A Facebook post by Cuban Yordanka Battle Moré struck a chord with many, highlighting how foods that were once staples for the less fortunate—like bread with guava, fried eggs, soy yogurt, and Toki soda—have now become unaffordable luxuries for the majority of Cubans.
"What used to be the food of the poor is now a luxury," Battle Moré remarked, recalling that less than seven years ago, she would have breakfast with bread, omelet, and soy yogurt, readily available for purchase.
Back in 2000, when she was a tenth-grade scholarship student, her mother would save the week's bread to make toast, supplementing her snack with a guava bar and two Toki sodas.
Today, such a menu is nearly impossible to afford. A coffee cake or a snail-shaped bread—what she describes as the "poor man's lifelong dessert"—now costs 450 pesos in the cheapest pastry shops. "Even eating bread with guava feels like a near-religious experience," she wrote.
Comments on her post painted a shocking price map: Conchita guava paste is priced at 1,200 pesos; spaghetti goes for 650 pesos outside Playa and Vedado; and Zuko soda—a Toki substitute that "barely exists"—is 350 pesos.
In September, a pound of chicken in Havana reached 800 pesos, a carton of 30 eggs hit 5,000 pesos in some areas, and a small onion was recently sold for 610 pesos in Havana.
One commenter reflected on the historical regression, recalling that in the 1970s, stores offered powdered milk, cookies, 12 cans of evaporated and condensed milk, eggs, meat every nine days, bacon, blood sausage, fish, ice cream, and all sorts of bread, and dining out on a monthly salary was feasible.
"We were rich and didn't know it; as the decades pass, we have less, and as long as we blame the neighbors, we'll keep getting worse," another noted.
The most resonant question in the thread was: "How is someone without family support from abroad, living solely on a salary or pension, surviving?"
The Impact of Inflation on Cuban Meals
Official data supports what Cubans are describing on social media. According to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), the annual inflation rate in the formal market reached 20.70% in July 2026.
The primary driver of this increase was food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose by 3.51% in July and accounted for 63.18% of the total CPI increase.
Amid this spiral, the minimum wage, effective since July, stands at a mere 3,210 pesos monthly, while the estimated cost of living for a family in Havana exceeds 205,000 pesos a month.
The basic food cost for two adults in the capital is estimated at around 41,735 pesos monthly. Economists predict that the annual inflation rate for 2026 could close at approximately 25%.
Understanding Cuba's Economic Challenges
What has caused the rise in food prices in Cuba?
The rise in food prices in Cuba is primarily driven by inflation, particularly affecting food and non-alcoholic beverages, which have seen significant price increases.
How are Cubans coping with the high cost of living?
Many Cubans are struggling to cope with the high cost of living, with some relying on support from family abroad, while others face severe difficulties managing on local wages or pensions.
What was the food situation like in Cuba during the 1970s?
In the 1970s, Cuban stores provided a variety of foods, including powdered milk, cookies, eggs, and meats, making it possible for families to dine out using their monthly salaries.