Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose, CA and Caracas

For one person, living is cheaper in Caracas: $1,312 a month against $4,305 in San Jose, CA, rent and utilities included – about $35,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

Cost of Living Index in San Jose, CA
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San Jose, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index

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San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,305

/mo nomad

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,305 per month in San Jose, CA vs $1,312 in Caracas, rent included.

San Jose, CA $4,305
Caracas $1,312

A couple spends around $6,087 per month in San Jose, CA vs $2,236 in Caracas, rent included.

San Jose, CA $6,087
Caracas $2,236

A family of three spends $7,869 per month in San Jose, CA vs $3,160 in Caracas, rent included.

San Jose, CA $7,869
Caracas $3,160

San Jose, CA costs about 228% more than Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Jose, CA sits 221% above the global median, while Caracas is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.33 $22.33

$10.63 VES 9,293

110.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$68.2 VES 59.6K

44.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 $11.78

$10.99 VES 9,611

7.19%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$3.73 VES 3,266

59.79%

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

$3.15 $3.15

$1.54 VES 1,349

104.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.28 VES 1,122

82.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.15 $9.15

$2.05 VES 1,796

346.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.91 VES 2,546

237.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.76 VES 2,413

-37.68%

White Bread (500g)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.32 VES 2,030

92.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.89 VES 1,655

118.52%

Eggs

$5.86 $5.86

$4.82 VES 4,219

21.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.28 $19.28

$10.18 VES 8,900

89.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$9.44 VES 8,260

48.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.60 $21.60

$11.51 VES 10.1K

87.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$7.23 VES 6,322

-28.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.96 VES 1,713

1.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.13 VES 1,864

156.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.37 VES 2,070

137.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.24 VES 1,956

55.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.24 VES 1,957

29.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.61 VES 1,411

50.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.41 VES 2,104

6.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$4.57 VES 3,994

154.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.59 $15.59

$12.02 VES 10.5K

29.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.37 VES 1,196

79.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.17 VES 1,896

53.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.51 VES 449

380.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.4 $89.4

$29.63 VES 25.9K

201.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$4.88 VES 4,271

-29.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.68 VES 2,346

13.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.27 $30.27

$15.17 VES 13.3K

99.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.86 VES 754

81.40%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$25.1K VES 22.0M

48.33%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.6K VES 33.8M

-32.91%

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

$273 $273

$22.07 VES 19.3K

1135.89%

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

$48.69 $48.69

$11.81 VES 10.3K

312.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.7 $83.7

$38.64 VES 33.8K

116.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$142 $142

$66.8 VES 58.5K

112.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.77 $24.77

$17.23 VES 15.1K

43.76%

Cinema Ticket

$16.86 $16.86

$6.48 VES 5,666

160.19%

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

$1,855 $1,855

$159 VES 139.5K

1063.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.4K $40.4K

$6,138 VES 5.4M

557.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$77.8 VES 68.0K

-23.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$50.6 VES 44.2K

3.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 $99.4

$136 VES 119.2K

-27.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$136 VES 119.2K

-10.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 $3,065

$619 VES 541.0K

395.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 $2,661

$418 VES 365.3K

537.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,805 $4,805

$1,106 VES 966.9K

334.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,161 $4,161

$887 VES 775.5K

369.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,956 $8,956

$1,458 VES 1.3M

514.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,098 $9,098

$690 VES 603.7K

1218.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,099 $6,099

$304 VES 265.6K

1908.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

-69.68%

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

Last update for San Jose, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Caracas: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose, CA

$2.7K 60.9%

Caracas

$418 31.4% 84.3% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

San Jose, CA

$489 11.2%

Caracas

$340 25.6% 30.5% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose, CA

$405 9.3%

Caracas

$73 5.5% 82.1% $333

Eating Out

San Jose, CA

$373 8.5%

Caracas

$190 14.3% 49% $183

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose, CA

$176 4%

Caracas

$80 6% 54.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose, CA

$150 3.4%

Caracas

$180 13.6% 20.6% $31

Getting Around

San Jose, CA

$118 2.7%

Caracas

$50 3.8% 57.6% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,065 in San Jose, CA versus $619 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 1908% higher in San Jose, 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 $98.0 in San Jose, CA versus $68.0 in Caracas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $489 vs $340 – making Caracas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Jose, CA

🇻🇪 Caracas

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

01:49 1:49 AM

3 h ahead of San Jose, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,035,317

3,274,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 981 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

VES to USD in detail →

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San Jose, CA Caracas 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose, CA
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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

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

Yes – San Jose, CA is pricier by about 228%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,458 per month in San Jose, CA and $1,968 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 202% less in Caracas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,855 per month in San Jose, CA and $159 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 $1,312, than in San Jose, CA at $4,305. In Caracas it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose, 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, San Jose, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.