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A sack of charcoal costs up to 155% of the minimum wage, Food Monitor Program says
The organisation, which tracks food access in Cuba, puts the price of a sack at between 2,000 and 5,000 pesos and describes charcoal as the way to cook where there is no bottled gas or steady power.
A sack of charcoal costs between 2,000 and 5,000 Cuban pesos on the island, the equivalent of 2.19 to 5.46 dollars at the informal exchange rate, according to a report circulated by Food Monitor Program. The price varies by province, by quality and by where it is sold. A small nylon bag goes for around 600 pesos.
The organisation calculates that a sack costing 5,000 pesos can amount to as much as 155% of the country's minimum wage: someone earning that wage would need more than a month's income to buy one of the most expensive sacks.
The expense does not replace buying food; it is added to it, and it hits hardest the households with no bottled gas and no steady electricity supply. The organisation's own 2025 National Food Security Survey, whose results were released in May 2026, found that 35% of respondents used firewood or charcoal because of the lack of electricity and gas, and that 80.4% had difficulty preparing meals because of the power cuts.
The problem is not only the final price. Food Monitor Program says part of the land where the species used to make charcoal grow, such as marabú and aroma, remains under state control, which narrows the options for small producers, who must pay landowners or middlemen to use plots with suitable trees. "The state keeps that land for those who suit it," said a charcoal maker interviewed by the organisation, in remarks translated by Yamacoa.
Sources: Infobae · Serie Yamacoa: Afectación eléctrica máxima prevista en el horario pico (Unión Eléctrica (UNE))
Data updated: 2026-11-05T16:15:00.000Z