Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caguas and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $1,621 in Caguas, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Caguas vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Caguas $1,621
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Caguas vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Caguas $2,580
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $3,539 per month in Caguas vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Caguas $3,539
Sao Paulo $2,911

Caguas costs about 31% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Caguas sits 20% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$8.81 R$44.68

67.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 $82.9

$49.37 R$250

67.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 $8.99

$8.80 R$44.63

2.16%

Cappuccino

$2.28 $2.28

$2.49 R$12.63

-8.43%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.42 R$7.19

-21.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.85 R$4.31

45.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.98 R$15.11

-48.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$4.34 R$22.02

-5.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.24 R$6.28

74.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.91 R$9.66

46.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.43 R$7.25

61.54%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.81 R$14.23

76.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$12.74 R$64.6

-45.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 $9.13

$5.41 R$27.44

68.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$10.64 R$54.0

12.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.75 R$13.95

87.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.81 R$9.19

44.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.63 R$8.27

46.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.00 R$10.16

126.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.40 R$7.10

83.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.27 R$6.43

113.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.28 R$6.47

76.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.95 R$4.83

68.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 $10.64

$2.99 R$15.15

255.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 $14.03

$9.96 R$50.5

40.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.85 R$9.37

-21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.54 R$12.90

-14.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.09 R$5.50

81.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 $70.3

$48.78 R$247

44.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.85 R$9.39

31.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.99 R$4.99

55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.73 $42.73

$10.29 R$52.2

315.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.34 R$6.78

-33.58%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$24.4K R$123.8K

25.12%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-24.04%

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

$185 $185

$104 R$529

77.30%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$16.71 R$84.7

258.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 $56.2

$22.18 R$112

153.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.28 $35.28

$35.82 R$182

-1.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.9 $50.9

$47.28 R$240

7.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 $9.83

$10.06 R$51.0

-2.29%

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

$300 $300

$579 R$2,936

-48.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-28.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.14 $26.14

$65.7 R$333

-60.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 $35.43

$61.0 R$309

-41.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 $81.1

$100 R$509

-19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$92.1 R$467

24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 $752

$659 R$3,341

14.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 $528

$428 R$2,170

23.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 $1,080

$1,515 R$7,678

-28.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 $977

$1,026 R$5,201

-4.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

$2,773 R$14.1K

-12.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$849 $849

$2,007 R$10.2K

-57.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,041 $3,041

$909 R$4,609

234.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.85

11.68

-58.48%

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

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caguas

$528 32.6%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 18.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Caguas

$336 20.7%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 27.2% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caguas

$301 18.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 52.4% $158

Eating Out

Caguas

$198 12.2%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 19.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Caguas

$116 7.2%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 23.9% $28

Getting Around

Caguas

$88 5.5%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 32.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Caguas

$55 3.4%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 1.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $752 in Caguas versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 234% higher in Caguas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Caguas versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Caguas

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

1 h ahead of Caguas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,318

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Caguas Sao Paulo 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Caguas
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

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

Caguas costs about 31% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Caguas and $1,852 in Sao Paulo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Paulo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Caguas and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,621 in Caguas and $1,235 in Sao Paulo. That's a gap of about 31%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,235 versus $1,621 in Caguas. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Caguas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.