Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona, Venezuela and Maracaibo

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Maracaibo: $786 and $784 a month, rent and utilities included.

38

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Maracaibo
Learn more

Maracaibo Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$786

/mo nomad

Maracaibo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Maracaibo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $786 in Barcelona versus $784 in Maracaibo.

Barcelona $786
Maracaibo $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,292 in Barcelona versus $1,297 in Maracaibo.

Barcelona $1,292
Maracaibo $1,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,798 in Barcelona versus $1,811 in Maracaibo.

Barcelona $1,798
Maracaibo $1,811

Monthly costs are close between Barcelona and Maracaibo; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Barcelona 42% lower, Maracaibo 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 VES 8,301

$10.33 VES 9,159

-9.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.45 VES 27.9K

$39.75 VES 35.2K

-20.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 VES 8,724

$8.77 VES 7,774

12.20%

Cappuccino

$2.27 VES 2,015

$2.75 VES 2,441

-17.45%

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

$0.99 VES 877

$1.15 VES 1,020

-13.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 VES 617

$1.31 VES 1,159

-46.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 VES 870

$2.21 VES 1,963

-55.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 VES 1,760

$3.08 VES 2,728

-35.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 VES 1,809

$1.97 VES 1,744

3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 VES 1,734

$2.11 VES 1,874

-7.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 VES 1,522

$1.07 VES 953

60.75%

Eggs

$4.02 VES 3,569

$3.78 VES 3,350

6.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 VES 4,805

$6.55 VES 5,808

-17.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 VES 6,111

$6.38 VES 5,660

7.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.49 VES 6,639

$7.37 VES 6,532

1.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 VES 3,120

$4.82 VES 4,277

-26.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 VES 1,524

$1.36 VES 1,202

26.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 VES 1,429

$1.56 VES 1,385

3.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 VES 1,966

$1.36 VES 1,205

63.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 VES 1,350

$1.23 VES 1,095

23.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 VES 1,369

$1.74 VES 1,543

-11.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 VES 1,591

$1.02 VES 903

75.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 VES 1,733

$1.98 VES 1,757

-1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.47 VES 3,080

$2.93 VES 2,597

18.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 VES 9,636

$9.08 VES 8,054

19.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 VES 654

$1.09 VES 967

-32.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 VES 1,761

$2.62 VES 2,325

-24.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 VES 164

$0.47 VES 416

-59.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.33 VES 10.9K

$42.53 VES 37.7K

-71.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 VES 6,667

$4.08 VES 3,621

84.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 VES 992

$1.95 VES 1,729

-42.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.08 VES 13.4K

$17.66 VES 15.7K

-14.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 VES 461

$0.74 VES 657

-29.73%

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

$22.7K VES 20.2M

$15.2K VES 13.4M

50.06%

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

$39.9K VES 35.3M

$27.6K VES 24.5M

44.47%

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

$50.2 VES 44.5K

$62.5 VES 55.4K

-19.61%

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

$15.02 VES 13.3K

$7.45 VES 6,604

101.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 VES 35.6K

$25.27 VES 22.4K

59.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.44 VES 27.0K

$33.17 VES 29.4K

-8.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.86 VES 13.2K

$28.71 VES 25.5K

-48.24%

Cinema Ticket

$3.90 VES 3,454

$4.89 VES 4,332

-20.25%

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

$66.0 VES 58.5K

$148 VES 131.0K

-55.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,133 VES 6.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 VES 54.0K

$27.31 VES 24.2K

122.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.76 VES 37.0K

$32.34 VES 28.7K

29.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.1 VES 56.8K

$61.9 VES 54.9K

3.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 VES 53.4K

$56.7 VES 50.2K

6.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 VES 180.5K

$159 VES 141.2K

27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 VES 103.8K

$95.2 VES 84.4K

22.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 VES 326.4K

$301 VES 266.8K

22.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 VES 246.4K

$196 VES 174.0K

41.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$412 VES 365.1K

$765 VES 678.3K

-46.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$234 VES 207.6K

$508 VES 450.0K

-53.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$270 VES 239.0K

$215 VES 190.8K

25.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.12

15.60%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 27, 2026

Last update for Maracaibo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$249 31.7%

Maracaibo

$243 31% 2.5% $6.2

Eating Out

Barcelona

$147 18.8%

Maracaibo

$169 21.6% 14.8% $22

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$117 14.9%

Maracaibo

$95 12.1% 18.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$105 13.4%

Maracaibo

$95 12.1% 9.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$102 13%

Maracaibo

$80 10.2% 21.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$38 4.9%

Maracaibo

$43 5.5% 12.3% $4.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$26 3.3%

Maracaibo

$58 7.4% 123% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $204 in Barcelona and $159 in Maracaibo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 25% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Barcelona vs $40 in Maracaibo. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $243, with Maracaibo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Barcelona

🇻🇪 Maracaibo

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

560,122

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Maracaibo 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Maracaibo

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

Barcelona vs Maracaibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 25% higher in Barcelona, 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: $204 in Barcelona versus $159 in Maracaibo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 71% less than in Maracaibo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $31 versus $40 in Maracaibo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Maracaibo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Maracaibo wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.