The new rate for manufactured gas, popularly known as street gas, began to be implemented this month in Havana, and it has sparked criticism from users who are questioning the increase in cost and the difficulties in accurately determining consumption.
The Manufactured Gas Company of the state-owned Cupet informed this Thursday on Facebook that the billing for August will be done at the new price and will be collected in September, advising customers to check their accounts and update their payments.
The rate has increased from 2.50 Cuban pesos (CUP) per cubic meter, in effect since January 2021, to 4.97 CUP per cubic meter. This change, established through Resolution 156/2026 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, affects more than 280,000 residential customers in the capital.
The new scale establishes differences based on the composition of household units. Households of up to two people will pay 99.40 CUP for 20 cubic meters, while those consisting of three to five people will pay 298.20 CUP for 60 cubic meters. For households with six or more members, the amount will be 397.60 CUP for 80 cubic meters.
The measure was met with rejection among users of the official publication. One user questioned the increase, stating that it occurs "at the worst moment in history," when, according to her, salaries are insufficient and there are difficulties even in obtaining food.
Another citizen was more direct and stated that they will have to cut off the service because, according to her complaint, the workers are being paid but the meter at her home is not being checked. She claimed that her last bill records more cubic meters than what the meter indicates and demanded that the reading of the equipment be guaranteed before requiring payment.
The increase in manufactured gas also occurs, in parallel with the rising price of liquefied gas. The 10-kilogram cylinder now costs 350 CUP under Resolution 155/2026, an increase of 55% compared to the 225 CUP that had been in effect since March 2024.
The availability of liquefied gas has also worsened. In April, 834,000 of the 1.7 million customers in the country were unable to purchase the product through state distributions.
Since January, the government has indefinitely suspended the distribution in Santiago de Cuba and the other eastern provinces, following the halt of shipments from Venezuela.
The scarcity has forced some consumers to turn to the informal market. In Sancti Spíritus, items have been resold for 70,000 pesos, while digital platforms offered them for between 24 and 29 USD.
The impact adds to a food crisis that is also driving up the cost of alternatives used for cooking.
A study published on May 10 by the Cuban economist Javier Pérez Capdevila on the academic platform Horizonte Cubano at Columbia Law School estimates that a person in Cuba needs at least 96,060 CUP per month to meet their basic needs, a figure that is equivalent to at least 14 times the average salary on the island.
Charcoal, an increasingly popular alternative due to difficulties in obtaining fuels, can cost between 3,200 and 5,000 pesos per bag, compared to an official average salary of 6,930 pesos.
"The rising cost of gas adds a new link to a chain of expenses that makes it increasingly difficult to provide something as basic as hot food on the table," warned the Food Monitor Program.
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