Cubans question the prices in neighborhood markets

A chalkboard displaying the price list of a neighborhood market located at the corner of San Martín and Industria in Camagüey has sparked outrage among Cubans after being shared on social media by journalist José Luis Tan Estrada. The figures written in chalk leave little room for optimism: eggs are sold at 130 pesos each, a one-kilogram bag of rice at 960 pesos, sugar at 540 pesos per pound, and oil at 2,550 pesos. A carton of eggs costs 3,600 pesos, according to the image.

The establishment is part of the neighborhood markets program, created by Resolution 16/2026 of the Ministry of Internal Trade and effective since August 11, 2026. The program promised that these points of sale, managed by MIPYMES and cooperatives in former state warehouses, would offer products at prices 10% to 30% lower than those found in other private commerce.

The reality described by Cubans is different. "My God, where is the 10 percent cheaper? It's all lies and more lies," wrote one of the commentators. Another pointed out with bitter irony: "It's cheaper to drink rum than to eat a fried egg."

"The neighborhood stores have higher prices than the resellers," reported a user, who added that in theirs, oil costs 2,600 pesos and a bag of rice is 1,050. Another pointed out that prices "rise daily and even hourly."

The minimum wage rose to 3,210 pesos per month in July 2026, but the Ministry of Labor itself acknowledged that this amount does not cover the basic basket. At the unofficial exchange rate of 920 pesos per dollar, that wage amounts to just over three dollars a month. A retiree bluntly summarized it: "With my magnificent and succulent pension of 3,200 pesos, what can I buy? We laugh to avoid crying."

Traditional state-run bodegas, which used to distribute subsidized products through ration books, have gradually ceased to fulfill that role. Camagüey had about seven neighborhood markets at the time of the complaints, and the province had already accumulated prior grievances over exorbitant prices. In October 2026, the Ministry of Domestic Trade itself acknowledged that the neighborhood markets had not yet managed to achieve noticeable reductions for the population.