The comparison to the United States seems meaningless. Of more interest is how Cuba compares to pre-revolutionary Cuba or to capitalist countries with more similar characteristics as far as population and resources. How well do people live in Cuba compared to, say, the Dominican Republic? I'm not sure of the answer but none of the Caribbean islands (even Puerto Rico) really have US mainland-like economic output or standards of living. Trinidad and Tobago is supposed to be a success story but I'm not sure how it compares.