Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caracas and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $1,312 in Caracas, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Caracas despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
Learn more

Caracas Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,312

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caracas and in Santiago

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

A single person spends $1,312 per month in Caracas vs $1,206 in Santiago, rent included.

Caracas $1,312
Santiago $1,206

A couple spends around $2,236 per month in Caracas vs $1,885 in Santiago, rent included.

Caracas $2,236
Santiago $1,885

A family of three spends $3,160 per month in Caracas vs $2,564 in Santiago, rent included.

Caracas $3,160
Santiago $2,564

Caracas costs about 9% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Caracas and Santiago are more affordable than the global median – Caracas 2% lower, Santiago 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 VES 9,271

$10.19 CLP 9,954

4.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 VES 59.5K

$52.2 CLP 51.0K

30.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 VES 9,589

$8.54 CLP 8,342

28.69%

Cappuccino

$3.73 VES 3,258

$3.19 CLP 3,122

16.93%

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

$1.54 VES 1,346

$1.68 CLP 1,641

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 VES 1,119

$1.22 CLP 1,194

4.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 VES 1,792

$4.21 CLP 4,110

-51.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 VES 2,540

$4.66 CLP 4,550

-37.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.76 VES 2,407

$1.32 CLP 1,286

109.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 VES 2,025

$1.80 CLP 1,760

28.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 VES 1,651

$1.58 CLP 1,547

19.62%

Eggs

$4.82 VES 4,210

$4.25 CLP 4,151

13.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 VES 8,879

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 VES 8,241

$6.75 CLP 6,596

39.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.51 VES 10.0K

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$7.23 VES 6,307

$2.04 CLP 1,995

254.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 VES 1,709

$1.53 CLP 1,500

28.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 VES 1,860

$1.59 CLP 1,553

33.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 VES 2,065

$1.75 CLP 1,712

35.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,951

$1.08 CLP 1,054

107.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 VES 1,952

$1.51 CLP 1,480

48.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 VES 1,408

$1.17 CLP 1,148

37.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 VES 2,099

$1.07 CLP 1,043

125.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 VES 3,985

$5.14 CLP 5,027

-11.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 VES 10.5K

$5.88 CLP 5,745

104.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 VES 1,193

$1.55 CLP 1,516

-11.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 VES 1,891

$2.27 CLP 2,223

-4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 VES 448

$0.85 CLP 831

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.63 VES 25.8K

$41.50 CLP 40.6K

-28.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 VES 4,261

$0.39 CLP 383

1151.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 VES 2,340

$0.84 CLP 822

219.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.17 VES 13.2K

$11.94 CLP 11.7K

27.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 VES 752

$1.50 CLP 1,470

-42.67%

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

$25.1K VES 21.9M

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

38.89%

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

$38.6K VES 33.7M

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

78.80%

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

$22.07 VES 19.3K

$151 CLP 147.7K

-85.39%

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

$11.81 VES 10.3K

$12.04 CLP 11.8K

-1.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.64 VES 33.7K

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

104.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 VES 58.3K

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

97.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 VES 15.0K

$11.72 CLP 11.5K

47.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 VES 5,652

$7.37 CLP 7,202

-12.08%

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

$159 VES 139.1K

$434 CLP 424.3K

-63.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,138 VES 5.4M

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

-44.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 VES 67.9K

$50.9 CLP 49.7K

52.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 VES 44.1K

$29.16 CLP 28.5K

73.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 VES 118.9K

$67.4 CLP 65.8K

102.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 VES 118.9K

$80.3 CLP 78.4K

69.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 VES 539.7K

$555 CLP 542.0K

11.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 VES 364.4K

$372 CLP 364.0K

12.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 VES 964.6K

$1,009 CLP 986.6K

9.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 VES 773.6K

$779 CLP 760.9K

13.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,458 VES 1.3M

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

-45.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$690 VES 602.3K

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-73.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$304 VES 265.0K

$791 CLP 773.5K

-61.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

308.16%

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

Last update for Caracas: October 3, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caracas

$418 31.4%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 10.8% $45

Groceries & Markets

Caracas

$340 25.6%

Santiago

$236 20% 30.5% $104

Eating Out

Caracas

$190 14.3%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 1.5% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Caracas

$180 13.6%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 43.2% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Caracas

$80 6%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 39.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caracas

$73 5.5%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 151% $110

Getting Around

Caracas

$50 3.8%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 0.9% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Caracas versus $555 in Santiago. 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 161% higher in Santiago, 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 $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Caracas

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

1 h ahead of Caracas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,274,000 Capital

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.15 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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 = 873 VES (1,000 VES = 1.15 USD). 1 EUR = 979 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,096 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caracas Santiago 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Caracas
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caracas is pricier by about 9%, 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 $1,809 in Santiago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 40% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $159 per month in Caracas and $434 in Santiago. 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 Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,206, than in Caracas at $1,312. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caracas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago – 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 Santiago. 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.