Cost Of Living For a Student in Barquisimeto 2025
Average Monthly Expenditure
Currency: VES
Average monthly spending for students in Barquisimeto
How much money does a student need in a month to survive in Barquisimeto?
Students in Barquisimeto spend around 20,000 VES per month on average. Depending on the lifestyle, a student can survive with a monthly budget as low as 3,000 VES or as high as 130,000 VES. Location is a very important factor and has a huge influence on expenditure and budget.
Prices and cost of goods and services in Barquisimeto
Dining, food, and beverages costs
Fast food combo meal
Restaurant meal for one
Fine dining meal for one
| 260 VES | 390 VES | 1,600 VES |
Cappuccino or latte
Grocery and market costs
Milk large bottle
12 eggs
Fresh whole chicken
Pack of beef
Medium bag of rice
Bag of tomatos
Bag of apples
Commute, travel, and transportation costs
20 minutes taxi ride
Average car full tank
Average car 1-day rental
Average car price
| 98,000 VES | 200,000 VES | 260,000 VES |
Bus ticket one way
Car Service
Utility cost (monthly)
Utility Bill - Student
| 120 VES | 810 VES | 5,400 VES |
Internet and cable
Mobile phone charges
Leisure and activities costs
Movie ticket
One month gym membership
Cloths and accessories costs
Pair of jeans or pants
Woman dress
Woman shoes
Men's shoes
Men suit
| 190 VES | 240 VES | 1,300 VES |
Regular t-shirt
Housing costs / monthly rent
Studio apartment
| 3,200 VES | 4,800 VES | 13,000 VES |
1-bedroom apartment
| 4,800 VES | 7,700 VES | 19,000 VES |
2-bedroom apartment
| 6,400 VES | 9,600 VES | 26,000 VES |
Housing costs / Buying
Studio apartment
| 640,000 VES | 960,000 VES | 1.9M VES |
1-bedroom apartment
| 770,000 VES | 1.3M VES | 4.8M VES |
2-bedroom apartment
| 1.3M VES | 3.8M VES | 7.7M VES |
| $36,000 | $110,000 | $210,000 |
Furniture Costs
King Size Bed
| 3,900 VES | 4,900 VES | 6,500 VES |
Double Bed
| 2,600 VES | 3,900 VES | 4,900 VES |
Single Bed
| 2,300 VES | 3,000 VES | 3,900 VES |
Living Room
| 4,400 VES | 5,600 VES | 20,000 VES |
Dining Table
| 2,000 VES | 2,600 VES | 4,900 VES |
Sofa or Couch
| 2,600 VES | 3,600 VES | 7,800 VES |
Electronics and House Appliance Costs
TV Set
| 2,600 VES | 3,900 VES | 7,800 VES |
Fridge or Freezer
| 2,300 VES | 3,600 VES | 4,900 VES |
Washing Machine
| 3,000 VES | 4,400 VES | 7,800 VES |
Stove or Cooker
| 2,800 VES | 3,600 VES | 4,900 VES |
Mobile Phone
| 3,300 VES | 3,900 VES | 5,600 VES |
Laptop or Computer
| 3,600 VES | 4,400 VES | 7,800 VES |
How do students spend their money in Barquisimeto?
We asked thousands of students about their spending habits and expenditure break down.
Housing and accomodation expenditure for students
Accomodation Cost17%
17% of total expenses on average (12% to 23%)
| LOW | $20 720 VES |
| AVERAGE | $130 4,800 VES |
| HIGH | $890 32,000 VES |
| Per Month |
Students in Barquisimeto typically spend from 12% to 23% of their total monthly expenditure on housing with 17% being the average. The average monthly spend on housing is 4,800 VES with expenditure ranging from 720 VES to 32,000 VES. This cost mainly goes for rent but it also includes other accommodation-related expenses.
Electricity, utilities, energy, water, internet, and mobile expenditure for students
Cost of utilities7%
7% of total expenses on average (5% to 11%)
| LOW | $3.3 120 VES |
| AVERAGE | $22 810 VES |
| HIGH | $150 5,400 VES |
| Per Month |
Utility expenditure like electricity, water, and gas in Barquisimeto ranges from 5% to 11% of total expenses with 7% being the average for most students. The average monthly cost of utilities is 810 VES with 120 VES and 5,400 VES being the upper and lower limits for a student of four.
Transport, fuel, and commute expenditure for students
Cost of transport and fuel3%
3% of total expenses on average (4% to 9%)
| LOW | $5.8 210 VES |
| AVERAGE | $39 1,400 VES |
| HIGH | $260 9,400 VES |
| Per Month |
Fuel consumption and cost of transport depend heavily on whether a student resides near school and work, but roughly speaking a student would expect to spend from 210 VES to 9,400 VES in a month on commuting with 1,400 VES being the norm for most students. This means that money spent on transport constitutes about 3% of total spending on average but can go as low as 4% or as high as 9%.
