A young Cuban, mentor and teacher of English and French, posted a video on Instagram in which she documents her attempt to live for a month on the island with 100 dollars and without standing in line, shopping at private markets.
Narrated in Spanglish, the video just over a minute long details a shopping list that includes two packs of chicken at 3,400 pesos each, fish for 4,200 pesos, a carton of eggs for 4,200 pesos, chickpeas at 1,100 pesos, black beans at 900 pesos, green peas at 1,100 pesos, four pounds of sweet potato at 400 pesos, lentils at 1,100 pesos, pork bones at 3,600 pesos, olives at 3,200 pesos, and cheese at 2,200 pesos.
"I'm going to live for a month in Cuba with 100 dollars while avoiding standing in line, oh my mother," says the young woman at the beginning of the clip, noting down every expense to stay within her budget.
At the end of the tour of the market, she herself acknowledges the magnitude of the challenge: "Let me know in the comments if you could live comfortably here in Cuba with just 100 dollars; I don't even know what kind of question this is because it's crazy."
The response from his followers was mostly skeptical. The most striking comment summed it up in a single sentence: "Correction: you are going to survive."
Others were more direct: "In Cuba, you don't live, you survive! I think with 100 dollars, not even a week's worth of basic necessities"; "With 100 dollars, I can't even survive a week."
A voice interjected into the debate with the question that many avoid: “Well, the video is fine and all. Now, one question: how many people in Cuba have those 100 dollars?”
Another follower added the nuance that the video does not consider: "For one person, maybe, living with restrictions. But when there’s more than one, believe me, it’s not enough. And if you have babies, forget it. The situation is very difficult, especially for those who depend on a salary in CUP and don’t have anyone to help them."
Several comments also pointed out that the list omits essential items such as oil and charcoal, without which cooking becomes impossible.
The situation becomes more stark when contrasted with the current economic data. The dollar surpassed 900 pesos in the informal Cuban market this Tuesday, trading at 905 pesos and marking 14 consecutive days of increases, which makes the 100 dollars from the video equivalent to about 90,500 pesos.
However, that amount represents over 12 average monthly salaries for those who depend on the State: according to the National Office of Statistics and Information, the average state salary was just 7,354 pesos in August 2026, equivalent to around eight dollars at the informal exchange rate.
The debate is not new. In October, another Cuban documented a purchase of 79,000 pesos with 100 dollars, which was also insufficient to cover a full month, and a doctor showed in August how that same amount ran out in less than a week for a family.
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