Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barquisimeto and Caracas

For one person, living is cheaper in Barquisimeto: $793 a month against $1,379 in Caracas, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Barquisimeto
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Barquisimeto Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index

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Barquisimeto

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$793

/mo nomad

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barquisimeto 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 Barquisimeto and in Caracas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in Barquisimeto versus $1,379 in Caracas.

Barquisimeto $793
Caracas $1,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,355 in Barquisimeto versus $2,304 in Caracas.

Barquisimeto $1,355
Caracas $2,304

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,917 in Barquisimeto versus $3,229 in Caracas.

Barquisimeto $1,917
Caracas $3,229

Living in Barquisimeto costs roughly 42% less than in Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barquisimeto is 41% below, Caracas is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.81 VES 8,757

$10.91 VES 9,741

-10.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.18 VES 43.9K

$66.3 VES 59.2K

-25.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 VES 10.4K

$11.16 VES 9,966

4.75%

Cappuccino

$1.72 VES 1,540

$3.66 VES 3,271

-53.01%

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

$1.54 VES 1,371

$1.51 VES 1,346

1.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 VES 1,011

$1.28 VES 1,144

-11.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 VES 1,092

$1.96 VES 1,753

-37.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 VES 2,923

$3.08 VES 2,751

6.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 VES 1,838

$2.77 VES 2,469

-25.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 VES 1,181

$2.21 VES 1,970

-40.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 VES 1,173

$1.89 VES 1,688

-30.69%

Eggs

$2.19 VES 1,950

$4.84 VES 4,322

-54.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.19 VES 5,527

$10.11 VES 9,026

-38.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 VES 6,008

$9.04 VES 8,072

-25.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.89 VES 6,155

$11.30 VES 10.1K

-39.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 VES 3,949

$7.33 VES 6,544

-39.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 VES 1,370

$2.07 VES 1,845

-26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 VES 694

$2.12 VES 1,891

-63.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.97 VES 865

$2.35 VES 2,095

-58.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 VES 841

$2.24 VES 1,999

-58.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 VES 1,177

$2.12 VES 1,896

-37.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 VES 575

$1.56 VES 1,396

-58.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 VES 1,361

$2.30 VES 2,053

-33.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 VES 2,621

$4.65 VES 4,154

-36.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 VES 8,949

$11.96 VES 10.7K

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 VES 1,117

$1.42 VES 1,269

-11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 VES 2,451

$2.06 VES 1,841

33.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 VES 384

$0.43 VES 383

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.79 VES 36.4K

$29.70 VES 26.5K

37.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 VES 4,452

$4.98 VES 4,445

0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 VES 1,366

$2.83 VES 2,522

-45.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.95 VES 13.3K

$15.29 VES 13.6K

-2.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 VES 654

$0.82 VES 735

-10.98%

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

$25.3K VES 22.6M

$24.7K VES 22.1M

2.47%

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

$30.2K VES 27.0M

$38.7K VES 34.5M

-21.79%

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

$15.56 VES 13.9K

$21.98 VES 19.6K

-29.21%

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

$7.51 VES 6,702

$11.88 VES 10.6K

-36.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.87 VES 32.9K

$38.70 VES 34.5K

-4.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.58 VES 30.0K

$66.8 VES 59.6K

-49.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.39 VES 7,491

$17.64 VES 15.7K

-52.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 VES 4,509

$6.44 VES 5,744

-21.58%

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

$57.5 VES 51.3K

$160 VES 142.5K

-63.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$502 VES 448.2K

$6,063 VES 5.4M

-91.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.24 VES 42.2K

$82.4 VES 73.5K

-42.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 VES 35.6K

$51.9 VES 46.3K

-23.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 VES 82.9K

$135 VES 120.6K

-31.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 VES 71.5K

$134 VES 120.0K

-40.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 VES 189.3K

$654 VES 583.7K

-67.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 VES 126.3K

$467 VES 416.8K

-69.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 VES 421.9K

$1,182 VES 1.1M

-60.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 VES 287.3K

$964 VES 860.9K

-66.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$464 VES 414.0K

$1,488 VES 1.3M

-68.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$248 VES 221.4K

$689 VES 615.2K

-64.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 VES 165.2K

$309 VES 276.2K

-40.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.64%

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

Last update for Barquisimeto: November 2, 2026

Last update for Caracas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barquisimeto

$218 27.5%

Caracas

$335 24.3% 53.7% $117

Eating Out

Barquisimeto

$158 19.9%

Caracas

$192 13.9% 21.8% $34

Accommodation & Living

Barquisimeto

$142 17.8%

Caracas

$467 33.9% 230% $325

Clothing & Footwear

Barquisimeto

$117 14.8%

Caracas

$182 13.2% 55.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barquisimeto

$60 7.6%

Caracas

$73 5.3% 21.1% $13

Getting Around

Barquisimeto

$55 7%

Caracas

$51 3.7% 8.4% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barquisimeto

$44 5.5%

Caracas

$80 5.8% 82.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Barquisimeto and $654 in Caracas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caracas pays 67% 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: $49 in Barquisimeto vs $66 in Caracas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $335 per month, with Barquisimeto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Barquisimeto

🇻🇪 Caracas

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

Same time as Barquisimeto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,240,714

3,274,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.97 EUR

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Barquisimeto Caracas 270 km

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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

Barquisimeto vs Caracas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $793 in Barquisimeto and $1,379 in Caracas, so Barquisimeto is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Barquisimeto. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $212 in Barquisimeto versus $654 in Caracas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barquisimeto – a meal for two runs $49 versus $66 in Caracas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $793 per month in Barquisimeto versus $1,379 in Caracas – Barquisimeto is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $793 in Barquisimeto versus $1,379 in Caracas, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Barquisimeto but tight or insufficient in Caracas. The gap between the two cities makes Barquisimeto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barquisimeto is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Caracas, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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