Updated list of food prices in Cuba

A tour of several Cuban markets reveals the real prices Cubans face to access basic products. 14yMedio They offer an updated list of prices in Cuba.

The apparent stability in some areas doesn't mean relief: the figures remain disproportionate when compared to the country's average salary, which is around 6.500 pesos, or to the pension for retirees, which barely reaches 1.900 pesos.

At the Los Chinos, La Calzada, Los Pilongos, and Buen Viaje markets, the price lists show a repeat of the same pattern: most products remain unchanged from previous weeks, but remain at levels that are prohibitive for most households.

Meat and derivatives

• Chicken Sausages (package): 400 CUP

• Minced chicken: between 320 and 350 CUP the pound

• Chicken: 420 CUP the pound

• Pork on the bone: 800 CUP the pound

• Eggs: 150 CUP the paperboard

Grains and staples

• Rice: 280 CUP the pound in Los Chinos, 270 CUP at La Calzada and 160 CUP in Los Pilongos

• Black beans: 380 CUP the pound in La Calzada

• Red beans: 400 CUP at La Calzada and 280 CUP in Los Pilongos

• sugar: 270 CUP in Los Chinos and 380 CUP in La Calzada

• Corn flour: 100 CUP the pound

Dairy and oil

• Oil: 960 CUP the liter

• Powdered milk (900 g): 1.650 CUP

Food, fruits and vegetables

• Yucca: between 30 and 100 CUP the pound, according to the market

• Malanga: between 80 and 120 CUP the pound

• Sweet potato: 40–45 CUP the pound

• Banana donkey: from 15 CUP the pound in Buen Viaje and Los Pilongos, up to 70 CUP in La Calzada

• Banana fruit: 120 CUP the pound

• Pumpkin: between 30 and 60 CUP the pound

• Avocado: 80 CUP the unit (down from 150 CUP)

• Guava: 40 CUP the pound

Inflation hits the Cuban table

Although there are slight declines in some products, such as ground chicken and avocado, the core problem remains: prices bear no relation to families' real incomes.

A liter of oil costs the equivalent of almost 15% of an average monthly salary. A pound of rice at markets like Los Chinos or La Calzada can be equivalent to a full day's wage for many retirees.

Feeding oneself in Cuba has become a daily challenge. Those without assistance from relatives abroad or access to foreign currency find it virtually impossible to cover a family's basic needs with income in Cuban pesos.