Living in Maracaibo, Venezuela

Maracaibo is a large coastal city in Zulia, Venezuela (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 28°C over the year with about 791 mm of rain. For foreigners, long-term residency in Venezuela is possible, with conditions, with a self-funded route from about $1,200 a month in income.

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Climate: 28°C; 791 mm rain a year
Size: Large; 1 to 5 million people
Safety: 39/100; country-level
Residency: Possible, with conditions; for most foreigners

Limited data for Venezuela. Figures for safety, healthcare and political stability in Venezuela are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Venezuela, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

What stands out about Maracaibo

Warmer than 96% of the cities we track
Self-funded residency from about $1,200 a month in income
On or near the sea

Climate

Maracaibo averages 28°C across the year with about 791 mm of rain, which makes it warm and moderately wet. It is warmer than 96% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Safety and stability

Venezuela scores 39 out of 100 on safety, safer than 5% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 2.4 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Venezuela: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2022) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Residency and visas

Possible, with conditions. The realistic routes are the rentista (independent-means/passive-income) visa for those with steady foreign income and the discretionary investor visa, both renewable yearly and convertible to permanent residency after about two years.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Venezuela:

Income: about $1,200 a month (Venezuela Visa Rentista (independent-means/passive-income), USD 1,200/mo foreign-source income for the main applicant (+USD 500/mo per dependent); figure stated natively in USD by Venezuelan consulates, no conversion needed; as of June 2026)
Investment: about $100k (Venezuela Investor Visa (TR-I, Transeúnte Inversionista); no fixed statutory minimum (discretionary, case-by-case), with ~USD 100,000 the commonly cited practical floor; as of June 2026)

For short visits, 71 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 127 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Healthcare

Venezuela scores 54 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 8% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Venezuela: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Maracaibo

Is Maracaibo a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and political stability. Our figures for Venezuela are partial: no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a warm, moderately wet climate (28°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Maracaibo and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

Can foreigners live in Venezuela long term?

Our assessment: possible, with conditions. The realistic routes are the rentista (independent-means/passive-income) visa for those with steady foreign income and the discretionary investor visa, both renewable yearly and convertible to permanent residency after about two years. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $1,200 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $100k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Maracaibo?

Maracaibo averages 28°C across the year with about 791 mm of rain, which makes it warm and moderately wet. It is warmer than 96% of the cities we track.