Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bonao and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonao: $686 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Bonao
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Bonao Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Bonao

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$686

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bonao 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 Bonao and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $686 in Bonao versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Bonao $686
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,131 in Bonao versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Bonao $1,131
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,575 in Bonao versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Bonao $1,575
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Bonao costs roughly 44% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bonao 49% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.71 DOP 595

$8.81 R$44.68

10.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.73 DOP 3,047

$49.37 R$250

0.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 DOP 468

$8.80 R$44.63

-13.07%

Cappuccino

$2.00 DOP 123

$2.49 R$12.63

-19.68%

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

$1.05 DOP 64.6

$1.42 R$7.19

-26.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 DOP 36.58

$0.85 R$4.31

-29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 DOP 149

$2.98 R$15.11

-18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 DOP 192

$4.34 R$22.02

-27.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 DOP 63.3

$1.24 R$6.28

-16.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 DOP 63.6

$1.91 R$9.66

-45.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 DOP 40.65

$1.43 R$7.25

-53.85%

Eggs

$1.21 DOP 74.1

$2.81 R$14.23

-56.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.01 DOP 307

$12.74 R$64.6

-60.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.61 DOP 344

$5.41 R$27.44

3.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.51 DOP 399

$10.64 R$54.0

-38.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 DOP 145

$2.75 R$13.95

-14.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 DOP 38.55

$1.81 R$9.19

-65.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 DOP 165

$1.63 R$8.27

65.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 DOP 83.8

$2.00 R$10.16

-31.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 DOP 121

$1.40 R$7.10

40.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 DOP 95.9

$1.27 R$6.43

23.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 DOP 61.0

$1.28 R$6.47

-21.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 DOP 31.40

$0.95 R$4.83

-46.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.24 DOP 321

$2.99 R$15.15

75.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.14 DOP 437

$9.96 R$50.5

-28.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 DOP 133

$1.85 R$9.37

17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 DOP 178

$2.54 R$12.90

14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 DOP 35.60

$1.09 R$5.50

-46.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.07 DOP 2,087

$48.78 R$247

-30.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 DOP 191

$1.85 R$9.39

68.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 DOP 133

$0.99 R$4.99

119.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 DOP 147

$10.29 R$52.2

-76.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 DOP 85.5

$1.34 R$6.78

4.48%

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

$22.8K DOP 1.4M

$24.4K R$123.8K

-6.55%

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

$34.1K DOP 2.1M

$33.9K R$172.1K

0.48%

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

$92.9 DOP 5,691

$104 R$529

-11.06%

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

$31.91 DOP 1,955

$16.71 R$84.7

90.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.96 DOP 2,203

$22.18 R$112

62.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 DOP 449

$10.06 R$51.0

-27.14%

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

$248 DOP 15.2K

$579 R$2,936

-57.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,364 DOP 451.1K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-56.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.46 DOP 2,785

$65.7 R$333

-30.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.18 DOP 2,829

$61.0 R$309

-24.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 DOP 5,291

$100 R$509

-13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 DOP 7,698

$92.1 R$467

36.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

11.68

16.10%

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

Last update for Bonao: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bonao

$174 25.4%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 40.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bonao

$161 23.4%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 10.8% $17

Eating Out

Bonao

$150 21.8%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 6.5% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bonao

$137 19.9%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 5.1% $7

Getting Around

Bonao

$50 7.3%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 19% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bonao

$15 * 2.1%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 282% $41

Accommodation & Living

Bonao

- * 0%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $50.0 in Bonao vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Groceries flip the comparison at $174 vs $244, with Bonao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Bonao

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

1 h ahead of Bonao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,034

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bonao Sao Paulo 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bonao
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

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

Bonao and Sao Paulo differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($686 vs $1,235 including rent). Bonao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,029 in Bonao and $1,852 in Sao Paulo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

A monthly transit pass in Bonao runs roughly 43% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $248 in Bonao versus $579 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $686 in Bonao versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bonao but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Bonao 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.

Expats usually find Bonao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.