Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caracas and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $783 a month against $1,338 in Caracas, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,338

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caracas and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,338 in Caracas versus $783 in Barcelona.

Caracas $1,338
Barcelona $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,235 in Caracas versus $1,289 in Barcelona.

Caracas $2,235
Barcelona $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,133 in Caracas versus $1,795 in Barcelona.

Caracas $3,133
Barcelona $1,795

Living in Caracas is roughly 71% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Caracas 1% lower, Barcelona 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 VES 9,642

$9.58 VES 8,411

14.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 VES 58.9K

$31.09 VES 27.3K

115.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 VES 9,796

$9.88 VES 8,673

12.96%

Cappuccino

$3.55 VES 3,114

$2.30 VES 2,021

54.35%

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

$1.52 VES 1,332

$1.02 VES 899

49.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 VES 1,144

$0.69 VES 609

88.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 VES 1,805

$1.03 VES 904

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 VES 2,680

$1.94 VES 1,707

57.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.64 VES 2,313

$1.99 VES 1,745

32.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 VES 2,032

$2.02 VES 1,771

14.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 VES 1,624

$1.73 VES 1,519

6.94%

Eggs

$4.64 VES 4,076

$3.93 VES 3,453

18.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 VES 9,083

$5.47 VES 4,805

89.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 VES 8,074

$6.81 VES 5,979

35.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.64 VES 10.2K

$7.30 VES 6,407

59.45%

Apples (1kg)

$7.43 VES 6,525

$3.54 VES 3,105

109.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 VES 1,794

$1.78 VES 1,563

14.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 VES 1,931

$1.63 VES 1,431

34.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 VES 2,087

$2.14 VES 1,874

11.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,965

$1.46 VES 1,281

53.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 VES 1,958

$1.46 VES 1,286

52.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 VES 1,424

$1.77 VES 1,551

-8.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 VES 2,119

$1.94 VES 1,706

24.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.71 VES 4,132

$3.31 VES 2,909

42.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 VES 10.4K

$11.12 VES 9,765

6.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 VES 1,246

$0.72 VES 631

97.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 VES 1,839

$1.95 VES 1,716

7.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 VES 448

$0.19 VES 168

168.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.43 VES 26.7K

$12.43 VES 10.9K

144.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 VES 4,459

$7.48 VES 6,568

-32.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 VES 2,483

$1.11 VES 976

154.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.80 VES 13.0K

$14.90 VES 13.1K

-0.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 VES 772

$0.52 VES 456

69.23%

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

$24.7K VES 21.7M

$22.8K VES 20.0M

8.51%

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

$39.7K VES 34.8M

$40.7K VES 35.7M

-2.46%

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

$21.94 VES 19.3K

$49.54 VES 43.5K

-55.71%

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

$11.99 VES 10.5K

$15.28 VES 13.4K

-21.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.39 VES 32.8K

$40.46 VES 35.5K

-7.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 VES 57.8K

$30.32 VES 26.6K

117.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.83 VES 15.7K

$15.17 VES 13.3K

17.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 VES 5,735

$3.94 VES 3,456

65.74%

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

$158 VES 138.4K

$64.1 VES 56.3K

145.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,066 VES 5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.6 VES 71.6K

$59.6 VES 52.3K

36.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 VES 45.0K

$42.53 VES 37.3K

20.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 VES 119.2K

$64.0 VES 56.2K

111.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 VES 115.2K

$59.2 VES 51.9K

121.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 VES 529.9K

$199 VES 174.5K

203.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 VES 373.1K

$114 VES 100.0K

273.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 VES 968.0K

$369 VES 324.2K

198.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$861 VES 755.7K

$277 VES 242.9K

211.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,464 VES 1.3M

$421 VES 369.4K

248.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 VES 599.8K

$237 VES 208.5K

187.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 VES 266.1K

$268 VES 235.1K

13.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.12

-4.84%

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

Last update for Caracas: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caracas

$425 31.8%

Barcelona

$114 14.6% 73.2% $311

Groceries & Markets

Caracas

$339 25.4%

Barcelona

$248 31.7% 26.8% $91

Eating Out

Caracas

$192 14.3%

Barcelona

$150 19.1% 21.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Caracas

$180 13.5%

Barcelona

$101 13% 43.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Caracas

$79 5.9%

Barcelona

$38 4.9% 51.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caracas

$71 5.3%

Barcelona

$105 13.5% 47.6% $34

Getting Around

Caracas

$52 3.9%

Barcelona

$26 3.4% 49.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $604 in Caracas and $199 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caracas pays 13% 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: $67.0 in Caracas vs $31.00 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $248 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Caracas

🇻🇪 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

Same time as Caracas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,274,000 Capital

560,122

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Caracas vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Caracas. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Caracas, 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: $604 in Caracas versus $199 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $67.0 in Caracas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,338 per month in Caracas versus $783 in Barcelona – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $783 in Barcelona versus $1,338 in Caracas, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Caracas. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Caracas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.