Food, groceries, and basic shopping expenditure for students
Food and Groceries Cost24%
24% of total expenses on average (18% to 28%)
| LOW | $17 600 VES |
| AVERAGE | $110 4,000 VES |
| HIGH | $750 27,000 VES |
| Per Month |
The average outlay on groceries and basic houshold items for a typical student in a month in Barquisimeto is 4,000 VES. The cost of groceries can range between 600 VES to 27,000 VES. Students spend on average about 24% on food and groceries with upper and lower bounds of 18% and 28% respectively.
Healthcare and medical services expenditure for students
Cost of healthcare10%
10% of total expenses on average (7% to 13%)
| LOW | $5 180 VES |
| AVERAGE | $34 1,200 VES |
| HIGH | $220 8,100 VES |
| Per Month |
Students in Barquisimeto allocate 7% to 13% of their total monthly expenditure to healthcare including health insurance and out-of-pocket medical expenses. The average spending on medical services and clinic visits is around 10%. The range of medical expenses range from 180 VES to 8,100 VES with 1,200 VES being the norm for most students.
Leisure and shopping expenditure for students
Cost of leisure and shopping2%
2% of total expenses on average (2% to 6%)
| LOW | $4.2 150 VES |
| AVERAGE | $28 1,000 VES |
| HIGH | $190 6,700 VES |
| Per Month |
This category mostly contains discretionary or non-essential expenses but also some non-discretionary spending like furniture for example. The monthly expenses range from 150 VES to 6,700 VES with 1,000 VES being the average. Speaking of percentages, that equates to 2% to 6% of total expenses with an average of 2% for most students.
Education and schooling expenditure for students
Cost of education and schooling18%
18% of total expenses on average (11% to 23%)
| LOW | $16 570 VES |
| AVERAGE | $110 3,800 VES |
| HIGH | $710 26,000 VES |
| Per Month |
Spending on education can vary drastically between different students. On average, education constitutes 18% of the monthly expenditure of students with 11% and 23% being the lower and upper bounds respectively. The average reported education cost is 3,800 VES per month with 570 VES being the minimum spent amount and 26,000 VES being the maximum.
Other Expenses19%
19% of total expenses on average (13% to 25%)
| LOW | $13 450 VES |
| AVERAGE | $84 3,000 VES |
| HIGH | $560 20,000 VES |
| Per Month |
A typical and healthy budgeting structure
The 50/30/20 rule
Spending among different people can vary significantly based on factors such as their income, lifestyle,
location, and personal preferences. A commonly used guideline for budgeting is the 50/30/20 rule,
which suggests allocating your income into three main categories in the following percentages.
50% for needs and financial obligations
This category includes essential expenses like housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and healthcare.
30% for wants and discretionary spending
This category covers discretionary spending on non-essential items, such as dining out, entertainment, travel, and other lifestyle choices.
20% for savings and emergency fund
This is the percentage that must be allocated to savings, emergency funds, and retirement accounts.
About financial planning, money management, and household budgeting
The 50/30/20 rule is used as a general guideline but may not be the best choice for all people. There are in fact many budgeting plans out there like the 70/20/10 and the 60/20/20 rules, all claiming to be the best. More important than all of this is to establish financial discipline by creating a budget tailored to your specific financial goals and situation. It is very important that your financial outflow be less than your income to maintain a healthy cash flow.
Affordable living in Barquisimeto
Income and cost of living compatibility
We asked students one simple question and recorded their answers.
Is it affordable or economical to live in Barquisimeto?
Around 44% of surveyed students think that living in Barquisimeto is affordable with proper budgeting while 56% reported that it is just too expensive and not affordable even with frugality and thriftness.
Low-cost alternatives in Barquisimeto
People are always looking for ways to cut down expenses and reduce expenditures. The hallmark of any affordable place is the availability of discount stores, bargain deals, smart or secondhand shopping, refurbished items, and couponing. We asked students how easily cost-cutting is and the answers were distributed as follows:
Plenty of low-cost options54%
Few low-cost options46%
Based on the survey, 54% of the students living in Barquisimeto have no problem finding low-cost alternatives to support a frugal lifestyle while 46% think that thriftness is difficult due to scarcity in discount markets and secondhand outlets.
Emergency Funds For Students
An emergency fund is a financial safety net comprised of easily accessible savings set aside to cover unexpected expenses or financial emergencies, typically amounting to three to six months' worth of living expenses. We asked students of Barquisimeto whether they have an emergency fund and the answers were as follows.
Yes42%
No58%
Based on the survey, 58% of the students living in Barquisimeto said that they don't have an emergency fund while 42% said that they do.
Financial Literacy in Venezuela
Financial literacy is the knowledge of concepts and principles related to personal finance that allow individuals to make informed decisions regarding their money such as budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing, managing debt, financial risk management, and planning.
Financial Leteracy38%
We asked student guardians and parents in Barquisimeto whether they acquired any adequate personal financial training in their lives. Approximately 62% of the people who participated in the survey said that they are not well informed about the topics of budgeting, saving, etc., and just manage things based on their own experience, while 38% said that they know about the general principles of personal finance from sources other than their own experience.
Difficulty in Budgeting and Financial Planning
We wanted to understand whether students of Venezuela have problems or difficulties in managing their expenditures and savings so we asked people one simple question: do you struggle with your personal finances? 56% of the participants reported that they indeed struggle in creating budgets and in organizing their finances while 44% said that they have everything under control.
Struggles with finance56%
Easily manages finances44%
Housing costs, accommodation, and housing affordability in Barquisimeto
Rental costs and house/apartment prices can vary drastically between different areas and locations.
Rent Cost in Barquisimeto
Monthly Rent Prices
Studio apartment monthly rent cost
| 3,200 VES | 4,800 VES | 13,000 VES |
1-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 4,800 VES | 7,700 VES | 19,000 VES |
2-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 6,400 VES | 9,600 VES | 26,000 VES |
3-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 7,700 VES | 13,000 VES | 35,000 VES |
Furnished apartment monthly rent cost
| 15,000 VES | 38,000 VES | 77,000 VES |
Townhouse monthly rent cost
| 13,000 VES | 19,000 VES | 55,000 VES |
House monthly rent cost
| 15,000 VES | 38,000 VES | 77,000 VES |
Villa monthly rent cost
| 19,000 VES | 48,000 VES | 77,000 VES |
The monthly rental cost of a studio apartment in Barquisimeto ranges between 3,200 VES and 13,000 VES, meanwhile the cost of monthly rental of a one-bedroom apartment can be anywhere from 4,800 VES to 19,000 VES. Two-bedroom rentals rate ranges between 6,400 VES and 26,000 VES per month. The monthly rental for a three-bedroom apartment ranges from 7,700 VES to 35,000 VES. The average rent of a townhouse in Barquisimeto is around 19,000 VES while house rental costs can be as high as 38,000 VES per month. Finally, if you want to rent a villa, expect to pay anywhere from 19,000 VES to 77,000 VES per month.
Apartment and house prices in Barquisimeto
Cost of buying a property
Studio apartment price
| 640,000 VES | 960,000 VES | 1.9M VES |
1-bedroom apartment price
| 770,000 VES | 1.3M VES | 4.8M VES |
2-bedroom apartment price
| 1.3M VES | 3.8M VES | 7.7M VES |
| $36,000 | $110,000 | $210,000 |
3-bedroom apartment price
| 4.3M VES | 6.4M VES | 19M VES |
| $120,000 | $180,000 | $530,000 |
Townhouse price
House price
Villa price
The average price of a studio apartment in Barquisimeto can range from 640,000 VES to 1.9M VES depending on location. One bedroom cost can be anywhere from 770,000 VES to 4.8M VES. A villa can cost you 43M VES on average with prices ranging from 7.7M VES to 64M VES.
If you're leasing or purchasing, housing costs in Barquisimeto will probably constitute your biggest expenditure, yet it's an area where you wield considerable influence. This is due to the substantial variance in housing prices across communities. Keep in mind the location of your workplace and the accessibility of essential amenities to prevent negating the savings from lower rental rates with increased transportation expenses.
House / apartment prices to income ratio
Property price to income ratio
( average property price / average monthly income ) x 100
| 28 | x76 monthly income | 189 |
Property prices in Barquisimeto can be x76 to x189 multiples of the monthly income depending on the property and the income of the person. On average, property prices are approximately x76 multiples of the average monthly salary in Barquisimeto.
Rent to income ratio
Rent to income ratio
( monthly rental / monthly income ) x 100
The average rent-to-income ratio in Barquisimeto is around 28%. This means that people pay 28% of their income for rent. Those figures can range from 17% to 38% depending on the salary, location, and type of property.
The housing-to-income ratio is a very important metric to evaluate and measure how affordable living is in a particular area, city, or country since housing comprises the biggest chunk of expenditure. A higher housing to income ratio means that the place is relatively expensive. The figure by itself does tell much. It only starts to make sense when comparing the housing to income ratio across different locations.
Housing affordability index
The housing affordability index measures how affordable accommodation is in a particular place. This can measured in multiple ways, the most common being housing expenditure to total expenditure ratio and the rent to income ratio. The housing expenditure ratio is a figure reported by individuals on the percentage they allocate for housing. Rent to income ratio is calculated by dividing the average monthly rent by the average income. Because these values are both percentages, we can find their average and get the best of the two worlds.
