Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caracas and Merida, Venezuela

Name: Merida
Address: Merida, VE

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $1,379 in Caracas, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,379

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caracas and in Merida

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

A single person spends $1,379 per month in Caracas vs $814 in Merida, rent included.

Caracas $1,379
Merida $814

A couple spends around $2,304 per month in Caracas vs $1,415 in Merida, rent included.

Caracas $2,304
Merida $1,415

A family of three spends $3,229 per month in Caracas vs $2,015 in Merida, rent included.

Caracas $3,229
Merida $2,015

Caracas costs about 69% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Caracas sits 2% above the global median, while Merida is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 VES 9,741

$12.12 VES 10.8K

-9.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 VES 59.2K

$58.9 VES 52.6K

12.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 VES 9,966

$11.14 VES 9,947

0.18%

Cappuccino

$3.66 VES 3,271

$2.44 VES 2,180

50.00%

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

$1.51 VES 1,346

$2.14 VES 1,906

-29.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 VES 1,144

$1.31 VES 1,167

-2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 VES 1,753

$2.04 VES 1,819

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 VES 2,751

$2.96 VES 2,647

4.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 VES 2,469

$2.05 VES 1,826

35.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 VES 1,970

$3.26 VES 2,906

-32.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 VES 1,688

$1.92 VES 1,716

-1.56%

Eggs

$4.84 VES 4,322

$2.50 VES 2,236

93.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 VES 9,026

$6.78 VES 6,049

49.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 VES 8,072

$7.84 VES 7,001

15.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.30 VES 10.1K

$7.60 VES 6,786

48.68%

Apples (1kg)

$7.33 VES 6,544

$5.02 VES 4,484

46.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 VES 1,845

$1.40 VES 1,249

47.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 VES 1,891

$2.80 VES 2,502

-24.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 VES 2,095

$2.27 VES 2,027

3.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,999

$2.06 VES 1,840

8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 VES 1,896

$1.31 VES 1,171

61.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 VES 1,396

$1.50 VES 1,337

4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 VES 2,053

$2.53 VES 2,254

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 VES 4,154

$3.71 VES 3,313

25.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 VES 10.7K

$10.91 VES 9,743

9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 VES 1,269

$1.40 VES 1,250

1.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 VES 1,841

$2.20 VES 1,967

-6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 VES 383

$0.31 VES 281

38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 VES 26.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 VES 4,445

$4.11 VES 3,670

21.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 VES 2,522

$1.52 VES 1,361

86.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.29 VES 13.6K

$5.93 VES 5,290

157.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 VES 735

$0.73 VES 652

12.33%

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

$24.7K VES 22.1M

$44.6K VES 39.8M

-44.59%

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

$38.7K VES 34.5M

$49.2K VES 43.9M

-21.40%

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

$21.98 VES 19.6K

$12.43 VES 11.1K

76.83%

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

$11.88 VES 10.6K

$10.35 VES 9,235

14.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.70 VES 34.5K

$30.13 VES 26.9K

28.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 VES 59.6K

$29.77 VES 26.6K

124.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.64 VES 15.7K

$15.15 VES 13.5K

16.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 VES 5,744

$4.96 VES 4,429

29.84%

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

$160 VES 142.5K

$87.0 VES 77.7K

83.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,063 VES 5.4M

$2,440 VES 2.2M

148.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 VES 73.5K

$74.6 VES 66.6K

10.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 VES 46.3K

$42.01 VES 37.5K

23.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 VES 120.6K

$98.5 VES 88.0K

37.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 VES 120.0K

$96.3 VES 86.0K

39.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 VES 583.7K

$136 VES 121.1K

381.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 VES 416.8K

$91.5 VES 81.7K

410.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 VES 1.1M

$222 VES 198.1K

432.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$964 VES 860.9K

$192 VES 171.5K

401.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,488 VES 1.3M

$1,192 VES 1.1M

24.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$689 VES 615.2K

$1,216 VES 1.1M

-43.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$309 VES 276.2K

$286 VES 255.3K

8.19%

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 Merida: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caracas

$467 33.9%

Merida

$91 11.2% 80.4% $375

Groceries & Markets

Caracas

$335 24.3%

Merida

$287 35.3% 14.3% $48

Eating Out

Caracas

$192 13.9%

Merida

$190 23.3% 1.2% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Caracas

$182 13.2%

Merida

$140 17.2% 22.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Caracas

$80 5.8%

Merida

$40 4.9% 50.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caracas

$73 5.3%

Merida

$53 6.5% 27.1% $20

Getting Around

Caracas

$51 3.7%

Merida

$13 * 1.6% 74.3% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $654 in Caracas versus $136 in Merida. 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 8% higher in Caracas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Caracas versus $59 in Merida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $287 – making Merida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Caracas

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Caracas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,274,000 Capital

250,303

💱 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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Between locations

Caracas Merida 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Caracas
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caracas is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,068 per month in Caracas and $1,221 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $654 in Caracas.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,379 in Caracas and $814 in Merida. That makes Merida about 41% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $160 per month in Caracas and $87 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,379 in Caracas and $814 in Merida. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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