What can you buy with the salary of a lawyer in Cuba? Viral video shows the reality of prices in Cuba

A video that the user published from the user Kary_y_jonyoutuber has triggered a wave of reactions by highlighting the precarious economic situation in Cuba. In the recording, the author Kary Sánchez reveals that her husband, a lawyer, receives a monthly salary of 4,700 Cuban pesos (Cup), which corresponds to about $ 14 on the informal exchange market, and shows how all his content is spent on basic food purchases, not even enough to keep all month.

In the video, Sánchez (@Kary_y_jony) explains: “My husband has a degree in law and earns 4,700 Cuban pesos per month, about $ 14. With this money we buy 2 kg rice rice, the 1.400 pesos 1 kg sugar for 600 pesos for 1.400 pesos for 990 pesos. Was a lawyer decided in Cuba?”

The video quickly became viral and reached over 22,000 “likes”, 1,200 comments and 1,000 shares within a few days. The reactions in the comments reflect a mixture of outrage, skepticism and compare with the situation in other countries. A user commented: “I spend $ 14 for breakfast.” Another pointed out: “Here in Peru, lunch costs $ 14 for one person.” A user said from Venezuela: “You earn more than here in Venezuela; I am a doctor and I earn $ 3 every two weeks.” Another pressed in disbelief: “And how do you survive? You have no anemia, you are in good shape; how do you handle yourself?” A comment from the Dominican Republic stated: “$ 14 in the Dominican Republic has disappeared on one day.”

Some questioned the conversion of the Cuban salary into dollars. One user pointed out: “This is a lie, 4,700 cups are $ 195, not $ 14.” Another asked: “If you have no money, how do you pay for clothes, glasses and cell phones?” There were also criticisms of the government system: “Vote for communism,” commented one user. Another wrote: “We have to put an end to communism in which an entire people live with outrage.” In contrast, some defended the official guideline and accused the United States: “Is the fault of the Cuban authorities or the blockade under which they are?” asked a user.

The video not only reflects the perception of the population, but is also supported by recent economic analyzes. A study by the economist Omar Everloy Pérez Villanueva showed that the monthly costs for basic feed for two people in Havana achieved $ 24,351 cup ($ 202), which corresponds to the 12 -time of the Cuban minimum wage of 2,100 cup. In contrast, in 2020, when the Cuban government set this minimum wage, the value of the Cuban peso was calculated at 24 cup per US dollar. However, inflation and devaluation of the cup on the informal market have drastically reduced its actual value.

In addition, the Cuban regime itself recognized the undeniable of the current salary level. In February 2025, Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa publicly recognized that “” cannot live with a content of 6,000 cup “, although he did not provide any concrete solutions for the crisis. This exacerbates the crisis in key sectors such as health and education, in which the government tried to curb the mass merging of experts with salary increases in 2024, which admits more than 25 billion cup. However, experts warn that these increases are not sufficient to compensate for inflation or improve the quality of life of employees.

The reports on the precarity of state salaries in Cuba were constant. Health professions, educators and others have expressed on social media that they have to spend months of salary in order to buy a single basic product such as milk powder or fresh food. In the case of doctors, for example, a specialist with over 30 years of experience hardly exceeds 6,000 cups, which is not sufficient for this cost of living. The salary increase announced in 2020 set the minimum wage of 2,100 Cuban pesos and built a scale system for various sectors. However, the measure was unable to contain the devaluation of the cup or inflation, which led to an even more serious shopping crisis.

Despite the latest attempts to increase the income in key sectors such as education and health, the Cuban regime has provided funds for increases in salary, without real improvements in the purchasing power of employees.

The viral video reflects the growing dissatisfaction within Cuban society in the light of the economic crisis. The inability to survive state salaries has become an undeniable reality, as the economic studies show and is even recognized by the government. Since the prices continue to rise and the salaries are frozen, Cubans are in a system that does not provide directly solutions, a daily struggle for survival.