Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Monica, CA and Caracas

For one person, living is cheaper in Caracas: $1,338 a month against $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA, rent and utilities included – about $37,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

214

Cost of Living Index in Santa Monica, CA
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Santa Monica, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index

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Santa Monica, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,430

/mo nomad

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,430 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $1,338 in Caracas, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $4,430
Caracas $1,338

A couple spends around $6,581 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $2,238 in Caracas, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $6,581
Caracas $2,238

A family of three spends $8,732 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $3,138 in Caracas, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $8,732
Caracas $3,138

Santa Monica, CA costs about 231% more than Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Monica, CA sits 228% above the global median, while Caracas is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.77 $26.77

$10.82 VES 9,501

147.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$67.1 VES 58.9K

76.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$10.83 VES 9,507

37.40%

Cappuccino

$5.93 $5.93

$3.71 VES 3,258

59.84%

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

$3.26 $3.26

$1.57 VES 1,380

107.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.31 VES 1,148

83.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$1.97 VES 1,730

312.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$3.06 VES 2,690

225.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.69 VES 2,364

-50.19%

White Bread (500g)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.24 VES 1,967

104.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.90 VES 1,668

144.74%

Eggs

$5.73 $5.73

$4.76 VES 4,181

20.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.77 $15.77

$10.24 VES 8,987

54.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$9.35 VES 8,207

51.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.80 $19.80

$11.49 VES 10.1K

72.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$7.28 VES 6,388

-34.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.06 VES 1,805

11.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.16 VES 1,893

82.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.27 VES 1,996

140.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.27 VES 1,990

45.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.16 VES 1,901

31.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.64 VES 1,438

30.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.36 VES 2,072

5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$4.68 VES 4,110

147.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$11.92 VES 10.5K

27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.43 VES 1,252

69.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.05 VES 1,799

49.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.52 VES 459

384.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 $67.0

$30.37 VES 26.7K

120.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$4.92 VES 4,317

-35.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.81 VES 2,464

-32.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.68 $32.68

$14.91 VES 13.1K

119.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.88 VES 769

64.77%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$24.8K VES 21.8M

48.29%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.1K VES 33.5M

-32.95%

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

$218 $218

$21.49 VES 18.9K

913.49%

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

$46.37 $46.37

$11.73 VES 10.3K

295.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 $65.1

$38.50 VES 33.8K

69.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 $70.7

$65.8 VES 57.8K

7.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.11 $44.11

$17.81 VES 15.6K

147.67%

Cinema Ticket

$19.36 $19.36

$6.35 VES 5,573

204.88%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$157 VES 138.0K

977.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K $32.5K

$6,098 VES 5.4M

432.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 $88.9

$81.0 VES 71.1K

9.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 $54.8

$50.1 VES 44.0K

9.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$133 VES 117.0K

-21.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$134 VES 117.7K

-9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,328 $3,328

$608 VES 534.1K

446.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,860 $2,860

$428 VES 375.9K

568.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,804 $5,804

$1,113 VES 977.4K

421.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,048 $5,048

$872 VES 765.6K

478.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$1,462 VES 1.3M

642.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,924 $7,924

$670 VES 587.9K

1083.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,900 $6,900

$303 VES 265.6K

2181.03%

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 Santa Monica, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Caracas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Monica, CA

$2.9K 64.6%

Caracas

$428 32% 85% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Monica, CA

$462 10.4%

Caracas

$338 25.2% 26.9% $124

Eating Out

Santa Monica, CA

$413 9.3%

Caracas

$191 14.3% 53.7% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Monica, CA

$329 7.4%

Caracas

$72 5.4% 78.2% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Monica, CA

$166 3.8%

Caracas

$179 13.4% 8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Monica, CA

$109 2.5%

Caracas

$79 5.9% 28.2% $31

Getting Around

Santa Monica, CA

$90 2%

Caracas

$51 3.8% 42.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,328 in Santa Monica, CA versus $608 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 2181% higher in Santa Monica, 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 $118 in Santa Monica, CA versus $67.0 in Caracas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $462 vs $338 – making Caracas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Monica, CA

🇻🇪 Caracas

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

22:55 10:55 PM

3 h ahead of Santa Monica, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,736

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Santa Monica, CA Caracas 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Monica, 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

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

Yes – Santa Monica, CA is pricier by about 231%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,645 per month in Santa Monica, CA and $2,007 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 121% less in Caracas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,694 per month in Santa Monica, CA and $157 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 Santa Monica, CA at $4,430. In Caracas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Monica, 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, Santa Monica, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.