Another neighborhood market opens with high prices in Cuba: "With the withdrawal, you don't buy for the month."

A new neighborhood market has opened in Placetas, a municipality in Villa Clara, with prices that its own promoters acknowledge as high and that locals deem unattainable for those relying on pensions or state salaries.

«The neighborhood store "El Reparto" has opened in district 33, at the corner of 4 del Norte and 3 del Este. It offers a wide variety of goods; the prices are high, but lower than in many other places. According to the information provided by Luis Vega Cuellar, the delegate of this district, the employees are very active and pleasant," reported the official journalist from Radio Placetas, Carlos Antonio Brito Marrero on Facebook.

The images of the store show a chalkboard with the prices in Cuban pesos (CUP): the pound of sugar for 530 CUP, the beans for 620 CUP, the local rice for 370 CUP, the powdered milk for 1,900 CUP per pound, and the chicken for 1,890 CUP for two pounds.

On the shelves, there are also vegetable oils priced at 650 CUP, imported black beans at 1,320 CUP, pasta at 710 CUP, and toothpaste at 520 CUP.

“With retirement, you can't buy for the month”, wrote a Cuban in response to the prices. “Since almost all food has to be imported, paying in foreign currency in the informal market and with a heavily devalued local currency, prices no longer reflect the state salary and are only adjusted to the replacement cost in dollars,” noted another individual.

“Are they made for the average Cuban or for those with family abroad? Can someone please explain?” questioned another user.  EThe minimum wage in Cuba is 3,210 CUP per month since July 2026.

The establishment in Placetas is part of the , regulated by Resolution 16/2026 from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, in effect since August 11, 2026. The program promised prices that are 10% to 30% lower than those of other private businesses, but reports from multiple provinces indicate that the actual discounts are minimal or nonexistent.

The experience of other similar markets that have already opened foreshadows what could happen in "El Reparto." In Cárdenas, prices increased in less than 20 days: chicken breast rose from 900 to 920 CUP per pound, and rice from 390 to 400 CUP. A commentator in Placetas has already warned about this pattern: "After a few days, just like the other markets, they will be competing to see who can sell at abusive and speculative prices."