A Cuban from Ciego de Ávila revealed how much she had to spend to travel to Havana for a visa interview for Mexico, and the expenses highlight a reality that affects those needing to move within the island: a trip lasting just one day can consume several months' worth of salary.
Content creator @SoyBryhtney detailed in a video on Facebook the expenses for transportation, lodging, and meals that she faced in order to attend her consular appointment in the capital.
The journey from Ciego de Ávila to Havana cost him 15,000 Cuban pesos (CUP). For the return trip, he had to pay another 15,000, so he spent a total of 30,000 CUP just on transportation.
The bill totaled 8,500 CUP for one night in a private house. "I arrived at 1 PM on the 7th and I leave at 12 PM on the 8th," he explained in the video.
During the journey, he also spent 1,500 CUP on food, with which he bought a sandwich with roast pork and a can of juice.
In total, traveling to Havana, spending a night, and having something to eat during the trip cost him about 40,000 CUP, equivalent to around 57.55 dollars based on an informal exchange rate of approximately 695 CUP per dollar.
A trip that amounts to several salaries
The amount takes on another dimension when compared to the earnings of Cuban workers.
The minimum wage has been set at 3,210 CUP per month since July 1, 2026, while the average state salary hovers around 7,074 CUP.
This means that the approximately 40,000 pesos spent by the young woman is equivalent to more than five average monthly salaries and over 12 minimum wages.
The 30,000 CUP he paid for the trip represents more than four times the average salary of a state worker.
The case thus reflects one of the harsh contradictions of the Cuban economic crisis: to complete a procedure that can only be done in Havana, a resident from another province may be forced to spend in just a few hours what it would take months to earn with a state salary.
Arriving in Havana, another problem
The price is not the only obstacle. Cuba is experiencing a deep crisis in interprovincial transportation, characterized by fuel shortages, the deterioration of the vehicle fleet, and a drastic reduction in service frequencies.
Since June 18, 2026, the national buses between Havana and the provincial capitals ceased daily operations and now run only three times a week.
In some regions, the situation is even more complex. In Villa Clara, for example, passengers must request authorization from provincial commissions to access certain national bus or train journeys.
At the beginning of August, the Ministry of Transport announced that bus tickets for national routes would once again be sold at physical agencies with only three days' notice. However, this measure does not increase the available frequencies nor does it lessen the burden that transportation poses on family incomes.
Traveling to the capital to carry out an official procedure
The reason for @SoyBryhtney's trip adds another dimension to the issue. Thousands of Cubans living outside Havana must travel to the capital to carry out consular and immigration procedures, as most foreign diplomatic representations are concentrated there and lack offices in the provinces.
This means that the cost of any management must also include interprovincial transportation, food, and, depending on the appointment's timing, at least one night of accommodation.
The video of the young woman surpassed 27,000 views and sparked dozens of comments, highlighting how her experience resonates with the daily challenges faced by those who need to travel for paperwork, medical appointments, work-related matters, or simply to visit their families.
The alternatives are also not accessible to everyone. Viazul, the bus service primarily aimed at tourism, starting in May 2025 requires payment in euros and by card, which are prohibitive conditions for many residents on the island.
Everything happens in a country where estimates by economist Javier Pérez Capdevila place the basic monthly cost per person at over 96,000 CUP, of which more than 70,000 would be solely for food.
In that context, the nearly 40,000 pesos spent by @SoyBryhtney do not represent a vacation or a luxury. They were the cost to travel to Havana, spend a night, eat a pork sandwich, and return to her province after completing a consular appointment.
Her experience numbers a reality that is becoming increasingly common in Cuba: for many citizens, traveling from one province to another has ceased to be a routine journey and has turned into an expense that is difficult to bear.
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