Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lazaro Cardenas and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas: $1,141 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Lazaro Cardenas
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Lazaro Cardenas Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Lazaro Cardenas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo.

Lazaro Cardenas $1,141
Sao Paulo $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,839 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $2,044 in Sao Paulo.

Lazaro Cardenas $1,839
Sao Paulo $2,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,537 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $2,867 in Sao Paulo.

Lazaro Cardenas $2,537
Sao Paulo $2,867

Living in Lazaro Cardenas costs roughly 7% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lazaro Cardenas 16% lower, Sao Paulo 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.83 MX$203

$8.71 R$43.51

24.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 MX$817

$48.61 R$243

-10.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 MX$163

$9.03 R$45.11

-3.65%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.6

$2.55 R$12.76

41.57%

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

$1.42 MX$26.59

$1.35 R$6.73

5.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.24

$0.91 R$4.57

13.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 MX$46.92

$3.07 R$15.32

-18.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 MX$74.7

$4.38 R$21.89

-8.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$31.06

$1.19 R$5.97

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$47.41

$1.80 R$9.01

40.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MX$31.19

$1.48 R$7.40

12.84%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$45.51

$2.82 R$14.11

-13.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 MX$153

$12.61 R$63.0

-35.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 MX$159

$5.40 R$26.97

57.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 MX$212

$10.76 R$53.8

5.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$49.98

$2.82 R$14.07

-5.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.74

$1.82 R$9.12

-12.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.65

$1.60 R$8.02

18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.27

$2.03 R$10.13

-9.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.05

$1.46 R$7.29

32.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.61

$1.25 R$6.26

44.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.75

$1.25 R$6.23

18.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.23

$0.98 R$4.90

10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MX$80.8

$3.00 R$14.96

44.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 MX$193

$9.71 R$48.51

6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$32.88

$1.84 R$9.19

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$2.52 R$12.61

26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.92

$1.07 R$5.33

-35.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$236

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 MX$47.26

$1.81 R$9.02

39.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 MX$35.92

$1.01 R$5.06

90.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.01 MX$206

$10.24 R$51.1

7.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.62

$1.29 R$6.43

14.73%

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

$21.1K MX$395.7K

$23.5K R$117.6K

-10.17%

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

$23.8K MX$445.7K

$34.5K R$172.4K

-31.00%

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

$58.7 MX$1,099

$104 R$520

-43.56%

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

$22.31 MX$417

$16.60 R$82.9

34.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.94 MX$560

$22.04 R$110

35.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 MX$642

$36.43 R$182

-5.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.49 MX$384

$47.29 R$236

-56.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MX$95.7

$9.69 R$48.41

-47.27%

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

$221 MX$4,141

$573 R$2,865

-61.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,553 MX$85.2K

$16.9K R$84.6K

-73.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MX$1,035

$66.3 R$331

-16.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.96 MX$748

$61.1 R$305

-34.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 MX$1,867

$98.8 R$493

0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 MX$1,687

$91.4 R$457

-1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 MX$11.3K

$654 R$3,268

-8.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$7,352

$418 R$2,090

-6.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MX$19.8K

$1,524 R$7,613

-30.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 MX$14.6K

$992 R$4,955

-21.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,921 MX$36.0K

$2,670 R$13.3K

-28.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,169 MX$21.9K

$2,019 R$10.1K

-42.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$552 MX$10.3K

$900 R$4,498

-38.69%

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 Lazaro Cardenas: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lazaro Cardenas

$393 34.4%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 6.5% $25

Groceries & Markets

Lazaro Cardenas

$263 23.1%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 7.6% $20

Eating Out

Lazaro Cardenas

$186 16.3%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 13.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lazaro Cardenas

$128 11.3%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 11.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lazaro Cardenas

$111 9.7%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 28.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Lazaro Cardenas

$45 3.9%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 25.4% $11

Getting Around

Lazaro Cardenas

$15 * 1.3%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 293% $44

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 $602 in Lazaro Cardenas and $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Lazaro Cardenas vs $49 in Sao Paulo. Groceries flip the comparison at $263 vs $243, with Sao Paulo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Lazaro Cardenas

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

3 h ahead of Lazaro Cardenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,637

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.61 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lazaro Cardenas Sao Paulo 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lazaro Cardenas
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

Lazaro Cardenas vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lazaro Cardenas wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lazaro Cardenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Lazaro Cardenas. 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: $602 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $573 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas – a meal for two runs $44 versus $49 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lazaro Cardenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Lazaro Cardenas 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lazaro Cardenas wins on affordability, Sao Paulo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.