Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida, Venezuela and Caracas

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.

39

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index

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Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merida and in Caracas

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

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

Merida $814
Caracas $1,379

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

Merida $1,415
Caracas $2,304

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

Merida $2,015
Caracas $3,229

Merida is about 41% cheaper than Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.12 VES 10.8K

$10.91 VES 9,741

11.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 VES 52.6K

$66.3 VES 59.2K

-11.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 VES 9,947

$11.16 VES 9,966

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$2.44 VES 2,180

$3.66 VES 3,271

-33.33%

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

$2.14 VES 1,906

$1.51 VES 1,346

41.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 VES 1,167

$1.28 VES 1,144

2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 VES 1,819

$1.96 VES 1,753

4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 VES 2,647

$3.08 VES 2,751

-3.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 VES 1,826

$2.77 VES 2,469

-25.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 VES 2,906

$2.21 VES 1,970

47.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 VES 1,716

$1.89 VES 1,688

1.59%

Eggs

$2.50 VES 2,236

$4.84 VES 4,322

-48.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 VES 6,049

$10.11 VES 9,026

-32.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 VES 7,001

$9.04 VES 8,072

-13.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 VES 6,786

$11.30 VES 10.1K

-32.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 VES 4,484

$7.33 VES 6,544

-31.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 VES 1,249

$2.07 VES 1,845

-32.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 VES 2,502

$2.12 VES 1,891

32.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 VES 2,027

$2.35 VES 2,095

-3.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 VES 1,840

$2.24 VES 1,999

-8.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 VES 1,171

$2.12 VES 1,896

-38.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 VES 1,337

$1.56 VES 1,396

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 VES 2,254

$2.30 VES 2,053

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 VES 3,313

$4.65 VES 4,154

-20.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 VES 9,743

$11.96 VES 10.7K

-8.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 VES 1,250

$1.42 VES 1,269

-1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 VES 1,967

$2.06 VES 1,841

6.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 VES 281

$0.43 VES 383

-27.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 VES 26.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 VES 3,670

$4.98 VES 4,445

-17.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 VES 1,361

$2.83 VES 2,522

-46.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.93 VES 5,290

$15.29 VES 13.6K

-61.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 VES 652

$0.82 VES 735

-10.98%

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

$44.6K VES 39.8M

$24.7K VES 22.1M

80.46%

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

$49.2K VES 43.9M

$38.7K VES 34.5M

27.23%

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

$12.43 VES 11.1K

$21.98 VES 19.6K

-43.45%

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

$10.35 VES 9,235

$11.88 VES 10.6K

-12.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 VES 26.9K

$38.70 VES 34.5K

-22.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.77 VES 26.6K

$66.8 VES 59.6K

-55.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 VES 13.5K

$17.64 VES 15.7K

-14.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 VES 4,429

$6.44 VES 5,744

-22.98%

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

$87.0 VES 77.7K

$160 VES 142.5K

-45.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,440 VES 2.2M

$6,063 VES 5.4M

-59.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.6 VES 66.6K

$82.4 VES 73.5K

-9.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.01 VES 37.5K

$51.9 VES 46.3K

-19.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 VES 88.0K

$135 VES 120.6K

-27.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 VES 86.0K

$134 VES 120.0K

-28.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 VES 121.1K

$654 VES 583.7K

-79.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.5 VES 81.7K

$467 VES 416.8K

-80.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 VES 198.1K

$1,182 VES 1.1M

-81.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 VES 171.5K

$964 VES 860.9K

-80.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,192 VES 1.1M

$1,488 VES 1.3M

-19.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 VES 1.1M

$689 VES 615.2K

76.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$286 VES 255.3K

$309 VES 276.2K

-7.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.64%

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

Last update for Merida: November 1, 2026

Last update for Caracas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$287 35.3%

Caracas

$335 24.3% 16.7% $48

Eating Out

Merida

$190 23.3%

Caracas

$192 13.9% 1.2% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$140 17.2%

Caracas

$182 13.2% 29.7% $42

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$91 11.2%

Caracas

$467 33.9% 410% $375

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$53 6.5%

Caracas

$73 5.3% 37.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$40 4.9%

Caracas

$80 5.8% 101% $40

Getting Around

Merida

$13 * 1.6%

Caracas

$51 3.7% 289% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $136 in Merida versus $654 in Caracas. 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 $59 in Merida versus $66 in Caracas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $335 – making Merida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Merida

🇻🇪 Caracas

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

Same time as Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,303

3,274,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.98 EUR

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Merida Caracas 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Merida
Caracas

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

Merida vs Caracas: 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 $1,221 per month in Merida and $2,068 in Caracas. 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 $814 in Merida and $1,379 in Caracas. That makes Merida about 41% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $87 per month in Merida and $160 in Caracas. 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 $814 in Merida and $1,379 in Caracas. 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.