No electricity, bread once a week, doctors cleaning pigsties: life in Cuba is like this now

The rationing system, in force for decades, provides families with fewer and fewer goods. Salary below 130 euros.

Cuba is going through a new phase of strong energy shortage and of essential goods, com cortes prolonged electricity, restricted transport and increasing difficulties in accessing food, fuel and healthcare.

In a report published this Tuesday, the Russian newspaper describes the impact of the oil blockade on daily life on the island, based on the testimony of Violetta, who lives in Ciego de Ávila, in the country’s agricultural center.

The situation worsened after Washington tightened pressure on oil supplies to Cuba at the beginning of 2026, first affecting mobility and, from then on, the entire supply chain.

The lack of fuel caused blackouts and forced the Cuban authorities, as early as February, to restrict air operations to planes with enough kerosene for the return journey. At the same time, the inflation accelerated.

The dollar on the parallel market is now around 510 Cuban pesos (18 euros), whereas in 2020 it was worth 25 pesos (less than 1 euro). Already the average salary, says, remains close to 3600 pesos per month – almost 130 euros.

Search for basic products such as rice, black beans and oil will have registered sudden increases within a few weekswhile the rationing system, in force for decades, provides families with fewer and fewer goods.

Survival economy

We live in a survival economy.

O bread subsidized amount arrives, sometimes, only once or twice a week — or even at intervals of several weeks — due to a shortage of flour. Many Cubans turn to private sellers who distribute bread by bicycle, at much higher prices.

A family receives 2 kg of rice per month; the rest of ration cards “disappear”according to Violetta.

Os salaries cannot keep up with new prices; Cubans try to compensate with small side activities, subsistence farming, fruit sales, informal trade or occasional work.

Even highly qualified professionals, including doctors, supplement their income with animal husbandry or other domestic and manual work: a surgeon leaves his shift at the hospital and goes home to clean a pigsty and take buckets of food (which is also missing for pigs).

“Of course some people go hungry, but most people manage”.

The crisis also affects the health: there is a lack of medicines, basic supplies, equipment and fuel for hospital generators. This is while the Cuban Minister of Health admits that more than 96,000 patients are awaiting surgery, including more than 11,000 children.

There is only one bus a week to Havana’s hospitals to transport cancer patients.

In the streets you see tricycles or transport made by horses. Fuel is saved.

But there is no widespread climate of open revolt among Cubans. The inhabitants mix resignation, improvisation and optimism: is there no light? They play dominoes under the lights of their cell phones, they start playing music and dancing, they play ball in the street.