A Cuban woman showcased on TikTok what she managed to buy with just six dollars in the informal market of the island: two "manitos" of banana, two pounds of white sugar, and several packets of powdered drink for snacks.
The creator @yaneisycanta_98 posted the video on Sunday and explained that those six dollars were equivalent to about 4,200 Cuban pesos, based on the exchange rate she used as a reference. Currently, with an informal exchange 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 well, 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 stall; instead, she comes from another municipality a few times a week. This situation forces buyers to make the most of her visits, as such products are not always available through conventional 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 showcased the concrete results of her purchase: a small group of basic goods 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 food prices," he noted.
Regarding the powdered drinks—criticized by some followers for being low in nutrition—he responded straightforwardly: "We have no other option here."
The video is part of a viral trend in which Cubans document the decline in purchasing power on the island. A week earlier, another Cuban showed that with 5,000 pesos, she could only buy rice, beans, garlic, onion, coffee, and sugar, and did not have enough for meat, eggs, or oil.
The economic context helps to illustrate the deterioration of purchasing power. 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 is equivalent to less than five dollars.
The Cuban peso has depreciated rapidly: it went from about 590 pesos per dollar in June to over 700 in September and reached 733 pesos per dollar on September 26.
The official inflation rate closed August at 25.19% year-on-year, another indicator of the ongoing decline in purchasing power for Cuban households.
@yaneisycanta_98 had previously starred in a viral video in January 2026 about the real purchasing power of Cubans, which garnered over three million views. Her conclusion at that time encapsulates a reality still impacting many families on the island: "There is food in Cuba, but there is no money."
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