Yup, I'm back. Will post an update soon.

415 pesos per USD today.

It seems to me that it is important to inform prospective travelers to Cuba that Cuba’s legislation does consider a crime trading foreign hard currencies in the black market (re: informal or “street” rates). It is illegal for both: sellers and buyers regardless of the nationality of the involved parties. Although black market trading happens daily with apparent hassle-free results; and someone may guess that such legal aspects are not enforced at all, please be aware that scams are frequent and injuries may happen in the process. If anyone falls into those negative scenarios, it will be impossible to claim any authority’s involvement.

Some wise words from poster LestGoCuba.

Folks like the OP Simon and myself have spent a lot of time in Cuba over many years and activities such as mentioned, might seem normal everyday kind of things to us, but it could be detrimental to an inexperienced traveller. It's not like you could run to the cops if something bad happens!

We have only done this with someone we know (lifeguard, doorman, bartender)

440 per USD, 295 per CDN and 500 pesos for a Euro are the current street exchange rates.

The street exchange rate is now 441 CUP to $1 US dollar as of this morning, Oct. 04th. It just keeps going up, up, up... almost daily!
Terry

It's now up to 445 CUP for $1 US dollar... or 44,500 CUP for $100 USD - the amount my Cuban wife receives when exchanging the $100 dollar US bills that I send to her through Sendvalu on a monthly basis. It seems to be jumping up by 500 CUP weekly... no end in sight.

Now up to 45,000 CUP for $100.00 US dollars. The rate changes seem to now be jumping upwards almost daily by increments of 500 CUP. I just sent $900.00 US dollar bills to my wife there in Camaguey today via Sendvalu (the maximum allowed) - our Japanese made motorina needs a new lithium battery after 5 years of use. The price in CASH from the motocicleta repair shop for the new battery?? $850.00 USD. OUCH!! But the price for a new motorina with new battery in it is now $2,500.00 USD. Suddenly, the $850 US looks like a bargain. Terry

Foreign currencies are still in high demand. 457 CUP per USD today. Almost 300 for CDN.

Now as of this morning, a $100.00 US bill will fetch 46,000 CUP on the informal exchange market in Cuba. The continued march upwards sees no end. Terry

As of October 16th, the street exchange is now up yet again to 46,500 CUP to $100 USD. It's also projected that by the end of this year, the informal exchange will be up to an astronomical 50,000 CUP to $100 USD.

I'll be in Cuba again on December 18th. Given that, it goes without saying that when doing my street exchanges, it'll be nothing more than $100 USD at a time for me. Normally I would convert as much as $300 USD at a time in the past. But now, the exchange will most surely be worth more again by the very next day! Terry

The trend has been a steady decline for the CUP against foreign currencies over the last few years. However, like everything else, that can change.

Yes it can, Simon! But always upwards as of late. It's gone up again today by another 500 CUP for $100 USD - it now sits at 47,000. Incredible! The rate of street exchange seems to be going up by 500 CUP increments every 2 to 3 days like a run-away train. Terry

And just like clockwork, it's UP again as of this morning - now sitting at 48,200 CUP to $100 USD. The upward momentum is accelerating even more so now.

I'm going to need a wheelbarrow to haul it all back to the casa after doing my next exchanges when there soon, especially if most of it is in smaller denomination bills. Hoping for lots of 1,000 and 500 CUP bills. I think most of you on here already know that a 500 CUP propina (tip) is now worth roughly $1 USD. Terry

As of this morning, Friday, October 24th, the cambio is now up to a whopping 49,000 CUP to $100 USD. I'm now thinking that when I get there later in December, the exchange will be FAR MORE than 50,000 CUP to $100 USD as projected by El TOQUE. By then, I think it'll be more like 60,000 CUP given the rapid, almost daily, rate of increases happening now. Terry

The rapid decline of the CUP over the last month or so is crazy.

Perhaps the upward march has now stalled... it got up to 49,200 CUP to $100 USD yesterday, but has now settled BACK DOWN to 49,000 again as of this morning. We'll see. Still an outrageous amount of CUP for merely $100 USD. As a segway, I bought an entire casa for my Cuban mother-in-law before the pandemic that only cost me 190,000 CUP at that time - basically, only $388 USD by today's rate of exchange. The person who sold that casa to us DID INDEED need a wheelbarrow to haul away all of the bags of CUP I provided after completing that transaction. Terry

Rate haa been coming down a little bit lately. 485 pesos per USD today.

That's not what I've been seeing, Simon. I think you might be referring to the sell rate. But the rate of exchange (the buy rate) for USD to CUP as of today's date remains at 490 CUP to $1 USD as reported by elTOQUE in the link below. Terry

https://eltoque.com/tasas-de-cambio-...da-en-cuba-hoy