Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Caracas

For one person, living is cheaper in Caracas: $1,312 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Caracas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Caracas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,312 in Caracas.

Austin, TX $2,704
Caracas $1,312

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,236 in Caracas.

Austin, TX $4,133
Caracas $2,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,160 in Caracas.

Austin, TX $5,562
Caracas $3,160

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 106% more expensive than in Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Caracas is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$10.63 VES 9,271

90.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$68.2 VES 59.5K

24.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.99 VES 9,589

12.37%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.73 VES 3,258

46.65%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.54 VES 1,346

148.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.28 VES 1,119

95.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.05 VES 1,792

293.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.91 VES 2,540

208.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.76 VES 2,407

-59.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.32 VES 2,025

62.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.89 VES 1,651

71.96%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.82 VES 4,210

-14.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.18 VES 8,879

28.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.44 VES 8,241

51.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$11.51 VES 10.0K

38.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$7.23 VES 6,307

-39.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.96 VES 1,709

-26.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.13 VES 1,860

113.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.37 VES 2,065

76.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.24 VES 1,951

17.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.24 VES 1,952

5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.61 VES 1,408

9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.41 VES 2,099

-10.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.57 VES 3,985

114.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$12.02 VES 10.5K

22.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.37 VES 1,193

102.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.17 VES 1,891

60.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.51 VES 448

192.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$29.63 VES 25.8K

36.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.88 VES 4,261

-45.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.68 VES 2,340

-41.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$15.17 VES 13.2K

132.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.86 VES 752

15.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$25.1K VES 21.9M

42.39%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$38.6K VES 33.7M

-29.66%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$22.07 VES 19.3K

893.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$11.81 VES 10.3K

391.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$38.64 VES 33.7K

76.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$66.8 VES 58.3K

-13.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$17.23 VES 15.0K

-13.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.48 VES 5,652

118.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$159 VES 139.1K

846.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,138 VES 5.4M

249.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$77.8 VES 67.9K

-33.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$50.6 VES 44.1K

-12.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$136 VES 118.9K

-37.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$136 VES 118.9K

-22.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$619 VES 539.7K

212.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$418 VES 364.4K

204.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,106 VES 964.6K

231.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$887 VES 773.6K

184.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,458 VES 1.3M

422.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$690 VES 602.3K

363.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$304 VES 265.0K

1580.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-69.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Caracas: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Caracas

$418 31.4% 67.2% $855

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Caracas

$340 25.6% 15.6% $63

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Caracas

$190 14.3% 45.4% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Caracas

$73 5.5% 79% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Caracas

$180 13.6% 40.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Caracas

$80 6% 7.4% $6.4

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Caracas

$50 3.8% 12.3% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $619 in Caracas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1581% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $68.0 in Caracas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $340 per month, with Caracas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇻🇪 Caracas

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,274,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.15 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 873 VES (1,000 VES = 1.15 USD). 1 EUR = 979 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

VES to USD in detail →

On the map

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Austin, TX Caracas 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Caracas

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Caracas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caracas wins on cost – living expenses run 106% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Caracas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1581% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $619 in Caracas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,312 in Caracas – a 106% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Caracas runs roughly 37% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,312 in Caracas versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Caracas but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Caracas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Caracas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.