Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Escazu and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $1,933 in Escazu, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,933

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,933 in Escazu versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Escazu $1,933
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,966 in Escazu versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Escazu $2,966
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,999 in Escazu versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Escazu $3,999
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Escazu is roughly 57% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Escazu is 43% above, Sao Paulo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 ₡5,486

$8.81 R$44.68

38.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 ₡27.9K

$49.37 R$250

25.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 ₡5,146

$8.80 R$44.63

30.45%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,045

$2.49 R$12.63

83.13%

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

$2.72 ₡1,218

$1.42 R$7.19

91.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡828

$0.85 R$4.31

117.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,505

$2.98 R$15.11

12.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,006

$4.34 R$22.02

3.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₡1,040

$1.24 R$6.28

87.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,397

$1.91 R$9.66

63.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,117

$1.43 R$7.25

74.13%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.81 R$14.23

27.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,757

$12.74 R$64.6

-16.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 ₡4,581

$5.41 R$27.44

88.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 ₡6,252

$10.64 R$54.0

31.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 ₡2,301

$2.75 R$13.95

86.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡726

$1.81 R$9.19

-10.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 ₡1,416

$1.63 R$8.27

93.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,378

$2.00 R$10.16

53.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,698

$1.40 R$7.10

170.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$1.27 R$6.43

193.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₡465

$1.28 R$6.47

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₡762

$0.95 R$4.83

78.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.53 ₡2,479

$2.99 R$15.15

84.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 ₡8,249

$9.96 R$50.5

84.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₡745

$1.85 R$9.37

-10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₡1,202

$2.54 R$12.90

5.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₡491

$1.09 R$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ₡923

$1.85 R$9.39

11.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$0.99 R$4.99

58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,927

$10.29 R$52.2

-14.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₡664

$1.34 R$6.78

10.45%

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

$22.4K ₡10.1M

$24.4K R$123.8K

-8.17%

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

$35.2K ₡15.8M

$33.9K R$172.1K

3.65%

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

$94.6 ₡42.4K

$104 R$529

-9.48%

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

$29.81 ₡13.4K

$16.71 R$84.7

78.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.0K

$22.18 R$112

171.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 ₡48.6K

$35.82 R$182

202.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₡4,550

$47.28 R$240

-78.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,502

$10.06 R$51.0

-22.37%

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

$457 ₡204.9K

$579 R$2,936

-21.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$17.1K R$86.6K

-1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 ₡31.9K

$65.7 R$333

8.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 ₡25.0K

$61.0 R$309

-8.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.6K

$100 R$509

30.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.4K

$92.1 R$467

41.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 ₡373.9K

$659 R$3,341

26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 ₡378.8K

$428 R$2,170

97.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 ₡879.3K

$1,515 R$7,678

29.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 ₡676.4K

$1,026 R$5,201

47.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,407 ₡630.8K

$2,773 R$14.1K

-49.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$972 ₡435.7K

$2,007 R$10.2K

-51.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 ₡782.8K

$909 R$4,609

91.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.68

-26.20%

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

Last update for Escazu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Escazu

$845 43.7%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 49.3% $417

Groceries & Markets

Escazu

$361 18.7%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 32.3% $116

Eating Out

Escazu

$231 12%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 31% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Escazu

$184 9.5%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 22.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Escazu

$174 9%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 17.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Escazu

$124 6.4%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 54.9% $68

Getting Around

Escazu

$14 * 0.7%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 319% $46

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 $834 in Escazu and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Escazu pays 92% 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: $62.0 in Escazu vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $244 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Escazu

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

11:00 11:00 AM

3 h ahead of Escazu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,984

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Escazu Sao Paulo 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Escazu
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

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

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Escazu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $834 in Escazu versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Escazu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,933 per month in Escazu versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,933 in Escazu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Escazu. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Escazu and Sao Paulo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Escazu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.