Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecatepec and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Paulo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
Learn more

Ecatepec Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Ecatepec $961
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Ecatepec $1,670
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $2,380 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Ecatepec $2,380
Sao Paulo $2,911

Ecatepec is about 22% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ecatepec and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Ecatepec 29% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 MX$206

$8.81 R$44.68

26.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 MX$926

$49.37 R$250

1.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 MX$177

$8.80 R$44.63

8.75%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$2.49 R$12.63

49.00%

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

$1.62 MX$30.02

$1.42 R$7.19

14.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.09

$0.85 R$4.31

28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.98 R$15.11

13.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$103

$4.34 R$22.02

28.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.71

$1.24 R$6.28

38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 MX$49.12

$1.91 R$9.66

39.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.17

$1.43 R$7.25

37.06%

Eggs

$2.75 MX$50.9

$2.81 R$14.23

-2.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$12.74 R$64.6

-30.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 MX$168

$5.41 R$27.44

68.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 MX$249

$10.64 R$54.0

26.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$58.0

$2.75 R$13.95

14.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.74

$1.81 R$9.19

-8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.65

$1.63 R$8.27

25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.12

$2.00 R$10.16

-5.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.16

$1.40 R$7.10

27.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$1.27 R$6.43

37.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$1.28 R$6.47

16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.95

$0.95 R$4.83

25.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 MX$84.9

$2.99 R$15.15

53.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.62 MX$307

$9.96 R$50.5

66.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.85 R$9.37

3.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$70.7

$2.54 R$12.90

50.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.72

$1.09 R$5.50

-42.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.01 MX$573

$48.78 R$247

-36.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MX$36.81

$1.85 R$9.39

7.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$0.99 R$4.99

-47.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 MX$98.3

$10.29 R$52.2

-48.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.48

$1.34 R$6.78

14.93%

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

$21.5K MX$397.7K

$24.4K R$123.8K

-11.85%

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

$23.5K MX$434.5K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-30.74%

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

$57.7 MX$1,067

$104 R$529

-44.73%

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

$27.01 MX$499

$16.71 R$84.7

61.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.74 MX$457

$22.18 R$112

11.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 MX$487

$35.82 R$182

-26.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$203

$47.28 R$240

-76.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$10.06 R$51.0

-35.69%

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

$270 MX$4,996

$579 R$2,936

-53.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,048 MX$93.3K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-70.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 MX$1,092

$65.7 R$333

-10.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 MX$830

$61.0 R$309

-26.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,855

$100 R$509

0.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,826

$92.1 R$467

7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 MX$4,487

$659 R$3,341

-63.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MX$2,550

$428 R$2,170

-67.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$1,515 R$7,678

-54.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 MX$8,205

$1,026 R$5,201

-56.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 MX$14.0K

$2,773 R$14.1K

-72.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$755 MX$13.9K

$2,007 R$10.2K

-62.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 MX$10.2K

$909 R$4,609

-39.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.68

-3.25%

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

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ecatepec

$298 31%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 18% $54

Eating Out

Ecatepec

$201 21%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 20.8% $42

Accommodation & Living

Ecatepec

$138 14.4%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 210% $290

Clothing & Footwear

Ecatepec

$136 14.2%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 5.3% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecatepec

$109 11.4%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 30.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ecatepec

$39 4.1%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 42.3% $17

Getting Around

Ecatepec

$38 4%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 57% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Ecatepec 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 64% higher in Sao Paulo, 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

13:49 1:49 PM

3 h ahead of Ecatepec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,645,352

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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 MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ecatepec Sao Paulo 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ecatepec
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $961 in Ecatepec, $1,235 in Sao Paulo – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Ecatepec 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 Ecatepec, 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec 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 $961 in Ecatepec and $1,235 in Sao Paulo. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sao Paulo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in Ecatepec to $1,235 in Sao Paulo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ecatepec. 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.