Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia, CA and Caracas

For one person, living is cheaper in Caracas: $1,338 a month against $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monrovia, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,704
/mo nomad
Caracas
🇻🇪 Venezuela
$1,338
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monrovia, CA 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 Monrovia, CA and in Caracas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,704 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $1,338 in Caracas, rent included.

  • Monrovia, CA $2,704
  • Caracas $1,338

A couple spends around $4,049 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $2,235 in Caracas, rent included.

  • Monrovia, CA $4,049
  • Caracas $2,235

A family of three spends $5,394 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $3,133 in Caracas, rent included.

  • Monrovia, CA $5,394
  • Caracas $3,133

Monrovia, CA costs about 102% more than Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monrovia, CA sits 100% above the global median, while Caracas is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.92 $24.92
$10.98 VES 9,642
126.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 $101
$67.1 VES 58.9K
50.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.66 $11.66
$11.16 VES 9,796
4.48%
Cappuccino
$5.61 $5.61
$3.55 VES 3,114
58.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 $2.68
$1.52 VES 1,332
76.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$1.30 VES 1,144
51.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.23 $8.23
$2.06 VES 1,805
299.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.63 $9.63
$3.05 VES 2,680
215.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 $1.18
$2.64 VES 2,313
-55.30%
White Bread (500g)
$5.85 $5.85
$2.31 VES 2,032
153.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.23 $4.23
$1.85 VES 1,624
128.65%
Eggs
$4.94 $4.94
$4.64 VES 4,076
6.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.40 $12.40
$10.35 VES 9,083
19.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$20.92 $20.92
$9.20 VES 8,074
127.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.06 $14.06
$11.64 VES 10.2K
20.79%
Apples (1kg)
$5.62 $5.62
$7.43 VES 6,525
-24.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 $1.70
$2.04 VES 1,794
-16.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.29 $4.29
$2.20 VES 1,931
95.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.35 $6.35
$2.38 VES 2,087
166.81%
Potato (1kg)
$3.63 $3.63
$2.24 VES 1,965
62.05%
Onion (1kg)
$3.50 $3.50
$2.23 VES 1,958
56.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.40 $2.40
$1.62 VES 1,424
48.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 $2.27
$2.41 VES 2,119
-5.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.63 $11.63
$4.71 VES 4,132
146.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.76 $14.76
$11.84 VES 10.4K
24.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.42 VES 1,246
23.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 $3.10
$2.09 VES 1,839
48.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.95 $1.95
$0.51 VES 448
282.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$30.43 VES 26.7K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.61 $4.61
$5.08 VES 4,459
-9.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 $1.81
$2.83 VES 2,483
-36.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.58 $35.58
$14.80 VES 13.0K
140.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 $1.60
$0.88 VES 772
81.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K $27.7K
$24.7K VES 21.7M
12.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K $26.6K
$39.7K VES 34.8M
-33.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 $218
$21.94 VES 19.3K
894.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$72.4 $72.4
$11.99 VES 10.5K
504.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.3 $71.3
$37.39 VES 32.8K
90.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.11 $39.11
$65.9 VES 57.8K
-40.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.83 VES 15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.79 $11.79
$6.53 VES 5,735
80.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,948 $1,948
$158 VES 138.4K
1135.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$42.6K $42.6K
$6,066 VES 5.3M
602.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.1 $73.1
$81.6 VES 71.6K
-10.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.92 $40.92
$51.2 VES 45.0K
-20.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.5 $80.5
$136 VES 119.2K
-40.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$171 $171
$131 VES 115.2K
30.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,577 $1,577
$604 VES 529.9K
161.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,235 $1,235
$425 VES 373.1K
190.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,490 $2,490
$1,103 VES 968.0K
125.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,041 $2,041
$861 VES 755.7K
137.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,557 $2,557
$1,464 VES 1.3M
74.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,351 $2,351
$683 VES 599.8K
244.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monrovia, CA
Caracas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$303 VES 266.1K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.64
22
-69.82%

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

Last update for Monrovia, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Caracas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monrovia, CA
$1.2K
Caracas
$425 65.6% $810
Groceries & Markets
Monrovia, CA
$477
Caracas
$339 29% $138
Eating Out
Monrovia, CA
$381
Caracas
$192 49.7% $189
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monrovia, CA
$362
Caracas
$71 80.3% $291
Clothing & Footwear
Monrovia, CA
$165
Caracas
$180 9.3% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Monrovia, CA
$63
Caracas
$79 25.9% $16
Getting Around
Monrovia, CA
$21 *
Caracas
$52 141% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,577 in Monrovia, CA versus $604 in Caracas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Monrovia, CA versus $67.0 in Caracas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $339 – making Caracas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA
🇻🇪 Caracas
🕒 Local time
14:49 2:49 PM
17:49 5:49 PM
3 h ahead of Monrovia, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,590
3,274,000 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monrovia, CA Caracas 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Monrovia, CA
  • 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
Monrovia, CA vs Caracas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Caracas cheaper than Monrovia, CA?
Yes – Monrovia, CA is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,056 per month in Monrovia, CA and $2,006 in Caracas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in Monrovia, CA and in Caracas?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,704 in Monrovia, CA and $1,338 in Caracas. That's a gap of about 102%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Monrovia, CA and $158 in Caracas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Monrovia, CA or in Caracas?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Caracas, where all-in costs run around $1,338, than in Monrovia, CA at $2,704. In Caracas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monrovia, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Monrovia, CA or Caracas more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Monrovia, CA or Caracas?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Caracas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monrovia, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Monrovia, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?