A Cuban woman showcased on TikTok what she was able to buy with six dollars in the informal market of the island: two "manitos" of plantains, two pounds of white sugar, and several packets of powdered drink mix for snacks.
The creator @yaneisycanta_98 published the video on Sunday and explained that those six dollars were equivalent to about 4,200 Cuban pesos, based on the exchange rate she referenced. Currently, with an informal rate of 744 pesos per dollar, six dollars represent around 4,464 Cuban pesos, an amount higher than the official minimum wage in the country.
"In Cuba, 4,200 pesos is nothing, or rather, let's say almost nothing, especially when you have children to feed," the author acknowledged in the clip.
The seller of the products does not have a fixed location; instead, she comes from another municipality a few times a week. This situation forces buyers to take advantage of her presence whenever she appears, as these types of products are not always available through regular channels.
The creator also responded to a comment from a follower who claimed that six dollars can buy more in Cuba than in the United States. However, she showed the concrete result of her purchase: a small group of basic products that highlights the limited purchasing power of the currency on the island.
"If you had told me 4,200 pesos many years ago, that would have been a fortune, but here in Cuba things have changed quite a bit, especially the prices of food," he noted.
Regarding the powdered drinks—criticized by some followers for being low in nutrients—he responded straightforwardly: "We have no other choice here."
The video is part of a viral trend where Cubans document the decline in purchasing power on the island through social media. A week earlier, another Cuban showed that with 5,000 pesos, she could only buy rice, beans, garlic, onion, coffee, and sugar, without enough left for meat, eggs, or oil.
The economic context helps to illustrate the reduction in the purchasing power of the population. The official minimum wage has been set at 3,210 pesos per month starting from July 1, 2026, an amount that at the informal exchange rate equates to less than five dollars.
The Cuban peso has depreciated rapidly: from about 590 pesos per dollar in June, it rose to over 700 in September and reached 733 pesos per dollar last Saturday.
The official inflation rate closed August at 25.19% year-on-year, another indicator of the ongoing loss of purchasing power for Cuban families.
@yaneisycanta_98 had already starred in a viral video last January about the real purchasing power of Cubans, which surpassed three million views. Her conclusion at that time summarizes a reality that continues to affect many families: "There is food in Cuba, but there is no money."
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