How much does it take to live in Cuba? A frequent question for any Cuban or any person who wants to travel to the country and live here. Of course, being a foreign visitor is not the same as being a natural-born citizen of this beautiful land. At this point of the year, the devaluation of money, or the Cuban peso, is becoming more and more evident. What could be bought with 100 pesos is now not even close to being affordable, prices in many cases have risen more than 80%, and salaries support less than necessary every day.
The minimum wage in Cuba is set at 2100 pesos, but that does not include retirees or those receiving widow's pensions, who only receive 1500 pesos. Making calculations for a small family of 2 members, we would be talking in conservative figures of 14,000 pesos per month, but working in the state sector, that figure is unthinkable for many.
This has led a large part of the population to engage in the resale of products, generally illegally, a way to survive in an economy with more and more problems. Scarcity is king in the markets, and the rule of supply and demand has become known as “the supplier rules”.
Let's do the math on a moderate diet for the month, not even what you want to eat, but what you can afford to buy. Let's start by securing at least 25 pounds of rice at 130 pesos. I am talking about Granma, for the rest of the country the figures can be much higher. You who are reading this, do not try this at home, this has been tested by professionals. What elegance France has, I always wanted to say it.
Let's get back to the subject that brings us here. So we have the viands, we can buy plantains at 25 pesos a pound, about 5 pounds for the week. We can also buy cassava at 30 pesos to balance the diet, with 5 pounds we are making progress. A tip, we must peel the yucca and keep it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh, of course if the power allows it. Well, the latter only Cubans will understand, up to 12 hours without electricity on the best days.
Let's move on to meat products: 3 pounds of ground beef at 340 pesos, 2 of ham at 380 pesos and if all goes well, a 10 pound package of chicken at 312 pesos a pound. Pork and other meats, just to remedy. There is a restructuring of diets and feeding, moving from selective to induced and variable feeding depending on economic income.
You cannot cook meat without spices, the most common being the use of garlic. A head of garlic can cost up to 60 pesos, and the cloves are as small as the famous tooth fairy. Let's take 10 heads and some powdered seasonings. We were short 2 bottles of oil for the month, administered by droppers. A simple check would leave us with an average balance of 9825 pesos just for basic food. Let's add snacks, transportation to work and other minor expenses. That would leave each member about 2000 pesos to cover all minor expenses for the month. A difficult task, but one that many Cubans carry on our shoulders every day.
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