"Working in Cuba doesn't pay," declares Cuban content creator @sheyreyes032 in a TikTok video that's gained widespread attention. With a straightforward and blunt tone, Sheyla highlights a harsh truth familiar to millions of Cubans: the impossibility of surviving on a state salary. She begins by stating, "Anyone who says otherwise either doesn't live here or doesn't have a family to feed." She elaborates that "a salary of 3,000 Cuban pesos isn't enough for even a week's worth of breakfast."
Her account quickly becomes more personal and stark: "How do people live? By hustling, by whatever means they can find." For Sheyla, working eight hours for such a wage is "an insult." She asserts, "Earning just enough for a bag of bread and a carton of eggs... that's not a life." She also criticizes the criminalization of informal work: "Then they criticize you, they even want to imprison you when you do something on the side, trying to make a little extra money." She voices her frustration with a poignant question: "So what do I do... starve legally?"
She also lamented the plight of professionals in Cuba: "There are so many people here who studied for six years and can't even afford a bottle of oil with their salary. Then they wonder why so many people have left Cuba." She continues, "You can be a doctor, teacher, engineer, whatever... and you still can't support yourself or your family because the salary doesn't cover it." She adds, "And then they have the nerve to tell you 'don't hustle, don't sell anything under the table because it's illegal'... so what am I supposed to do?"
For Sheyla, the situation is clear: "In this country, you can't live on a salary. At this moment, anyone who doesn't have a relative in the United States or outside of Cuba to help them is stuck." Her testimony has sparked a flood of comments, supportive responses, and similar experiences. One user, @lizzie, shared, "As a Nuclear Physics graduate, I earned 3,200 pesos, had five additional jobs... and still couldn't make ends meet." Another user noted, "The incredible thing is that the population hasn't halved." Someone else posed a question summarizing the bewilderment of many: "Why don't they protest?"
Back in June, Sheyla released another video advising, "Don't even think about working for the government," referring to the low wages and pensions given to state employees. Official data support her claims. According to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), the average monthly salary in Cuba was 6,506.5 CUP as of April 2025, equivalent to just 17 dollars on the informal market. Professionals such as teachers, doctors, or engineers remain among the worst paid.
Engineer Yulieta Hernández Díaz published an analysis showing that with the minimum wage (11 CUP per hour), a worker can only buy 15 grams of rice or a third of an egg. For retirees, their pension barely covers four grams of rice or a tenth of an egg. Her calculations have been widely shared on social media.
"Working in Cuba literally doesn't pay for the food needed to keep working," Hernández concluded. Meanwhile, millions of Cubans face a system where the salary is barely enough to survive, and informal alternatives are penalized. As one user summed up: "Hustling isn't a crime, it's survival."
Understanding the Economic Struggles in Cuba
Why is it difficult to live on a state salary in Cuba?
In Cuba, state salaries are insufficient to cover basic living expenses, such as food and housing. The cost of living exceeds the wages provided by the government, forcing many to seek informal work or rely on help from relatives abroad.
How do Cubans manage to survive economically?
Cubans often resort to informal work, side hustles, or receive financial assistance from family members living outside the country to make ends meet. Many also engage in barter systems or other creative solutions to survive financially.
What impact does the insufficient salary have on professionals in Cuba?
Professionals in Cuba, such as doctors, engineers, and teachers, often find their salaries inadequate to meet their needs, leading to frustration and a significant number leaving the country in search of better opportunities.