Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecuador and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecuador: $874 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

🇪🇨 Ecuador
$874
/mo nomad
Sao Paulo
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,244
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Ecuador is 23.2% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 29.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ecuador is 22.2% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 35.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.54 $3.54
$8.94 R$44.64
-60.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.47 $34.47
$49.46 R$247
-30.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.97 $6.97
$9.22 R$46.01
-24.40%
Cappuccino
$2.72 $2.72
$2.54 R$12.70
7.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.45 R$7.25
-28.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 $0.81
$0.91 R$4.55
-10.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 $1.95
$3.07 R$15.31
-36.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 $3.92
$4.36 R$21.75
-10.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.27 R$6.32
-18.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.84 R$9.17
-3.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.45 $1.45
$1.41 R$7.05
2.84%
Eggs
$2.05 $2.05
$2.84 R$14.20
-27.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.10 $6.10
$12.56 R$62.7
-51.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 $5.43
$5.37 R$26.81
1.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.76 $7.76
$10.72 R$53.5
-27.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.04 $2.04
$2.74 R$13.67
-25.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.81 R$9.03
-41.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 $1.33
$1.55 R$7.74
-14.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.21 $1.21
$1.98 R$9.90
-38.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 $1.18
$1.47 R$7.34
-19.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.24 R$6.20
-18.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 $0.77
$1.27 R$6.35
-39.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 $1.08
$0.96 R$4.79
12.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.88 $5.88
$3.04 R$15.16
93.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.06 $10.06
$10.19 R$50.8
-1.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.73 R$8.64
-1.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 $3.00
$2.64 R$13.19
13.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 $0.33
$1.04 R$5.18
-68.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.01 $21.01
$48.10 R$240
-56.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.82 R$9.07
-17.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.02 R$5.07
48.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.12 $10.12
$10.16 R$50.7
-0.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.79 $0.79
$1.27 R$6.35
-37.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K $20.5K
$24.3K R$121.4K
-15.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.5K $29.5K
$34.0K R$169.8K
-13.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.19 $44.19
$104 R$519
-57.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 $13.55
$16.16 R$80.7
-16.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.23 $28.23
$22.59 R$113
24.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.74 $34.74
$36.27 R$181
-4.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.45 $15.45
$47.78 R$239
-67.66%
Cinema Ticket
$6.95 $6.95
$9.85 R$49.19
-29.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$398 $398
$525 R$2,622
-24.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,244 $6,244
$16.6K R$82.8K
-62.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 $62.9
$66.9 R$334
-5.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.80 $45.80
$62.3 R$311
-26.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 $107
$101 R$505
5.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.7 $77.7
$90.9 R$454
-14.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$381 $381
$663 R$3,309
-42.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$278 $278
$423 R$2,110
-34.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$603 $603
$1,527 R$7,622
-60.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 $482
$1,009 R$5,035
-52.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,565 $1,565
$2,744 R$13.7K
-42.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$812 $812
$2,068 R$10.3K
-60.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ecuador
Sao Paulo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$544 $544
$881 R$4,396
-38.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.34
11.68
-11.47%

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

Last update for Ecuador: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ecuador
$278
Sao Paulo
$423 52.2% $145
Groceries & Markets
Ecuador
$195
Sao Paulo
$243 24.7% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Ecuador
$132
Sao Paulo
$145 9.6% $13
Eating Out
Ecuador
$107
Sao Paulo
$163 52.8% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ecuador
$86
Sao Paulo
$143 66% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Ecuador
$49
Sao Paulo
$56 15.1% $7.3
Getting Around
Ecuador
$31
Sao Paulo
$59 88.1% $28
Good to know
🇪🇨 Ecuador
🇧🇷 Sao Paulo
🕒 Local time
21:33 9:33 PM
23:33 11:33 PM
2 h ahead of Ecuador
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,938,986
11,451,999
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ecuador Sao Paulo 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ecuador
  • 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

Ecuador vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?