Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maracaibo and Porlamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Porlamar: $627 a month against $786 in Maracaibo, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Maracaibo despite lower rent and utilities.

38

Cost of Living Index in Maracaibo
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Maracaibo Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Porlamar
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Porlamar Living Index

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Maracaibo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$786

/mo nomad

Porlamar

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maracaibo and in Porlamar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Maracaibo and in Porlamar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $786 in Maracaibo versus $627 in Porlamar.

Maracaibo $786
Porlamar $627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,308 in Maracaibo versus $1,007 in Porlamar.

Maracaibo $1,308
Porlamar $1,007

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,831 in Maracaibo versus $1,386 in Porlamar.

Maracaibo $1,831
Porlamar $1,386

Living in Maracaibo is roughly 25% more expensive than in Porlamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Maracaibo 42% lower, Porlamar 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 VES 9,336

$4.34 VES 3,814

144.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.70 VES 35.7K

$35.04 VES 30.8K

16.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 VES 7,813

$8.80 VES 7,723

1.14%

Cappuccino

$2.64 VES 2,315

$1.76 VES 1,550

50.00%

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

$1.16 VES 1,016

$1.71 VES 1,503

-32.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 VES 1,193

$1.24 VES 1,089

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 VES 1,955

$1.53 VES 1,347

45.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 VES 2,683

$3.06 VES 2,682

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 VES 1,738

$0.98 VES 864

102.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 VES 1,947

$0.98 VES 857

126.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 VES 911

$1.03 VES 900

0.97%

Eggs

$3.71 VES 3,253

$2.04 VES 1,793

81.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.66 VES 5,846

$4.02 VES 3,533

65.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 VES 5,400

$4.87 VES 4,273

26.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 VES 6,720

$5.96 VES 5,228

28.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 VES 4,134

$3.91 VES 3,429

20.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 VES 1,196

$1.49 VES 1,307

-8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 VES 1,408

$1.52 VES 1,330

5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 VES 1,381

$1.46 VES 1,279

7.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 VES 1,071

$1.46 VES 1,282

-16.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 VES 1,546

$1.01 VES 887

74.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 VES 853

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 VES 1,791

$0.98 VES 863

108.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 VES 2,708

$2.02 VES 1,778

52.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.03 VES 7,929

$5.84 VES 5,124

54.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 VES 921

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 VES 2,394

$2.04 VES 1,794

33.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 VES 406

$0.47 VES 409

-2.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.56 VES 37.4K

$15.06 VES 13.2K

182.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 VES 3,461

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 VES 1,793

$1.29 VES 1,130

58.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.27 VES 15.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 VES 598

$0.51 VES 451

33.33%

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

$15.0K VES 13.2M

$19.6K VES 17.2M

-23.41%

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

$27.6K VES 24.2M

$34.7K VES 30.5M

-20.68%

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

$63.0 VES 55.3K

$12.12 VES 10.6K

419.80%

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

$7.46 VES 6,547

$7.66 VES 6,722

-2.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.57 VES 21.6K

$22.61 VES 19.9K

8.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 VES 30.1K

$40.75 VES 35.8K

-15.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.54 VES 25.1K

$12.72 VES 11.2K

124.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 VES 4,275

$3.41 VES 2,991

42.82%

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

$152 VES 133.4K

$29.52 VES 25.9K

414.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,177 VES 6.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.48 VES 24.1K

$30.14 VES 26.5K

-8.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.97 VES 28.1K

$45.07 VES 39.6K

-29.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.9 VES 54.4K

$60.7 VES 53.3K

1.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 VES 51.1K

$74.8 VES 65.7K

-22.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$162 VES 142.5K

$204 VES 179.0K

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.7 VES 80.5K

$149 VES 131.1K

-38.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 VES 263.3K

$338 VES 296.9K

-11.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 VES 175.6K

$204 VES 178.9K

-1.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$760 VES 667.0K

$402 VES 353.2K

88.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$498 VES 437.0K

$149 VES 131.0K

233.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 VES 193.1K

$215 VES 188.4K

2.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Maracaibo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Porlamar: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maracaibo

$245 31.2%

Porlamar

$162 * 25.8% 33.9% $83

Eating Out

Maracaibo

$171 21.7%

Porlamar

$108 17.2% 36.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maracaibo

$95 12.1%

Porlamar

$42 6.8% 55.4% $53

Accommodation & Living

Maracaibo

$92 11.7%

Porlamar

$149 23.8% 62.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Maracaibo

$81 10.3%

Porlamar

$95 15.1% 17.3% $14

Getting Around

Maracaibo

$59 7.5%

Porlamar

$23 * 3.7% 60.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Maracaibo

$44 5.6%

Porlamar

$48 7.6% 8% $3.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $162 in Maracaibo and $204 in Porlamar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maracaibo pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $41.00 in Maracaibo vs $35.00 in Porlamar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $162 per month, with Porlamar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Maracaibo

🇻🇪 Porlamar

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

Same time as Maracaibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

103,496

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Maracaibo Porlamar 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Maracaibo
Porlamar

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

Maracaibo vs Porlamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porlamar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Maracaibo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $162 in Maracaibo versus $204 in Porlamar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $152 in Maracaibo versus $29.52 in Porlamar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Maracaibo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Porlamar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Porlamar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Maracaibo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.