Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caracas and Mexicali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $949 a month against $1,312 in Caracas, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
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Mexicali Living Index

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Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,312

/mo nomad

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caracas and in Mexicali

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

A single person spends $1,312 per month in Caracas vs $949 in Mexicali, rent included.

Caracas $1,312
Mexicali $949

A couple spends around $2,236 per month in Caracas vs $1,525 in Mexicali, rent included.

Caracas $2,236
Mexicali $1,525

A family of three spends $3,160 per month in Caracas vs $2,101 in Mexicali, rent included.

Caracas $3,160
Mexicali $2,101

Caracas costs about 38% more than Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Caracas and Mexicali are more affordable than the global median – Caracas 2% lower, Mexicali 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 VES 9,293

$12.10 MX$222

-12.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 VES 59.6K

$34.24 MX$629

99.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 VES 9,611

$6.69 MX$123

64.28%

Cappuccino

$3.73 VES 3,266

$3.43 MX$62.9

8.75%

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

$1.54 VES 1,349

$1.34 MX$24.60

14.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 VES 1,122

$1.12 MX$20.65

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 VES 1,796

$3.23 MX$59.2

-36.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 VES 2,546

$4.26 MX$78.2

-31.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.76 VES 2,413

$1.20 MX$22.10

130.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 VES 2,030

$2.39 MX$43.96

-2.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 VES 1,655

$1.54 MX$28.33

22.73%

Eggs

$4.82 VES 4,219

$2.76 MX$50.7

74.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 VES 8,900

$2.42 MX$44.48

320.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 VES 8,260

$6.00 MX$110

57.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.51 VES 10.1K

$6.66 MX$122

72.82%

Apples (1kg)

$7.23 VES 6,322

$1.63 MX$29.85

343.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 VES 1,713

$1.40 MX$25.74

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 VES 1,864

$1.40 MX$25.78

52.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 VES 2,070

$1.63 MX$29.98

45.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,956

$1.41 MX$25.91

58.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,957

$1.42 MX$26.03

57.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 VES 1,411

$1.35 MX$24.70

19.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 VES 2,104

$0.85 MX$15.66

183.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 VES 3,994

$4.01 MX$73.7

13.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 VES 10.5K

$8.06 MX$148

49.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 VES 1,196

$1.94 MX$35.61

-29.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 VES 1,896

$3.90 MX$71.6

-44.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 VES 449

$1.05 MX$19.20

-51.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.63 VES 25.9K

$35.15 MX$645

-15.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 VES 4,271

$2.84 MX$52.1

71.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 VES 2,346

$2.26 MX$41.57

18.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.17 VES 13.3K

$19.06 MX$350

-20.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 VES 754

$1.34 MX$24.60

-35.82%

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

$25.1K VES 22.0M

$21.7K MX$399.3K

15.61%

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

$38.6K VES 33.8M

$24.4K MX$447.3K

58.60%

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

$22.07 VES 19.3K

$47.14 MX$866

-53.18%

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

$11.81 VES 10.3K

$22.65 MX$416

-47.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.64 VES 33.8K

$30.19 MX$554

27.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 VES 58.5K

$39.21 MX$720

70.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 VES 15.1K

$16.63 MX$305

3.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 VES 5,666

$4.08 MX$75.0

58.82%

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

$159 VES 139.5K

$210 MX$3,860

-24.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,138 VES 5.4M

$4,724 MX$86.7K

29.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 VES 68.0K

$34.95 MX$642

122.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 VES 44.2K

$32.98 MX$605

53.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 VES 119.2K

$77.4 MX$1,420

76.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 VES 119.2K

$38.03 MX$698

258.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 VES 541.0K

$998 MX$18.3K

-38.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 VES 365.3K

$276 MX$5,059

51.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 VES 966.9K

$1,357 MX$24.9K

-18.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 VES 775.5K

$556 MX$10.2K

59.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,458 VES 1.3M

$2,638 MX$48.4K

-44.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$690 VES 603.7K

$1,474 MX$27.1K

-53.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$304 VES 265.6K

$860 MX$15.8K

-64.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

82.27%

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

Last update for Caracas: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caracas

$418 31.4%

Mexicali

$276 29.1% 34% $142

Groceries & Markets

Caracas

$340 25.6%

Mexicali

$197 20.8% 42% $143

Eating Out

Caracas

$190 14.3%

Mexicali

$192 20.3% 1.2% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Caracas

$180 13.6%

Mexicali

$83 8.7% 54.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Caracas

$80 6%

Mexicali

$47 5% 40.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caracas

$73 5.5%

Mexicali

$100 10.5% 37.9% $27

Getting Around

Caracas

$50 3.8%

Mexicali

$53 5.6% 7% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Caracas versus $998 in Mexicali. 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 183% higher in Mexicali, 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 Mexicali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $197 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Caracas

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

3 h behind Caracas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,274,000 Capital

854,186

💱 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 = 980 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 = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Caracas Mexicali 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Caracas
Mexicali

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 Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caracas is pricier by about 38%, 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 $1,423 in Mexicali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 19% less in Mexicali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $159 per month in Caracas and $210 in Mexicali. 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 Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $949, than in Caracas at $1,312. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caracas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexicali – 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 Mexicali. 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.