than 32 hours a day. "The money you send, if they use it for the generator, they won't eat," she warned.
Spain is home to nearly 287,490 resident Cubans as of January 2026, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, with 35,200 new arrivals just during 2025. Most emigrate in search of better living conditions but encounter a minimum wage of 1,221 euros gross per month and a labor market that, in many cases, does not allow for savings or support for family members who remained on the island.
Other Cuban women have issued similar warnings on social media. In July 2026, a post listed the reasons that have many Cubans on edge in that country, and in June another Cuban woman cautioned that one should not emigrate to Spain without savings as an initial safety net.
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