A Cuban doctor who shares her daily life on TikTok under the username @unadoctoracubana revealed how much she paid to have her nails done —both hands and feet— at a beauty salon on the island: 3,500 Cuban pesos, equivalent to just over five dollars at the informal exchange rate.
In the video, released on September 10, the doctor does not hide the irony behind that figure: "If basic needs are expensive here, imagine something like this, which is truly a luxury."
She was pleasantly surprised by the salon. It was only her second visit to the place, which she came to after her regular manicurist emigrated: "My manicurist always left me and went off to seek a better life for herself and her family, so I had to look for another place."
As she walked past the new establishment, she realized she had thought it would be out of reach: "Every time I passed by here, I saw how beautiful it was and thought, 'The nail relax here must cost a fortune.'"
The reality was different. The doctor describes the venue as "super nice decor," with very attentive staff who also offer coffee during the service. She wanted to take advantage of a TikTok trend and get her nails done according to her zodiac sign—Cancer—but the designs didn't convince her, and she ended up letting the aesthetician choose freely. The result, she says, she loved.
What is not so easy to digest is the real impact of that 3,500 CUP on the wallet of a healthcare professional in Cuba. The base salary of a newly graduated doctor has been set at 7,045 CUP per month by Resolution 17/2026 of the Ministry of Labor, effective from July 1, 2026. This means that this manicure represents almost 50% of the monthly salary of a doctor without specialization.
The paradox intensifies when everything is converted to dollars: this Monday, the informal exchange rate hovered around 694 CUP per dollar, which means that the monthly salary of that doctor is just about ten dollars. In that context, five dollars for nails is not a trivial expense.
The price of 3,500 CUP exceeds some of the previously documented rates for manicure and pedicure services in Cuba, although prices can vary significantly depending on the establishment, technique, and complexity of the service.
The debate over whether that expense is expensive or cheap is not new in Cuban social media. In June 2026, another Cuban sparked a similar discussion by revealing that she paid 1,800 CUP for a nail treatment.
Beauty service prices in Cuba had already reached thousands of pesos in 2025. In 2026, high inflation and the use of foreign currency for certain goods and services continue to shape the economic context of the island.
The doctor herself invited her followers to settle the question: "Let me know in the comments how much you pay for this same treatment and what you thought of it, whether it was expensive or cheap."
Filed under: