The combination of North and South America cost of living rankings has the oil rich countries of Venezuela and Brazil as the most expensive places to live for expatriates in the Americas.
Caracas is the capital and largest city of Venezuela. Caracas is the Americas most expensive place to live in July 2012, both overall and based on the cost of living excluding the housing, education, healthcare and transport baskets. Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil follow a close 2nd and 3rd. Overall Caracas, is the 5th most expensive place to live in the world and has an overall cost of living index of 135,7. Important industries in Caracas include chemicals, textiles, leather, food, iron and wood products. Caracas is a regional centre for the distribution of products.
The economy of Venezuela is dominated by the petroleum sector accounting for roughly a third of GDP, around 80% of exports and more than half of government revenues. Gold, diamonds and iron ore are mined as well. Venezuela contains some of the largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world and consistently ranks among the top ten crude oil producers in the world.
Venezuela is a country ruled by politics. Irrespective of the socialist system instituted by President Hugo Chávez, with vigilant price controls for a range of basic products and a wave of nationalizations and expropriations, life in Caracas perhaps more than in any other Latin American capital, is still defined by its reliance on one volatile commodity: oil.
Despite oil prices being relatively low, oil-export proceeds create arbitrage opportunities for everyone in the community. The abundance of oil further attracts companies that want to extract it, regardless of the politics. Hence the influx of these people from as far as China and Russia, including representatives from other multinational groups selling products in Venezuela, explains why even a basic apartment in Caracas can be rented for as much as $4,000 a month, with rents in some districts running to double or triple that amount.
Caracas also differs from cities elsewhere in the hemisphere in that Venezuela operates a stringent system of controls of the currency, the optimistically named bolívar fuerte, or “strong bolívar.”
*On January 2010, the government of Venezuela created a two-tiered official exchange rate system. Imports designated as “non-essential” receive a rate of 4.3 bolivares per dollar, and “essential” goods are exchanged at a rate of 2.6. There is also a third and unofficial exchange rate in the black market valued at around 6.8 bolivares per dollar (March 2010).
The Venezuelan government decides what “essential” goods qualify for the 2.6 rate. They include imports for sectors related to food, health, education, equipment, and technology; remittances to relatives settled abroad; students’ academic expenses abroad; expenses related to health, sport, culture, and scientific investigations; payments to retired and resident pensioners abroad; and currency conversions related to diplomatic activities. Full details (in Spanish) can be found through the Central Bank of Venezuela.
* Information from XE (http://www.xe.com/currency/vef-venezuelan-bolivar-fuerte?r=1#additionalinfo)
Caracas is particularly expensive for clothing, education and groceries. For example a litre of milk costs around 1.60 USD and a loaf of white bread 1.80 USD in Caracas compared to 0.90 GBP / 1.40 USD and 1.03 GBP / 1.62 USD respectively in London. Not everything in Caracas is expensive, while a litre of petrol costs around 0.13 USD in Caracas, it can cost around 1.02 USD in New York.
The cost of living in Caracas in Venezuela is very high compared to other places with the overall cost of living being determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups of 780 places.
Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very high compared to other places sitting at 57th more expensive in comparison to 780 other places, for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products.
Domestic Beer can cost up to $2.60, while Imported Beer is approximately $4.30 and a pack of Marlboro Cigarettes will set you back almost $5.
The cost of Clothing is also very high and Caracas is the 4th most expensive for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children’s clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear.
A ladies suit consisting of a blazer/jacket, summer dress, pantyhose and a pair of shoes can cost between $250 – 730 while a man’s suit including blazer/jacket, shirt, jeans, socks and a pair of shoes will set you back between $350 – 430. A pair of Levis can cost up to $100 and a plain Zara or H&M summer dress ranges up to $80 – 100.
When it comes to shopping you can find the same quality clothes and appliances as in the US, but it can cost up to three times the price.
Communication costs are average compared to other places for various costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, Internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 389 places that are more expensive, and 390 places that are less expensive for communication.
A Prepaid Mobile Tariff for local calls (including no discounts or plans) comes to $.042 per minute, while the internet (6Mbps, with unlimited data via Cable/ADSL) can cost approximately $49 per month.
Education costs are very high compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There is 1 place that is more expensive.
An international school can cost approximately the following per Year group for annual tuition and often there is a one-time capital fee that must be paid :
PreNursery – N-PK: $10,078;
Kdg.- grade 5: $18,076;
Grades 6-8: $22,481;
Grades 9-10: $23,473; and
Grades 11-12: $24,128.
Furniture & Appliance costs are very high compared to other places for items such as a DVD player, fridge / freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There is 1 place that is more expensive, of the 780 comparable places.
Grocery costs are the highest compared to all other 780 places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs.
The price for a basket of 39 items ranges between $465 – 505, and these are on the increase. A 1.5 litre bottle of water can cost $2.00, a bottle of mid-range wine $15 and domestic 0.5 litre beer $2.20.
Healthcare costs are very high with Caracas sitting at the 6th most expensive place for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine.
Household Accommodation costs place Caracas at the 27th most expensive for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies.
Basic Electricity, gas, water and garbage rates for a 85m2 Apartment can cost up to $86, while a house for rent in La Lagunita with a garden, pool, barbecue, service areas, electrified perimeter, closed street surveillance and daily maintenance can cost up to $11 600/month.
Comfortable neighbourhoods for expats to live in with a family, include Valle Arriba, Lomas de la Alameda, Campo Alegre and Santa Rose de Lima/Lomas de San Roman/Lomas de Tamanaco and la Lagunita. Other attractive areas comprise Altamira, and Los Palos Grandes as they are close to public transportation, goods and service stores, restaurants, cafes and business centers and are also considered safe areas to live in.
Las Mercedes can be noisy, but it is safe with all the amenities in walking distance. Most children play in areas set aside for them in apartments rather than in parks. There is one large, safe park in the city, Parque del Este, which is near the neighborhood La Florida.
For pricing and availability use a real estate agent that can help you find the right area to live in – www.porlapuerta.com.
Miscellaneous costs for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery place Caracas at 81 more expensive, e.g. a subscription to the Economist for 51 weeks can cost up to $337.
Personal Care for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste, are very high with 47 places more expensive.
A 2 in 1 shampoo can cost $12, while woman’s cosmetic that cost the equivalent of $3 in Europe can cost $11 in Caracas.
Recreation and Culture costs place Caracas at 49th most expensive for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets.
A monthly Club Fitness membership can cost $57 for 1 adult while a cinema ticket for an International movie can cost up to $8.
Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very high compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non-fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 6 places that are more expensive.
A reasonable restaurant can cost between $46 – 50 for a dinner including a starter, main dish and a desert per person. The cost of a double room at a 5 Star hotel $194 – 215, a cappuccino $21.0 and a Combo McDonalds Meal $8.53.
At 44th most expensive Transport costs are very high compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport.
A round trip ticket on the Metro de Caracas will cost about 75 cents — pricier than Mexico City’s system, but a lot cheaper than some of the high dollar systems you find in the U.S.
A normal train ticket one way can cost $0.55 while a monthly pass can cost up to $14.
A 5km/3mile taxi ride can cost between $6 – 6.97, while the normal 1km tariff is $4.25. Gasoline will cost you up to $0.14 per litre. Public transportation is fairly accessible almost anywhere but can be challenging with children in tow.
Personalized cost of living indexes for Caracas in Venezuela are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.
In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Caracas in Venezuela is ranked as extreme hardship with a hardship index of 40%.
Cost of Living Rank – The Americas Locations – Overall Cost of Living & All Baskets (Highest to Lowest):
4. USA, New York (Manhattan) NY
6. USA, New York (Brooklyn) NY
10. Canada, Edmonton
Further interesting reading on the rising costs in Caracas can be read here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17527939
Denise is an Expat and Marketing Manager at http://www.xpatulator.com/ a website that provides cost of living index information and calculates what you need to earn in a different location to compensate for cost of living, hardship, and exchange rate differences. The complete cost of living rank for all 13 baskets is available here.
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