Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caracas and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Caracas: $1,338 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,338

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caracas and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $1,338 per month in Caracas vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Caracas $1,338
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $2,235 per month in Caracas vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Caracas $2,235
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $3,133 per month in Caracas vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Caracas $3,133
Mexico City $3,323

Caracas is about 14% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Caracas sits 1% below the global median, while Mexico City is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 VES 9,642

$11.02 MX$204

-0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 VES 58.9K

$48.68 MX$900

37.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 VES 9,796

$10.90 MX$201

2.39%

Cappuccino

$3.55 VES 3,114

$3.68 MX$68.1

-3.53%

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

$1.52 VES 1,332

$1.63 MX$30.18

-6.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 VES 1,144

$1.25 MX$23.07

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 VES 1,805

$3.25 MX$60.1

-36.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 VES 2,680

$5.53 MX$102

-44.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.64 VES 2,313

$1.70 MX$31.50

55.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 VES 2,032

$3.02 MX$55.8

-23.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 VES 1,624

$1.92 MX$35.53

-3.65%

Eggs

$4.64 VES 4,076

$2.73 MX$50.5

69.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 VES 9,083

$11.77 MX$218

-12.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 VES 8,074

$9.53 MX$176

-3.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.64 VES 10.2K

$14.41 MX$266

-19.22%

Apples (1kg)

$7.43 VES 6,525

$3.02 MX$55.8

146.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 VES 1,794

$1.89 MX$35.01

7.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 VES 1,931

$1.99 MX$36.70

10.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 VES 2,087

$2.19 MX$40.38

8.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,965

$1.92 MX$35.43

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 VES 1,958

$1.87 MX$34.49

19.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 VES 1,424

$1.44 MX$26.62

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 VES 2,119

$1.27 MX$23.39

89.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.71 VES 4,132

$5.22 MX$96.4

-9.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 VES 10.4K

$16.17 MX$299

-26.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 VES 1,246

$1.90 MX$35.03

-25.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 VES 1,839

$4.22 MX$78.0

-50.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 VES 448

$0.34 MX$6.30

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.43 VES 26.7K

$19.65 MX$363

54.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 VES 4,459

$2.00 MX$36.90

154.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 VES 2,483

$0.52 MX$9.67

444.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.80 VES 13.0K

$5.34 MX$98.7

177.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 VES 772

$1.52 MX$28.13

-42.11%

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

$24.7K VES 21.7M

$22.1K MX$408.0K

12.01%

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

$39.7K VES 34.8M

$24.5K MX$452.9K

61.81%

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

$21.94 VES 19.3K

$61.1 MX$1,129

-64.07%

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

$11.99 VES 10.5K

$28.58 MX$528

-58.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.39 VES 32.8K

$34.47 MX$637

8.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 VES 57.8K

$56.4 MX$1,042

16.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.83 VES 15.7K

$24.88 MX$460

-28.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 VES 5,735

$6.66 MX$123

-1.95%

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

$158 VES 138.4K

$427 MX$7,891

-63.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,066 VES 5.3M

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-47.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.6 VES 71.6K

$67.8 MX$1,253

20.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 VES 45.0K

$52.0 MX$960

-1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 VES 119.2K

$106 MX$1,959

28.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 VES 115.2K

$113 MX$2,080

16.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 VES 529.9K

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-41.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 VES 373.1K

$654 MX$12.1K

-35.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 VES 968.0K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-52.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$861 VES 755.7K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-30.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,464 VES 1.3M

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-59.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 VES 599.8K

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-64.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 VES 266.1K

$964 MX$17.8K

-68.56%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caracas

$425 31.8%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 53.9% $229

Groceries & Markets

Caracas

$339 25.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 6.2% $21

Eating Out

Caracas

$192 14.3%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 6.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Caracas

$180 13.5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 15.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Caracas

$79 5.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 11.7% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caracas

$71 5.3%

Mexico City

$124 8% 74% $53

Getting Around

Caracas

$52 3.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 50.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $604 in Caracas versus $1,025 in Mexico City. 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 218% higher in Mexico City, 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 $67.0 in Caracas versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Caracas

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

02:11 2:11 AM

2 h behind Caracas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,274,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Caracas Mexico City 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Caracas
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,006 per month in Caracas and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 55% less in Caracas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $158 per month in Caracas and $427 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Caracas, where all-in costs run around $1,338, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Caracas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caracas – 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 Caracas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.