Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caracas and Ensenada

For one person, living is cheaper in Ensenada: $1,077 a month against $1,312 in Caracas, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Ensenada
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Ensenada Living Index

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Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,312

/mo nomad

Ensenada

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caracas and in Ensenada

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

A single person spends $1,312 per month in Caracas vs $1,077 in Ensenada, rent included.

Caracas $1,312
Ensenada $1,077

A couple spends around $2,236 per month in Caracas vs $1,707 in Ensenada, rent included.

Caracas $2,236
Ensenada $1,707

A family of three spends $3,160 per month in Caracas vs $2,336 in Ensenada, rent included.

Caracas $3,160
Ensenada $2,336

Caracas costs about 22% more than Ensenada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Caracas and Ensenada are more affordable than the global median – Caracas 2% lower, Ensenada 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 VES 9,293

$11.98 MX$220

-11.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 VES 59.6K

$34.40 MX$632

98.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 VES 9,611

$7.38 MX$136

48.92%

Cappuccino

$3.73 VES 3,266

$3.06 MX$56.2

21.90%

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

$1.54 VES 1,349

$1.18 MX$21.71

30.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 VES 1,122

$0.69 MX$12.67

85.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 VES 1,796

$2.84 MX$52.1

-27.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 VES 2,546

$3.97 MX$73.0

-26.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.76 VES 2,413

$1.76 MX$32.29

56.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 VES 2,030

$2.63 MX$48.30

-11.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 VES 1,655

$1.71 MX$31.40

10.53%

Eggs

$4.82 VES 4,219

$2.73 MX$50.0

76.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 VES 8,900

$8.54 MX$157

19.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 VES 8,260

$6.75 MX$124

39.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.51 VES 10.1K

$10.39 MX$191

10.78%

Apples (1kg)

$7.23 VES 6,322

$2.17 MX$39.77

233.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 VES 1,713

$1.64 MX$30.08

19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 VES 1,864

$1.82 MX$33.37

17.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 VES 2,070

$1.58 MX$29.05

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,956

$1.35 MX$24.73

65.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,957

$1.84 MX$33.72

21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 VES 1,411

$1.48 MX$27.09

8.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 VES 2,104

$1.04 MX$19.07

131.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 VES 3,994

$4.06 MX$74.5

12.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 VES 10.5K

$13.45 MX$247

-10.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 VES 1,196

$1.81 MX$33.18

-24.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 VES 1,896

$2.67 MX$49.04

-18.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 VES 449

$0.87 MX$15.96

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.63 VES 25.9K

$35.92 MX$659

-17.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 VES 4,271

$2.97 MX$54.5

64.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 VES 2,346

$1.98 MX$36.37

35.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.17 VES 13.3K

$19.57 MX$359

-22.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 VES 754

$1.37 MX$25.11

-37.23%

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

$25.1K VES 22.0M

$20.0K MX$367.4K

25.64%

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

$38.6K VES 33.8M

$24.6K MX$451.5K

57.12%

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

$22.07 VES 19.3K

$48.01 MX$882

-54.03%

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

$11.81 VES 10.3K

$32.03 MX$588

-63.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.64 VES 33.8K

$26.68 MX$490

44.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 VES 58.5K

$30.95 MX$568

115.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 VES 15.1K

$11.17 MX$205

54.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 VES 5,666

$4.65 MX$85.3

39.35%

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

$159 VES 139.5K

$197 MX$3,615

-19.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,138 VES 5.4M

$4,889 MX$89.8K

25.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 VES 68.0K

$54.2 MX$994

43.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 VES 44.2K

$44.13 MX$810

14.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 VES 119.2K

$103 MX$1,892

32.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 VES 119.2K

$57.9 MX$1,064

135.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 VES 541.0K

$528 MX$9,700

17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 VES 365.3K

$333 MX$6,109

25.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 VES 966.9K

$1,007 MX$18.5K

9.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 VES 775.5K

$649 MX$11.9K

36.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,458 VES 1.3M

$1,345 MX$24.7K

8.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$690 VES 603.7K

$687 MX$12.6K

0.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$304 VES 265.6K

$673 MX$12.4K

-54.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

94.69%

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

Last update for Caracas: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ensenada: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caracas

$418 31.4%

Ensenada

$333 30.6% 20.3% $85

Groceries & Markets

Caracas

$340 25.6%

Ensenada

$255 23.5% 24.9% $85

Eating Out

Caracas

$190 14.3%

Ensenada

$184 16.9% 3% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Caracas

$180 13.6%

Ensenada

$117 10.7% 35.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Caracas

$80 6%

Ensenada

$40 3.7% 49.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caracas

$73 5.5%

Ensenada

$107 9.8% 47.2% $34

Getting Around

Caracas

$50 3.8%

Ensenada

$52 4.8% 4.6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Caracas versus $528 in Ensenada. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 122% higher in Ensenada, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Caracas versus $34.00 in Ensenada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $255 – making Ensenada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Caracas

🇲🇽 Ensenada

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

23:10 11:10 PM

3 h behind Caracas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,274,000 Capital

330,652

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 981 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Caracas Ensenada 5,610 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Caracas
Ensenada

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

Caracas vs Ensenada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caracas is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,968 per month in Caracas and $1,616 in Ensenada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ensenada, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Ensenada. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $159 per month in Caracas and $197 in Ensenada. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ensenada, where all-in costs run around $1,077, than in Caracas at $1,312. In Ensenada it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caracas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ensenada – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ensenada. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Caracas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.