Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porlamar and Maracaibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Porlamar: $629 a month against $784 in Maracaibo, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Maracaibo despite lower rent and utilities.

Porlamar, Venezuela
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Porlamar
🇻🇪 Venezuela
$629
/mo nomad
Maracaibo
🇻🇪 Venezuela
$784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porlamar and in Maracaibo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $629 in Porlamar versus $784 in Maracaibo.

  • Porlamar $629
  • Maracaibo $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,007 in Porlamar versus $1,297 in Maracaibo.

  • Porlamar $1,007
  • Maracaibo $1,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,385 in Porlamar versus $1,811 in Maracaibo.

  • Porlamar $1,385
  • Maracaibo $1,811

Living in Porlamar costs roughly 20% less than in Maracaibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.43 VES 3,928
$10.33 VES 9,151
-57.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.61 VES 30.7K
$39.75 VES 35.2K
-12.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.12 VES 8,078
$8.77 VES 7,767
3.99%
Cappuccino
$1.78 VES 1,580
$2.75 VES 2,439
-35.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 VES 1,440
$1.15 VES 1,019
41.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 VES 1,150
$1.31 VES 1,158
-0.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.48 VES 1,312
$2.21 VES 1,961
-33.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 VES 2,582
$3.08 VES 2,725
-5.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 VES 897
$1.97 VES 1,742
-48.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 VES 898
$2.11 VES 1,872
-52.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 VES 897
$1.07 VES 952
-5.61%
Eggs
$1.97 VES 1,743
$3.78 VES 3,347
-47.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.01 VES 3,557
$6.55 VES 5,803
-38.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.93 VES 4,364
$6.38 VES 5,655
-22.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.15 VES 5,451
$7.37 VES 6,527
-16.55%
Apples (1kg)
$4.10 VES 3,630
$4.82 VES 4,274
-14.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 VES 1,292
$1.36 VES 1,201
7.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 VES 1,303
$1.56 VES 1,384
-5.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.48 VES 1,310
$1.36 VES 1,204
8.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 VES 1,343
$1.23 VES 1,094
23.58%
Onion (1kg)
$0.97 VES 861
$1.74 VES 1,542
-44.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.02 VES 902
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 VES 903
$1.98 VES 1,755
-48.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.96 VES 1,737
$2.93 VES 2,595
-33.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.18 VES 5,470
$9.08 VES 8,047
-31.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.09 VES 966
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 VES 1,722
$2.62 VES 2,322
-25.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 VES 411
$0.47 VES 416
-2.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$14.98 VES 13.3K
$42.53 VES 37.7K
-64.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$4.08 VES 3,618
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.28 VES 1,134
$1.95 VES 1,727
-34.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$17.66 VES 15.6K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.48 VES 422
$0.74 VES 656
-35.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.3K VES 18.0M
$15.2K VES 13.4M
34.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K VES 30.7M
$27.6K VES 24.4M
25.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$11.89 VES 10.5K
$62.5 VES 55.3K
-80.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.67 VES 6,791
$7.45 VES 6,598
2.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.65 VES 20.1K
$25.27 VES 22.4K
-10.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.65 VES 36.0K
$33.17 VES 29.4K
22.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.74 VES 11.3K
$28.71 VES 25.4K
-55.63%
Cinema Ticket
$3.41 VES 3,022
$4.89 VES 4,328
-30.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$30.05 VES 26.6K
$148 VES 130.9K
-79.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$7,133 VES 6.3M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.10 VES 26.7K
$27.31 VES 24.2K
10.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.52 VES 40.3K
$32.34 VES 28.6K
40.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.7 VES 53.8K
$61.9 VES 54.9K
-1.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.3 VES 66.7K
$56.7 VES 50.2K
32.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$202 VES 178.9K
$159 VES 141.1K
26.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$147 VES 130.5K
$95.2 VES 84.3K
54.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$335 VES 297.1K
$301 VES 266.6K
11.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$196 VES 173.7K
$196 VES 173.9K
-0.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$406 VES 359.7K
$765 VES 677.7K
-46.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$152 VES 135.0K
$508 VES 449.6K
-69.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Porlamar
Maracaibo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$215 VES 190.6K
$215 VES 190.6K
-0.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20
20
-

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

Last update for Porlamar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Maracaibo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Porlamar
$165 *
Maracaibo
$243 47.5% $78
Accommodation & Living
Porlamar
$147
Maracaibo
$95 35.4% $52
Eating Out
Porlamar
$109
Maracaibo
$169 54.8% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Porlamar
$95
Maracaibo
$80 15.8% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Porlamar
$47
Maracaibo
$43 9.5% $4.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Porlamar
$42
Maracaibo
$95 126% $53
Getting Around
Porlamar
$23 *
Maracaibo
$58 151% $35

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 $202 in Porlamar and $159 in Maracaibo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Porlamar vs $40 in Maracaibo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $243 per month, with Porlamar cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇻🇪 Porlamar
🇻🇪 Maracaibo
🕒 Local time
12:06 12:06 PM
12:06 12:06 PM
Same time as Porlamar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
103,496
2,000,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 886 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 986 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Porlamar Maracaibo 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Porlamar
  • Maracaibo

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
Porlamar vs Maracaibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Porlamar cheaper than Maracaibo?
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.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $944 in Porlamar and $1,176 in Maracaibo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Porlamar and Maracaibo?
Rent for a central apartment: $202 in Porlamar versus $159 in Maracaibo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $30 in Porlamar versus $148 in Maracaibo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Porlamar and in Maracaibo?
Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Maracaibo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 enough for either Porlamar or Maracaibo?
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.
Is it better to live in Porlamar or in Maracaibo?
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.

Porlamar vs other spots: cost of living compared

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