What can you buy in Cuba with 20,000 pesos? A Cuban known on TikTok as Brianita decided to showcase this in a video where she walks through a private store and shows the food items she was able to purchase with that amount of money. Her purchase includes oil, chicken, beans, spaghetti, and other basic products, but what stands out the most is how much they cost.
"Yes, there is food in Cuba; what’s lacking is money," asserts the young woman at the beginning of the video shared on her TikTok account @brianitalacubana_1, where she showcases each product and its prices.
Among their purchases are four bottles of oil for 3,840 pesos, six packages of spaghetti for 1,860 pesos, three packages of beans for 1,350 pesos, and one pound of chorizo for 1,100 pesos.
He also bought a pound of gouda cheese for 2,100 pesos, two small bottles of soy sauce for 1,000 pesos, a ten-pound package of chicken for 4,000 pesos, and four pounds of boneless loin for another 4,000 pesos.
The total of all the mentioned products amounts to 19,250 Cuban pesos, an amount that is equivalent to more than two and a half monthly salaries based on the average state salary of 7,354 pesos reported in August 2026.
During the tour, Brianita explains why she has to turn to private businesses to obtain food items that used to be available in state-owned establishments.
"You can find food here that is no longer sold by the State," he comments, referring to these types of stores, which are private shops.
However, it acknowledges that prices are far from what a significant portion of the Cuban population can afford.
"In these places, everything is incredibly expensive, but well, what can you do? You have to buy it anyway, because if not, you won't eat," he laments.
Brianita's experience is reminiscent of another Cuban who recently showed what she could buy with 8,500 pesos in Baracoa. On that occasion, the money barely stretched to cover rice, beans, and root vegetables, without including meat, eggs, or dairy products.
The soaring prices of food have also been reflected in other reports about the cost of chicken, eggs, and other products in Cuban markets, where a pound of frozen chicken has sold for between 800 and 900 pesos, and a dozen eggs can exceed 3,500 pesos.
The situation is particularly complicated for those who depend on a salary in national currency. According to the cited official data, the minimum wage is set at 3,210 pesos per month, while the average state salary reaches 7,354 pesos.
This is compounded by the loss of purchasing power of the Cuban peso. As of November 9, the dollar was around 914 pesos in the informal market, a figure that highlights the challenges faced by those needing to buy goods whose prices are influenced by foreign currencies.
A survey conducted in May 2026, with over 2,500 responses from the 16 Cuban provinces, revealed that 33.9% of the participating households had at least one member who went to bed hungry in the previous month due to a lack of food. Additionally, 79.4% allocated at least 80% of their income to food.
Food shopping in Cuba has become a recurring topic among content creators. Previously, another Cuban showed everything she was able to buy with 100 dollars, while a woman in Camagüey demonstrated the food she purchased after spending 180 dollars.
In Brianita's case, her journey through the store leaves a phrase that sums up her experience when facing prices: "In Cuba, there is food, but there is no money."
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