If you’ve typed “supermarket in cuba” into Google, you’re probably one of two people. Either you’re heading to the island soon and want to know where to buy water and snacks, or you’re living abroad and trying to figure out how to get real groceries to a parent, sibling, or grandparent back home. Both questions have the same starting point: Cuban supermarkets don’t work the way stores do almost anywhere else, and the currency you’re holding decides what you’re allowed to buy.
This guide walks through how supermarkets in Cuba are actually organized, what separates a peso market from an MLC store from a dollar store, and where the online supermarkets that ship groceries to Cuban families fit into the picture.
The short version
Cuba runs on a split retail system. There are peso markets for the national currency, MLC stores that only take a currency most Cubans can’t easily get, and newer cash-dollar supermarkets aimed almost entirely at people with money coming from outside the country. On top of all three, a growing set of online stores lets someone in Miami, Madrid, or Toronto pay for a shopping basket that gets delivered to a house in Havana or Santiago. That last option is the one most people searching this term end up actually using.
The three kinds of physical supermarkets in Cuba
1. State peso markets
These are the everyday neighborhood stores and bodegas that accept Cuban pesos (CUP). They’re where the ration book (libreta) gets used and where most Cubans do their basic shopping. Shelves here are unpredictable. Some weeks there’s rice, oil, and eggs. Other weeks there isn’t much beyond what the ration allows, and lines form early for anything that just arrived.
2. MLC stores
MLC stands for Moneda Libremente Convertible, a currency that exists on a card rather than as physical cash. These stores opened at the end of 2019 and were meant to give Cubans a way to buy imported goods without needing actual foreign banknotes. The problem is getting MLC onto a card usually means someone abroad has to send it, since domestic salaries are paid in pesos. Several MLC stores that were well stocked when they opened now run low on basics, and shoppers describe waiting for restocks that don’t always come.
3. Cash-dollar supermarkets
This is the newest and most controversial layer. Stores like the one at 3ra y 70 in Havana’s Miramar district only accept cash in foreign currency or specific bank cards tied to dollar accounts. MLC cards, the same ones Cubans were told to rely on, aren’t accepted here at all. Cubans nicknamed the pairing of an MLC store next to one of these dollar supermarkets “the Prince and the Pauper,” because one is stocked with imported cheese, meat, and name brands, and the other sits half empty a few steps away.
Comparing the supermarket options in Cuba
| Store Type | Currency Accepted | What’s Usually on the Shelves | Who It’s Really For |
| State peso market | Cuban pesos (CUP) | Rationed staples, inconsistent stock | Cuban residents on local salaries |
| MLC store | MLC (card only) | Imported goods, often understocked | Families with money loaded on an MLC card |
| Cash-dollar supermarket | USD cash, foreign bank cards | Imported brands, meat, dairy, full shelves | Tourists, diplomats, people with outside income |
| Online supermarket (shipped) | Card payment from abroad | Groceries, hygiene items, appliances, packaged food | Relatives abroad sending goods to family in Cuba |
Where online supermarkets fit in
For most people abroad, walking into a physical store in Cuba isn’t an option. This is why online platforms built specifically for this audience have grown so fast. You pay from wherever you live, using a regular international card, and the order gets delivered to an address in Cuba, sometimes within a day or two.
Supermarket23 is one of the better-known names in this space, often described as Cuba’s answer to Amazon, and it’s worth knowing what categories it covers before you compare it to alternatives. Katapulk runs regular daily deals that can make a basket noticeably cheaper if you time the order right. Villa Leche has built a name specifically around dairy and everyday grocery staples, which matters if the person you’re shopping for is short on milk, cheese, or basic pantry items rather than gifts or electronics.
If you’re new to this whole category, it helps to first understand how sending food to family in Cuba actually works logistically, since the process is a little different from ordering a regular grocery delivery in the US or Europe, visit more.
It’s not just food
Once families start using online supermarkets for groceries, appliances tend to come next. Cuban households often need to replace things that are either unavailable locally or priced far beyond reach in pesos. A refrigerator sent to Cuba is one of the most requested items, since reliable cold storage is a real constraint when the local grid has outages and imported units are scarce in peso stores. If you’re weighing which appliance to prioritize first, this guide to choosing appliances for Cuba breaks down what tends to hold up best given the island’s power situation.
Tips before you place an order
A few things are worth knowing before you pick a platform and start filling a cart:
- Compare more than price: Delivery time and reliability matter as much as the sticker price, especially for anything perishable.
- Check what currency you’re actually paying in: Some platforms bill in USD, others convert at checkout, and the difference can add up on a large order.
- Confirm the delivery address format: Cuban addresses don’t always match Western formatting, and a wrong municipality can delay a delivery by days.
- Watch for recurring deals: Sites that run daily or weekly promotions can cut a grocery bill significantly if you’re not in a rush.
- Ask relatives what they actually need first: It’s easy to default to sending sweets or gifts when what a household really needs is rice, oil, or detergent.
If you eventually want to go further and run your own storefront rather than just shopping on someone else’s, it’s possible, and operating an online store in Cuba is more common now than a few years ago, though it comes with its own set of hurdles around banking and logistics.
FAQs about supermarkets in Cuba
What currency do supermarkets in Cuba use?
It depends on the store. Peso markets take Cuban pesos, MLC stores only accept the MLC card currency, and the newer cash-dollar supermarkets take USD cash or specific foreign-currency bank cards. Nothing here is universal across all three.
Can tourists shop at regular Cuban supermarkets?
Tourists can generally shop at the dollar-cash supermarkets and most MLC stores if they’re carrying an accepted card or cash, but the peso markets are mainly stocked for residents using ration books and are rarely a practical option for visitors.
What’s the actual difference between an MLC store and a dollar store?
MLC stores only accept the MLC card, which usually needs to be funded by someone sending money from abroad. Dollar supermarkets go a step further and only take cash foreign currency or specific bank cards, which shuts out MLC cardholders entirely, even though both types of store sell similar imported goods.
What’s the best online supermarket to send groceries to family in Cuba?
There isn’t a single universal answer since it depends on what’s needed. Supermarket23 covers the widest range of categories, Villa Leche is stronger for everyday dairy and pantry staples, and Katapulk is worth checking when you want to catch a discount on a larger order.
Can I pay for Cuban groceries with a regular US or European bank card?
Yes, that’s the whole point of the online supermarket model. You pay with a standard international card from wherever you live, and the platform handles converting that into a delivery inside Cuba.
How long does an online grocery order usually take to arrive in Cuba?
It varies by platform and by how remote the delivery address is, but most orders to Havana and other major cities arrive within a few days. Rural addresses can take noticeably longer.
Conclusion
“Supermarket in Cuba” isn’t really one thing. It’s peso markets running on rations, MLC stores that were supposed to fix a problem and now have their own shortages, cash-dollar supermarkets built for people with outside income, and a fast-growing layer of online stores that let someone abroad do the shopping instead.
For anyone trying to actually get food or appliances to family on the island, that last option is usually the realistic path, and picking the right platform matters more than most people expect going in.
