A Cuban identified as Maray Quesada posted this Monday on Facebook an image featuring three basic products and their prices, accompanied by a message that captures the desperation of millions: “Down with everything. This is no life”. A bar of soap costs 670 Cuban pesos (CUP), a can of tomato paste 600 CUP, and a package of macaroni 900 CUP.
“First thing this morning, Monday started off like ‘Como agua para chocolate,’ how long are we going to keep living like this,” Quesada wrote alongside the image, which shows the three products.
From Santiago de Cuba, a user reported tomato paste costing 950 CUP. Others noted having bought it for 1,100 CUP, and one specified: "I went for the cheaper one because the other one was 1,300." In Santa Clara, elbow macaroni was being sold for 1,000 CUP. Regarding soap, someone warned: "If you paid 1,000 pesos, you're still doing okay; where I live, it's at 1,200."
From Artemisa, a user reported the pound of powdered milk at 2,250 CUP: "Unprecedented in history, I believe we are the only ones in the entire world." According to other testimonies, a pound of beans is priced at 800 CUP, and a piece of chicken is 1,000 CUP each.
"Everything is expensive; just having an Italian pasta is a real luxury, and the same goes for bathing," lamented a citizen.
Recently, reports indicated that bars of soap were priced between 600 and 1,000 CUP in several areas of Villa Clara and Las Tunas, and the price of rice exceeded 400 CUP per pound in Mayabeque, Santa Clara, and Bauta.
As part of the package of 176 economic transformations, Resolution 150/2026 from the Ministry of Finance and Prices liberalized the prices of chicken, oils, powdered milk, pasta, and sausages, resulting in the predictable outcome: consumer prices soared.
In light of those prices, salaries seem ridiculous. The minimum wage was raised to 3,210 CUP per month starting in July 2026, but the Prime Minister himself, Manuel Marrero publicly acknowledged at that time that the new minimum wage was insufficient to cover the basic shopping basket.
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