The Cuban government published this Thursday in the two resolutions from the Ministry of Finance and Prices that establish new rates for liquefied gas and manufactured gas in Cuban pesos, effective immediately.
Resolution 155/2026 sets the price of liquefied gas at 35 CUP per kilogram, raising the cost of a standard 10 kg cylinder to 350 Cuban pesos.
This represents a 55% increase compared to the previous price of 225 CUP per cylinder, effective from March 1, 2024.
The Resolution 156/2026 establishes manufactured gas at 4.97 CUP per cubic meter for residential and non-productive non-residential sectors, nearly double the 2.50 CUP/m³ that had been in effect since January 2021.
For hospitals, nursing homes, and child care centers for unparented children, the differentiated rate is set at 4.00 CUP/m³.
Both resolutions were signed on July 1, 2026, by Minister Vladimir Regueiro Ale and accompany Decree 156/2026 from the Council of Ministers, subscribed by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz on June 29, which modifies the legal framework so that these prices are set by ministerial resolution instead of agreements from the Council.
The official document justifies the increase in liquefied gas prices by citing "the complex reality of the energy blockade the country is experiencing, particularly the scarcity of fuels in terms of oil imports and the sustained increase in costs," while for manufactured gas it states "the sustained increase in costs and expenses that guarantee supply over the past five years."
The paradox is significant: the regime establishes an official price in pesos for a product that, in practice, hardly exists in the state system and is primarily obtained in dollars.
Since May 2026, platforms like Supermarket23, Katapulk, and KMCERO sell liquefied gas cylinders for between 24 and 29 dollars, without accepting Cuban pesos.
At the informal exchange rate of 655 CUP per dollar, a 29-dollar item amounts to 18,995 CUP, which is more than 54 times the new official price of 350 CUP. Even the option priced at 24 dollars represents about 15,720 CUP.
In the informal market, the gas canisters reached resale prices of 50 dollars in June, more than double the price on state digital platforms.
The cylinders that supply the digital platforms are the same as those of the state system, with logistics connected to CUPET facilities, as documented in a journalistic investigation.
However, in June, CUPET itself alerted about identity theft through fake digital sites and WhatsApp channels that were selling dollar bills using the name of the state enterprise.
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