Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $688 in Cusco versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo.

Cusco $688
Sao Paulo $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,096 in Cusco versus $2,085 in Sao Paulo.

Cusco $1,096
Sao Paulo $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,505 in Cusco versus $2,926 in Sao Paulo.

Cusco $1,505
Sao Paulo $2,926

Living in Cusco costs roughly 45% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Sao Paulo 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 PEN 6.85

$8.94 R$44.87

-77.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.55 PEN 70.7

$49.46 R$248

-58.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 PEN 23.04

$9.22 R$46.25

-27.33%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.24

$2.54 R$12.77

-16.93%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$1.45 R$7.29

-46.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.13

$0.91 R$4.57

-63.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$3.07 R$15.39

-43.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.90

$4.36 R$21.87

-0.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 PEN 4.27

$1.27 R$6.36

-2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.97

$1.84 R$9.22

26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.41 R$7.08

-8.51%

Eggs

$3.63 PEN 12.48

$2.84 R$14.27

27.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 PEN 16.14

$12.56 R$63.0

-62.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PEN 15.24

$5.37 R$26.95

-17.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 PEN 25.35

$10.72 R$53.8

-31.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 PEN 8.78

$2.74 R$13.74

-6.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$1.81 R$9.08

-57.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.04

$1.55 R$7.78

-5.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$1.98 R$9.95

-57.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$1.47 R$7.38

-30.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.24 R$6.23

-11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$1.27 R$6.38

-61.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$0.96 R$4.82

-21.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.24

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 PEN 20.41

$10.19 R$51.1

-41.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.38

$1.73 R$8.69

6.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 PEN 14.16

$2.64 R$13.26

56.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$1.04 R$5.20

-71.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$241

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.82 R$9.12

-5.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 PEN 6.65

$1.02 R$5.10

89.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$10.16 R$51.0

-72.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.42

$1.27 R$6.38

23.62%

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

$24.3K R$122.0K

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

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

$34.0K R$170.6K

-14.91%

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

$29.31 PEN 101

$104 R$522

-71.80%

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

$14.31 PEN 49.22

$16.16 R$81.1

-11.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.13 PEN 152

$22.59 R$113

95.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 PEN 98.1

$36.27 R$182

-21.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PEN 14.64

$9.85 R$49.45

-56.75%

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

$525 R$2,635

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$83.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.39 PEN 129

$66.9 R$336

-44.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 PEN 115

$62.3 R$312

-46.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 PEN 187

$101 R$507

-46.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 PEN 248

$90.9 R$456

-20.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 748

$663 R$3,326

-67.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 PEN 657

$423 R$2,121

-54.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 PEN 1,849

$1,527 R$7,662

-64.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 PEN 1,431

$1,009 R$5,061

-58.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

$2,744 R$13.8K

18.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,823 PEN 6,270

$2,068 R$10.4K

-11.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 PEN 1,490

$881 R$4,419

-50.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

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

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$191 27.8%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 122% $232

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27.2%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 30.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 62.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.8%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 62.6% $55

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12.1%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 96.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$37 5.4%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 51.2% $19

Getting Around

Cusco

$13 * 1.8%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 369% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Cusco and $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 103% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $21.00 in Cusco vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $243 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

22:57 10:57 PM

2 h ahead of Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cusco Sao Paulo 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
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

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

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 103% 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: $218 in Cusco versus $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Paulo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.