Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterey, CA and Caracas

For one person, living is cheaper in Caracas: $1,338 a month against $3,616 in Monterey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $27,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Monterey, CA
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Monterey, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index

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Monterey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,616

/mo nomad

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,616 per month in Monterey, CA vs $1,338 in Caracas, rent included.

Monterey, CA $3,616
Caracas $1,338

A couple spends around $5,349 per month in Monterey, CA vs $2,235 in Caracas, rent included.

Monterey, CA $5,349
Caracas $2,235

A family of three spends $7,082 per month in Monterey, CA vs $3,133 in Caracas, rent included.

Monterey, CA $7,082
Caracas $3,133

Monterey, CA costs about 170% more than Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monterey, CA sits 167% above the global median, while Caracas is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 $20.27

$10.98 VES 9,642

84.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$67.1 VES 58.9K

17.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.16 VES 9,796

8.42%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$3.55 VES 3,114

47.04%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.52 VES 1,332

110.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.30 VES 1,144

24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.06 VES 1,805

164.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.05 VES 2,680

98.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.64 VES 2,313

-37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.31 VES 2,032

37.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.85 VES 1,624

42.16%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$4.64 VES 4,076

-1.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$10.35 VES 9,083

-7.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.38 $13.38

$9.20 VES 8,074

45.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$11.64 VES 10.2K

-47.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$7.43 VES 6,525

-50.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.04 VES 1,794

-41.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.20 VES 1,931

46.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.38 VES 2,087

68.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.24 VES 1,965

22.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.23 VES 1,958

-12.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.62 VES 1,424

7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.41 VES 2,119

-48.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.59 $11.59

$4.71 VES 4,132

146.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.31 $17.31

$11.84 VES 10.4K

46.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.42 VES 1,246

92.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.09 VES 1,839

-11.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.51 VES 448

296.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 $52.9

$30.43 VES 26.7K

73.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 $1.58

$5.08 VES 4,459

-68.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.83 VES 2,483

-66.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.04 $35.04

$14.80 VES 13.0K

136.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.88 VES 772

73.86%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$24.7K VES 21.7M

16.83%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$39.7K VES 34.8M

-34.97%

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

$238 $238

$21.94 VES 19.3K

985.14%

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

$75.1 $75.1

$11.99 VES 10.5K

526.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.7 $71.7

$37.39 VES 32.8K

91.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.1 $84.1

$65.9 VES 57.8K

27.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.63 $10.63

$17.83 VES 15.7K

-40.38%

Cinema Ticket

$12.75 $12.75

$6.53 VES 5,735

95.25%

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

$555 $555

$158 VES 138.4K

251.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$6,066 VES 5.3M

106.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 $76.8

$81.6 VES 71.6K

-5.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$90.2 $90.2

$51.2 VES 45.0K

76.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 $129

$136 VES 119.2K

-5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$131 VES 115.2K

2.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$604 VES 529.9K

312.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$425 VES 373.1K

418.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,056 $4,056

$1,103 VES 968.0K

267.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,027 $4,027

$861 VES 755.7K

367.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,909 $7,909

$1,464 VES 1.3M

440.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,838 $5,838

$683 VES 599.8K

754.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,771 $4,771

$303 VES 266.1K

1474.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

-69.91%

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

Last update for Monterey, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Caracas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterey, CA

$2.2K 61%

Caracas

$425 31.8% 80.7% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterey, CA

$385 10.6%

Caracas

$71 5.3% 81.5% $314

Groceries & Markets

Monterey, CA

$335 9.3%

Caracas

$339 25.4% 1.1% $3.6

Eating Out

Monterey, CA

$320 8.8%

Caracas

$192 14.3% 40.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Monterey, CA

$194 5.4%

Caracas

$180 13.5% 7.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Monterey, CA

$110 3%

Caracas

$79 5.9% 28% $31

Getting Around

Monterey, CA

$67 1.9%

Caracas

$52 3.9% 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,490 in Monterey, 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.

Salaries run about 1474% higher in Monterey, CA, 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 $79.0 in Monterey, CA versus $67.0 in Caracas. Groceries tell a different story – $335 in Monterey, CA vs $339 in Caracas – so Monterey, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monterey, CA

🇻🇪 Caracas

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

3 h ahead of Monterey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,803

3,274,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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).

VES to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Monterey, CA Caracas 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterey, 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

Monterey, CA vs Caracas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterey, CA is pricier by about 170%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,424 per month in Monterey, CA and $2,006 in Caracas. 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 74% less in Caracas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $555 per month in Monterey, CA and $158 in Caracas. 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 Monterey, CA at $3,616. In Caracas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterey, CA 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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Caracas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterey, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.