Inflation in Cuba Maintains Dangerous Growth
Inflation in Cuba maintains a dangerous escalation, as confirmed by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report published by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) corresponding to August 2026. In that period, the cost of living registered a year-on-year increase of 25 percent.
The CPI is the economic indicator that measures the price variation of a basic basket of goods and services representative of household consumption, and constitutes the main tool for calculating inflation.
According to the report, the «Food and non-alcoholic beverages» sector was the main driver of this escalation, with an incidence of 73 percent in the monthly variation. Following in impact are the «Restaurants and Hotels» services and the consumption of «Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco.»
In practical terms, the price increase in specific products reflects a dramatic multiplication of cost.
Cooking oil, with a monthly rise of 94 percent, practically doubled its value in barely 30 days: what cost 100 pesos at the beginning of August cost 194 pesos at the end of the month. Chicken eggs became 35 percent more expensive at the close of last August, while sausage and hot dogs rose 26 percent.
The accumulated impact is equally devastating for the pockets of Cubans. The year-on-year variation of 25 percent means that a product that cost 100 pesos in August of last year today costs 125 pesos.
Likewise, accumulated inflation makes any item purchased at the beginning of the year more than 20 percent more expensive.
