Argggh!

Actually, it sounds to me like a fairly reasonable bargain compared to what it might cost a lot of other places. Sure, you do do it on lots less, but to similarly live it up elsewhere, it might be double the costs-- and you might not enjoy it as much.

I think I'll plan for averaging somewhere between 150-200 per day. If I don't spend it, that's fine. And besides-- I can't ever remember coming back from a vacation thinking "I have too much money left over"....!!!

Jim, you like to go first class without worries, the only way to go :))

Jim98122x, Rockon, agreed!

By the way, anyone is willing to suggest a casa particular in really excellent conditions, with full privacy in Vedado or, better, as close as possible to Plaza Vieja? Please PM me.

Thanks.

Jim

jim76... whatever floats your boat. As long as you enjoy and get full benefit out of every $, one cannot pass any judgement, only suggestions.

Uh, CubanNitro I do not date Cubans. Never have, never will. I'm married to a European.

Secondly, my question was more subtle, I have been going to Cuba once a year or so for 10 years now and my observation was that prices were much higher this year than they were one year / 18 months ago for the same items.

Brigitte

you are probably paying part of Fido's Hospital bills...

I am with #3 on this. Maybe you can break down your daily budget, OP and see what went wrong. Imo, you spent 4 times the minimum or twice the average. Unless you've been swimming with dolphins, got tricked into 5CUC bottles of water or went to 6 different bars every night I have no idea how you managed to spend so much. Also, the US dollar is down, which may have made a difference.

Yes girlgoneworld, your observation is correct, everything has become more expensive, You really shouldn't have needed to ask.

Explanations?

A couple of years ago, all salaries and pensions were raised in Cuba at the same time, which effectively means that the money was devaluated. As the exchange course for the convertible peso has been fixed to the same amount as before, it effectively causes a devaluation of the convertible peso too. So when we exchange our foreign money, we actually buy a weaker convertible peso, that will not buy as much as it did a few years ago. Of course prices have been marked up accordingly.

#4

My average daily spending:

- Casa particular (illegal) 10 CUC's
- Transport 10 CUC's(not every day)
- Leisure 20 CUC's(yes, including a full time chica, not every day)
- Meals/drinking/some transport 250 peso cubano =12 CUC (breakfast, lunch, dinner, eating, drinking a lot, including chica)

~average max 40 CUC

Einstein taught us the law of relativity in physics, but in reality everything is relative,
who is rich and who is poor is relative,
what is expensive and what is cheap is relative,
who is dumb and who is wise is relative,
and the list goes on, everything in life is relative.
I still regret my recent Valentine's dinner @US$ 400, peanuts for someone else.
To answer OP's question, yes Cuba is more expensive every year and so is the rest of the world, what's the big deal?