Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $3,331 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,331

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashgabat and in Sao Paulo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ashgabat and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Ashgabat versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo.

Ashgabat $3,331
Sao Paulo $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,094 in Ashgabat versus $2,085 in Sao Paulo.

Ashgabat $5,094
Sao Paulo $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,857 in Ashgabat versus $2,926 in Sao Paulo.

Ashgabat $6,857
Sao Paulo $2,926

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 168% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashgabat is 149% above, Sao Paulo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.23 TMT 105

$8.94 R$44.64

249.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 TMT 286

$49.46 R$247

72.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 TMT 42.51

$9.22 R$46.01

37.20%

Cappuccino

$6.59 TMT 22.13

$2.54 R$12.70

159.45%

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

$1.53 TMT 5.16

$1.45 R$7.25

5.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 TMT 2.75

$0.91 R$4.55

-9.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 TMT 19.04

$3.07 R$15.31

84.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.74 TMT 46.18

$4.36 R$21.75

215.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.48 TMT 15.05

$1.27 R$6.32

252.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 TMT 6.90

$1.84 R$9.17

11.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.82 TMT 19.54

$1.41 R$7.05

312.77%

Eggs

$5.93 TMT 19.93

$2.84 R$14.20

108.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.90 TMT 127

$12.56 R$62.7

201.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.09 TMT 67.5

$5.37 R$26.81

274.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.50 TMT 79.0

$10.72 R$53.5

119.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 TMT 16.75

$2.74 R$13.67

81.75%

Banana (1kg)

$8.53 TMT 28.66

$1.81 R$9.03

371.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.32 TMT 24.60

$1.55 R$7.74

372.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 TMT 12.12

$1.98 R$9.90

82.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 TMT 7.82

$1.47 R$7.34

58.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 TMT 4.91

$1.24 R$6.20

17.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 TMT 9.03

$1.27 R$6.35

111.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 TMT 3.75

$0.96 R$4.79

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.56 TMT 85.9

$3.04 R$15.16

740.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$42.09 TMT 141

$10.19 R$50.8

313.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.26 TMT 17.67

$1.73 R$8.64

204.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 TMT 9.70

$2.64 R$13.19

9.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 TMT 0.49

$1.04 R$5.18

-85.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.89 TMT 33.23

$48.10 R$240

-79.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 TMT 9.76

$1.82 R$9.07

59.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 TMT 2.97

$1.02 R$5.07

-13.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.41 TMT 28.25

$10.16 R$50.7

-17.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 TMT 1.49

$1.27 R$6.35

-65.35%

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

$44.6K TMT 149.7K

$24.3K R$121.4K

83.20%

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

$57.2K TMT 192.0K

$34.0K R$169.8K

68.07%

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

$580 TMT 1,950

$104 R$519

458.27%

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

$56.8 TMT 191

$16.16 R$80.7

251.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 TMT 348

$22.59 R$113

358.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$191 TMT 642

$36.27 R$181

426.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.50 TMT 153

$47.78 R$239

-4.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.53 TMT 28.67

$9.85 R$49.19

-13.40%

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

$23.05 TMT 77.5

$525 R$2,622

-95.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K TMT 83.3K

$16.6K R$82.8K

49.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 TMT 184

$66.9 R$334

-18.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$115 TMT 386

$62.3 R$311

84.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$365 TMT 1,227

$101 R$505

261.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 TMT 634

$90.9 R$454

107.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 TMT 4,709

$663 R$3,309

111.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 TMT 3,361

$423 R$2,110

136.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,288 TMT 7,686

$1,527 R$7,622

49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 TMT 6,452

$1,009 R$5,035

90.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 TMT 11.9K

$2,744 R$13.7K

28.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,813 TMT 9,450

$2,068 R$10.3K

35.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$736 TMT 2,475

$881 R$4,396

-16.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

11.68

-18.66%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashgabat

$1K 29.5%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 57.7% $578

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$741 21.8%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 80.7% $598

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$671 19.8%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 63.7% $427

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$432 12.7%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 62.2% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$326 9.6%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 55.6% $181

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$208 6.1%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 73.1% $152

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 233% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,402 in Ashgabat and $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Ashgabat vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $671 vs $243 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

8 h behind Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashgabat Sao Paulo 12,860 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
Sao Paulo

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

Ashgabat vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashgabat and Sao Paulo differ by about 168% in total monthly costs ($3,331 vs $1,244 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Sao Paulo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,402 in Ashgabat versus $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23.05 in Ashgabat versus $525 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 176% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $3,331 in Ashgabat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ashgabat and Sao Paulo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.