By the Cuba Journal staff
The average state salary in Cuba is somewhere around $20 a month, although many on the island live on far less than that, according to figures from Cuba’s national statistical office.
And while Cuba’s economy is slowly beginning to change, one new player in the market is having a far quicker impact: shared economy giant Airbnb.
The property rental firm has been turning a number of its listing “hosts” into budding entrepreneurs, according to data provided to Cuba Journal by Airbnb.
The average Airbnb host in Cuba is making nearly $250 USD per booking — or more than 12 times the average monthly salary in just a few days.
The average Airbnb host with a booking in Cuba has made more than $900 thus far, just a few months after the company’s launch in the Caribbean country.
“That’s very significant income in Cuba,” an Airbnb spokesperson told Cuba Journal.