Cuban content creator Emanuel Gonzalez Moral recently shared a revealing video on Facebook, illustrating item by item what $15, converted into Cuban pesos, can purchase on the island. This amount barely fills a small bag with essential groceries.
With approximately 8,000 Cuban pesos, which is roughly equivalent to those $15 at the informal exchange rate, Gonzalez managed to buy: a bottle of ketchup, two cans of tuna, two packs of pasta, four bags of rice, a hair cream, a can of condensed milk, six cans of malt beverage, and two bags of flour.
"I live in Cuba, and this is what $15 can get when converted into local currency," the young man states at the beginning of the video, recorded with the assistance of a follower who provided the funds for the shopping.
After completing his purchase, he set aside some of the items to share with his grandparents, with whom he lives. "Everything that comes into my house is shared with them because they mean the world to me," he explains on camera.
The trend of showcasing what one can buy with a specific amount of dollars in Cuba has become a viral genre on the island's social media, acting as a civic barometer of a deepening crisis.
The Economic Struggles of Cuban Citizens
The soaring food prices and rolling blackouts have turned feeding oneself into a luxury for millions of Cubans. Between January and April, the official average monthly salary was 7,074 CUP—equivalent to roughly $13 to $17 at the informal exchange rate—while the minimum wage, set at 3,210 CUP since July, translates to just $4.65.
Independent estimates suggest a person needs around 96,000 CUP per month to meet basic needs, with about 70,000 CUP earmarked for food alone. This means the average salary covers only about 10% of the minimum food basket.
Informal market prices highlight the collapse's extent, with eggs reaching 135 pesos each in Las Tunas and up to 300 CUP in Holguín; pork is priced at 850 CUP per pound in Sancti Spíritus markets and between 1,000 and 1,500 CUP in Havana; and vegetable oil exceeds 3,500 CUP per liter, surpassing the entire minimum monthly wage.
Government Policies and Economic Challenges
In June, the regime scrapped national price caps for essentials like oil, chicken, powdered milk, pasta, and sausages through Resolution 150/2026, and in July, Decree 156 also removed the cap on rice prices, igniting an inflationary spiral that even the officialdom admits it cannot halt.
The Communist Party's Matanzas newspaper, Girón, conceded that the state can do "little or nothing" about inflation, noting that "the room for maneuver in the current circumstances is extremely limited."
Economist Pedro Monreal summed up the regime's policy outcomes with a cutting remark: "176 measures and only one achievement: proving they learned nothing."
Understanding Cuba's Economic Crisis
What can $15 buy in Cuba's informal market?
In Cuba's informal market, $15 can buy a limited selection of basic groceries, such as a bottle of ketchup, a few cans of tuna, pasta, rice, hair cream, condensed milk, malt beverage, and flour.
How does the average Cuban salary compare to living costs?
The average Cuban salary is significantly lower than the estimated cost of living. It covers only about 10% of the minimum food basket necessary for basic sustenance.