Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chimaltenango and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
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Chimaltenango Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $745 per month in Chimaltenango vs $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Chimaltenango $745
Sao Paulo $1,244

A couple spends around $1,229 per month in Chimaltenango vs $2,085 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,229
Sao Paulo $2,085

A family of three spends $1,712 per month in Chimaltenango vs $2,926 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,712
Sao Paulo $2,926

Chimaltenango is about 40% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chimaltenango and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Chimaltenango 44% lower, Sao Paulo 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.92 Q 52.9

$8.94 R$44.64

-22.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.80 Q 381

$49.46 R$247

0.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.69 Q 58.8

$9.22 R$46.01

-16.59%

Cappuccino

$3.36 Q 25.67

$2.54 R$12.70

32.28%

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

$1.16 Q 8.88

$1.45 R$7.25

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 Q 7.10

$0.91 R$4.55

2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 Q 24.36

$3.07 R$15.31

3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 Q 37.04

$4.36 R$21.75

11.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 Q 15.30

$1.27 R$6.32

57.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 Q 23.94

$1.84 R$9.17

70.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 15.96

$1.41 R$7.05

48.23%

Eggs

$2.56 Q 19.59

$2.84 R$14.20

-9.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 Q 49.37

$12.56 R$62.7

-48.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 Q 72.1

$5.37 R$26.81

75.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 Q 103

$10.72 R$53.5

25.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 Q 30.54

$2.74 R$13.67

45.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.66

$1.81 R$9.03

-8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 Q 21.56

$1.55 R$7.74

81.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.70

$1.98 R$9.90

-16.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 Q 11.27

$1.47 R$7.34

0.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 Q 16.08

$1.24 R$6.20

69.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.17

$1.27 R$6.35

-46.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.78

$0.96 R$4.79

19.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 Q 30.48

$3.04 R$15.16

31.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 Q 63.9

$10.19 R$50.8

-17.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Q 13.36

$1.73 R$8.64

1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Q 20.49

$2.64 R$13.19

1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 Q 40.28

$1.82 R$9.07

189.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.27 Q 78.5

$10.16 R$50.7

1.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 Q 9.28

$1.27 R$6.35

-4.72%

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

$27.9K Q 213.3K

$24.3K R$121.4K

14.76%

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

$25.3K Q 193.1K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-25.68%

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

$72.4 Q 553

$104 R$519

-30.35%

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

$29.30 Q 224

$16.16 R$80.7

81.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.04 Q 359

$22.59 R$113

108.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 Q 48.43

$9.85 R$49.19

-35.63%

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

$338 Q 2,583

$525 R$2,622

-35.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,593 Q 50.4K

$16.6K R$82.8K

-60.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.38 Q 377

$66.9 R$334

-26.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.63 Q 364

$62.3 R$311

-23.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 Q 889

$101 R$505

15.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Q 873

$90.9 R$454

25.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.68

-0.51%

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

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 13.9% $39

Eating Out

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 6.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 4.1% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 2% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 342% $43

Getting Around

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 1022% $54

Accommodation & Living

Chimaltenango

- * 0%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chimaltenango versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $282 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

02:33 2:33 AM

3 h ahead of Chimaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,900

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 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 GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chimaltenango Sao Paulo 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chimaltenango
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

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

Sao Paulo costs about 67% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,117 per month in Chimaltenango and $1,866 in Sao Paulo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chimaltenango and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Sao Paulo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Sao Paulo at $1,244. In Chimaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chimaltenango costs $745 versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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