Housing Affordability Index
25% Property Taxes
Real estate owners pay property taxes to local tax authorities, which are determined by the assessed value of their property. Typically, these taxes are paid once a year. Property tax funds contribute to community development, financing infrastructure improvements, public services, and local education initiatives.
Home Maintenance Costs
Home maintenance costs encompass various expenses associated with the upkeep and repair of a residence. These expenditures include regular tasks such as lawn care, pest control, and HVAC system servicing, as well as occasional repairs and renovations like fixing leaks, painting, or replacing appliances.
Urban vs. rural living costs
Urban living typically entails higher housing and transportation costs due to demand and limited space, while rural areas generally offer lower housing expenses but may have higher prices for goods and services. The differnce in rental rates between urban areas and rural areas can be as high as 300% in some cases.
Monthly costs and expenses of energy and basic utilities in Barquisimeto
Utilities expenditure can vary slightly between different areas and locations.
Energy, electricity, water, gas, internet, and mobile cost in Barquisimeto
Utility Bill Cost / Electricity + Water + Gas / Student
| 120 VES | 810 VES | 5,400 VES |
Internet and cable cost
Mobile phone bill and charges
Because most utility bills club electricity, water, and gas costs in one bill, we can't provide a breakup for each type of utility and will display electricity, gas, and water as single cost.
The average monthly energy and water consumption of students is around 810 VES. The cost of internet and WiFi ranges from 200 VES to 520 VES with 390 VES being the average internet bill. Finally, the average monthly mobile charges is around 260 VES but can range between 160 VES and 780 VES depending on consumption. Mobile charges include both calling minutes as well as data packages.
Energy / Utility expense to income ratio
( monthly utility expenses / monthly income ) x 100
The average utility-to-income ratio in Barquisimeto is around 7.2%. This means that people pay 7.2% of their income for energy, water, internet, and mobile charges. Those figures can range from 4.1% to 11% depending on salary and location.
Food Prices, Dining Expenses, and Grocery Costs in Barquisimeto
Grocery / Food expenditure and prices can vary drastically between different areas and locations.
Prices and cost of goods and services in Barquisimeto
Dining out, food, and beverages costs. Price variations for common food items.
Fast food combo meal price
The average price of a regular combo meal at a fast food outlet or chain like McDonald's, Pizzahut, or KFC in Barquisimeto is approximatly 78 VES with meal cost ranging from 39 VES to 130 VES. The typical combo meal consists of a burger, french fries, and a drink.
Restaurant meal for one price
If you are planning to have a nice meal at a mid-range restaurant, expect to pay anywhere between 130 VES and 390 VES with 190 VES being the average price of a plate for one person at a regular restaurant in Barquisimeto.
Fine dining meal for one price
| 260 VES | 390 VES | 1,600 VES |
The price range of a meal at fine-dining restaurant is 260 VES to 1,600 VES with the average cost being 390 VES for one person. This is what you would expect to pay a top-tier diner in Barquisimeto.
Beverage prices, cappuccino, latte etc..
The average price of a regular beverage like cappuccino or latte at Starbucks, Costa, or similar coffee shops and cafes in Barquisimeto is around 52 VES. Price ranges between 33 VES and 78 VES depending on the type of beverage, the size, and optional add-ons.
Grocery and market costs
Large bottle of milk price
The average price of a large bottle of milk in Barquisimeto is 31 VES. The maximum what you would pay for milk is 39 VES and the minimum being 26 VES depending on the brand of milk and other properties.
12 eggs price
A dozen eggs costs around 26 VES on average with 20 VES and 39 VES being the lower and upper limits respectively.
Fresh whole chicken price
The price range of a fresh whole chicken in Barquisimeto is between 45 VES and 82 VES depending on the size of the chicken and whether it is oraganic or not. The average price is approximatly 58 VES.
Pack of beef price
The price of a regular pack of beef or meat is around 78 VES. A pack of beef contains around 1Kg or 1lb depending on packing.
Medium bag of rice price
A bag of rice in Barquisimeto costs around 29 VES on average with prices rangeing between 21 VES and 41 VES depending on the brand and quality.
Bag of tomatos price
A bag of tomatoes costs anywhere from 7.8 VES to 20 VES. A bag of tomatoes denotes 1Kg or 1lb depending on location.
Bag of apples price
A bag of apples costs 18 VES on average. A bag of apples denotes 1Kg or 1lb depending on location.
Grocery and food expenditure to income ratio
( monthly grocery expenses / monthly income ) x 100
The average grocery-to-income ratio in Barquisimeto is around 29%. This means that students spend 29% of their income on grocery and basic household items. The expenditure can range from 21% to 35% depending on salary and location.
Expenditure on food and grocery for students
Students' spending on grocery ranges from 600 VES to 27,000 VES with the location, income, and size of the student being the most determinite factors.
