Covering the cost of a child's breakfast and snack for a month in Cuba could exceed 10,000 pesos, according to a personal calculation that highlights the financial strain on families as the new school year approaches.
On Monday, José E. González Marín shared his analysis on Facebook, based on current food prices needed to provide 30 breakfasts and 30 snacks.
"I wanted to crunch the numbers today. The result is even more painful when seen without any sugarcoating," González revealed, as he broke down the list of items in his estimation.
The calculation included a soft bread for 120 pesos, seven eggs costing 1,120, five liters of milk at 1,000, a pound of sugar priced at 470, four pounds of plantains for 320, ten sausages for 1,200, ten croquettes at 200, flour for 460, two instant drinks at 90, and a liter of oil reaching 3,500 pesos.
González Marín tallied his estimate to 10,160 pesos, emphasizing that this did not account for a lavish diet.
"There's no cheese, butter, yogurt, cereal, ham, meat, or a different fruit each day. We're talking about 60 eating moments: 30 breakfasts and 30 snacks," he pointed out.
However, the sum of the listed prices amounts to 8,480 pesos, whereas González's total is 10,160. The 1,680-peso discrepancy might reflect price variations depending on the purchase location, though this was not clarified in the post.
Based on the total of 10,160 pesos, González compared this with the average state salary of 6,930 pesos monthly in 2025.
His calculation showed that solely providing these breakfasts and snacks would account for 146.6% of that salary, leaving a shortfall of 3,230 pesos.
"A worker earning exactly the average salary would need to spend their entire paycheck and still fall short by 3,230 pesos to cover just their child's breakfast and snack for a month," González wrote.
He also noted that this calculation excludes other expenses like lunch, dinner, transportation, electricity, medicine, shoes, clothing, notebooks, or a backpack, which also weigh heavily on families with school-aged children.
The upcoming school year brings food costs to the forefront of many families' concerns once again. As González Marín summarized, "Buying a backpack, shoes, or notebooks is only part of the problem. You also need to fill that backpack with something as basic as a snack."
The post sparked reactions from those who found the estimate insufficient.
"You underestimated it. What good are seven eggs, for seven lunches? Add at least 30 eggs, one a day, which is what poor people eat worldwide," someone commented.
"True, but no one sees this sacrifice; only the mothers who have to survive daily know it," another person remarked.
Others linked the food issue with the broader costs of returning to school.
A woman highlighted the disparities between children who can get new backpacks and shoes and those whose families have to reuse last year's items, while another comment summed it up: "Cuba hurts."
Concerns over school snacks have been raised in other testimonies, as the start of the school year looms.
For example, on Saturday, a Cuban mother questioned what children could bring for school snacks, with oil prices reaching 4,000 pesos and sausages 1,200 pesos.
Other Cubans have conducted similar exercises to illustrate the gap between wages and prices.
In April, activist Yamilka Lafita estimated a basic breakfast cost at 7,250 pesos, a figure that could be substantially higher today, considering the significant price hikes of several of those items in a few short months.
A broader analysis by economist Javier Pérez Capdevila, published in June, suggested that an individual needs around 96,060 pesos monthly to meet basic needs in Cuba.
Of that, approximately 70,070 pesos would go towards food, according to his analysis.
These analyses become all the more alarming when compared to the incomes of Cuban workers.
In June, it was reported that the average monthly salary in Cuba had reached 7,074 pesos in April, according to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI). This amount still falls short of the 10,160 pesos needed solely for a child's 30 breakfasts and 30 snacks.
Meanwhile, the government raised the minimum wage from 2,100 to 3,210 pesos, effective from July with payments reflecting this increase from August onwards.
Understanding the Economic Strain on Cuban Families
What is the estimated cost for a child's breakfast and snack in Cuba?
The estimated cost for a month's worth of breakfast and snacks for a child in Cuba is over 10,000 pesos.
How does this cost compare to the average state salary?
The cost of providing breakfast and snacks for a child is approximately 146.6% of the average state salary, which is 6,930 pesos monthly.
What items were included in the cost calculation?
The calculation included items like bread, eggs, milk, sugar, plantains, sausages, croquettes, flour, instant drinks, and oil.