A Cuban resident of Colón, Matanzas, Hellen Ridriguez Romero, reported on Facebook that bathing and doing laundry have become unattainable privileges for the majority: a bar of soap costs 600 pesos in the informal market and a kilo of detergent reaches 2,800 pesos.
Taking a bath and washing clothes has become a luxury for the wealthy and not just anyone. A bar of soap is 600 pesos, a kilo of detergent is 2,800, no words needed," wrote the woman, accompanying her post with photos of a bag of MARWA brand powdered detergent and four turquoise bars of Plider brand soap.
Comments from other Cubans confirmed —and in some cases exceeded— those prices. “650 and even 800 are being asked for soaps”, noted a user. Another shared that he bought a bar of soap for 560 pesos one day, and the next day, at the same place, it cost 600: “This is already unbearable and nobody sees anything.”
The reported prices are not exclusive to Matanzas. According to a tour of markets in various provinces, in Placetas (Villa Clara) a 100-gram bar was sold for 600 pesos; in Camajuaní and Santa Clara for 700; in Cabaiguán between 700 and 800; and in Manicaragua up to 800 pesos. In neighborhood markets in Havana, Ridal detergent was priced at 1,100 pesos for 500 grams.
"In the 90s, we used to wash with salt; now we can’t even do that, salt is incredibly expensive—it's a terrifying situation, my friend. May God have mercy on us," he wrote referring to the Special Period.
Other users pointed out the paradox that even when money is available to buy items, water and electricity are lacking to use them: "And when you can actually manage to buy detergent or soap to bathe, you'll find yourself without water and power. In short, Cuba has exceeded the limit."
These prices are devastating compared to the current minimum wage of 3,210 pesos per month, established in July 2026, which the Ministry of Labor itself acknowledged is insufficient to cover the basic basket. At the informal exchange rate this Wednesday —908 pesos per dollar—, that wage amounts to barely about 3.5 dollars per month. A single bar of soap can account for between 19% and 37% of the minimum monthly income.
The Holguin writer José Poveda Cruz reported at the end of October that stores were removing soap from the counters to wait for price increases and resell it at a higher margin. Since February 2026, some families have been stockpiling soap, detergent, toothpaste, and toilet paper whenever they manage to find them.
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