Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caracas and Barquisimeto

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.

65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barquisimeto
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Barquisimeto Living Index

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Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,379

/mo nomad

Barquisimeto

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caracas and in Barquisimeto

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 Barquisimeto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Caracas $1,379
Barquisimeto $793

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

Caracas $2,304
Barquisimeto $1,355

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

Caracas $3,229
Barquisimeto $1,917

Living in Caracas is roughly 74% more expensive than in Barquisimeto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 VES 9,741

$9.81 VES 8,757

11.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 VES 59.2K

$49.18 VES 43.9K

34.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 VES 9,966

$11.69 VES 10.4K

-4.53%

Cappuccino

$3.66 VES 3,271

$1.72 VES 1,540

112.79%

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

$1.51 VES 1,346

$1.54 VES 1,371

-1.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 VES 1,144

$1.13 VES 1,011

13.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 VES 1,753

$1.22 VES 1,092

60.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 VES 2,751

$3.27 VES 2,923

-5.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 VES 2,469

$2.06 VES 1,838

34.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 VES 1,970

$1.32 VES 1,181

67.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 VES 1,688

$1.31 VES 1,173

44.27%

Eggs

$4.84 VES 4,322

$2.19 VES 1,950

121.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 VES 9,026

$6.19 VES 5,527

63.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 VES 8,072

$6.73 VES 6,008

34.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.30 VES 10.1K

$6.89 VES 6,155

64.01%

Apples (1kg)

$7.33 VES 6,544

$4.42 VES 3,949

65.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 VES 1,845

$1.53 VES 1,370

35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 VES 1,891

$0.78 VES 694

171.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 VES 2,095

$0.97 VES 865

142.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,999

$0.94 VES 841

138.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 VES 1,896

$1.32 VES 1,177

60.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 VES 1,396

$0.64 VES 575

143.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 VES 2,053

$1.52 VES 1,361

51.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 VES 4,154

$2.94 VES 2,621

58.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 VES 10.7K

$10.02 VES 8,949

19.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 VES 1,269

$1.25 VES 1,117

13.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 VES 1,841

$2.75 VES 2,451

-25.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 VES 383

$0.43 VES 384

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 VES 26.5K

$40.79 VES 36.4K

-27.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 VES 4,445

$4.99 VES 4,452

-0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 VES 2,522

$1.53 VES 1,366

84.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.29 VES 13.6K

$14.95 VES 13.3K

2.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 VES 735

$0.73 VES 654

12.33%

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

$24.7K VES 22.1M

$25.3K VES 22.6M

-2.41%

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

$38.7K VES 34.5M

$30.2K VES 27.0M

27.87%

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

$21.98 VES 19.6K

$15.56 VES 13.9K

41.26%

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

$11.88 VES 10.6K

$7.51 VES 6,702

58.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.70 VES 34.5K

$36.87 VES 32.9K

4.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 VES 59.6K

$33.58 VES 30.0K

98.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.64 VES 15.7K

$8.39 VES 7,491

110.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 VES 5,744

$5.05 VES 4,509

27.52%

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

$160 VES 142.5K

$57.5 VES 51.3K

177.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,063 VES 5.4M

$502 VES 448.2K

1107.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 VES 73.5K

$47.24 VES 42.2K

74.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 VES 46.3K

$39.90 VES 35.6K

30.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 VES 120.6K

$92.9 VES 82.9K

45.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 VES 120.0K

$80.1 VES 71.5K

67.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 VES 583.7K

$212 VES 189.3K

208.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 VES 416.8K

$142 VES 126.3K

229.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 VES 1.1M

$473 VES 421.9K

150.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$964 VES 860.9K

$322 VES 287.3K

199.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,488 VES 1.3M

$464 VES 414.0K

220.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$689 VES 615.2K

$248 VES 221.4K

177.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$309 VES 276.2K

$185 VES 165.2K

67.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

-12.00%

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

Last update for Caracas: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barquisimeto: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caracas

$467 33.9%

Barquisimeto

$142 17.8% 69.7% $325

Groceries & Markets

Caracas

$335 24.3%

Barquisimeto

$218 27.5% 34.9% $117

Eating Out

Caracas

$192 13.9%

Barquisimeto

$158 19.9% 17.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Caracas

$182 13.2%

Barquisimeto

$117 14.8% 35.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Caracas

$80 5.8%

Barquisimeto

$44 5.5% 45.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caracas

$73 5.3%

Barquisimeto

$60 7.6% 17.4% $13

Getting Around

Caracas

$51 3.7%

Barquisimeto

$55 7% 9.2% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Caracas and $212 in Barquisimeto. 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: $66 in Caracas vs $49 in Barquisimeto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $218 per month, with Barquisimeto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Caracas

🇻🇪 Barquisimeto

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

Same time as Caracas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,274,000 Capital

1,240,714

💱 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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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

Caracas vs Barquisimeto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 67% 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: $654 in Caracas versus $212 in Barquisimeto. 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 $1,379 per month in Caracas versus $793 in Barquisimeto – 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.