Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahabad and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $522 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
Learn more

Mahabad Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$522

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Mahabad vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Mahabad $522
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $849 per month in Mahabad vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Mahabad $849
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $1,177 per month in Mahabad vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Mahabad $1,177
Sao Paulo $2,911

Mahabad is about 58% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mahabad and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Mahabad 61% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 $2.97

$8.81 R$44.68

-66.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.06 $17.06

$49.37 R$250

-65.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.06 $4.06

$8.80 R$44.63

-53.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 $0.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$1.13 $1.13

$2.49 R$12.63

-54.62%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$1.42 R$7.19

-63.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.85 R$4.31

10.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.24 R$6.28

-47.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.91 R$9.66

-73.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.43 R$7.25

44.76%

Eggs

$1.18 $1.18

$2.81 R$14.23

-58.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$12.74 R$64.6

-66.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$5.41 R$27.44

-40.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$10.64 R$54.0

-28.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.75 R$13.95

-63.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.81 R$9.19

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.63 R$8.27

-47.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 $0.61

$2.00 R$10.16

-69.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.40 R$7.10

-61.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.27 R$6.43

-62.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$1.28 R$6.47

-58.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$0.95 R$4.83

-72.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.92 $0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.99 R$15.15

-28.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 $0.15

$1.09 R$5.50

-86.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.76 $8.76

$48.78 R$247

-82.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 $0.44

$1.85 R$9.39

-76.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.99 R$4.99

-70.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 $2.87

$10.29 R$52.2

-72.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.34 R$6.78

-92.54%

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

$47.7K $47.7K

$24.4K R$123.8K

95.51%

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

$47.6K $47.6K

$33.9K R$172.1K

40.36%

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

$12.32 $12.32

$104 R$529

-88.20%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$16.71 R$84.7

-90.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.76 $3.76

$22.18 R$112

-83.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.63 $18.63

$35.82 R$182

-47.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.75 $11.75

$47.28 R$240

-75.15%

Cinema Ticket

$1.97 $1.97

$10.06 R$51.0

-80.42%

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

$106 $106

$579 R$2,936

-81.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,234 $2,234

$17.1K R$86.6K

-86.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.20 $23.20

$65.7 R$333

-64.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.48 $28.48

$61.0 R$309

-53.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 $96.3

$100 R$509

-4.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 $71.4

$92.1 R$467

-22.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 $264

$659 R$3,341

-59.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 $211

$428 R$2,170

-50.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 $728

$1,515 R$7,678

-51.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 $408

$1,026 R$5,201

-60.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,131 $1,131

$2,773 R$14.1K

-59.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$530 $530

$2,007 R$10.2K

-73.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 $253

$909 R$4,609

-72.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

11.68

108.05%

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

Last update for Mahabad: 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

Mahabad

$211 40.5%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 103% $217

Groceries & Markets

Mahabad

$105 20.1%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 133% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Mahabad

$99 18.9%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 45.5% $45

Eating Out

Mahabad

$55 10.6%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 188% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Mahabad

$23 4.3%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 148% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahabad

$18 3.4%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 712% $126

Getting Around

Mahabad

$11 2.2%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 432% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Mahabad 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 260% 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 $17.00 in Mahabad versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $244 – making Mahabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

6 h 30 min behind Mahabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,541

11,451,999

💱 Currency

USD USD

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mahabad Sao Paulo 11,740 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahabad
Sao Paulo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Mahabad 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 Mahabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $106 per month in Mahabad and $579 in Sao Paulo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 133% more in Sao Paulo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mahabad, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Mahabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mahabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mahabad. 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.