Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Male and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $1,524 in Male, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Male outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Male
Learn more

Male Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,524

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,524 in Male versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo.

Male $1,524
Sao Paulo $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,454 in Male versus $2,085 in Sao Paulo.

Male $2,454
Sao Paulo $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,385 in Male versus $2,926 in Sao Paulo.

Male $3,385
Sao Paulo $2,926

Living in Male is roughly 22% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Male is 14% above, Sao Paulo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.86 MVR 90.3

$8.94 R$44.64

-34.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.10 MVR 587

$49.46 R$247

-22.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 MVR 150

$9.22 R$46.01

5.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.73 MVR 72.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Cappuccino

$3.49 MVR 53.8

$2.54 R$12.70

37.40%

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

$1.63 MVR 25.14

$1.45 R$7.25

12.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.80

$0.91 R$4.55

-65.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 MVR 30.50

$1.27 R$6.32

55.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 MVR 24.74

$1.84 R$9.17

-13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 MVR 18.59

$1.41 R$7.05

-14.18%

Eggs

$1.94 MVR 29.89

$2.84 R$14.20

-31.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 MVR 162

$12.56 R$62.7

-16.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.01 MVR 92.7

$5.37 R$26.81

11.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 MVR 149

$10.72 R$53.5

-9.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 MVR 62.5

$2.74 R$13.67

47.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 MVR 48.26

$1.81 R$9.03

72.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 MVR 61.4

$1.55 R$7.74

156.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 MVR 41.00

$1.98 R$9.90

34.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MVR 31.10

$1.47 R$7.34

37.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MVR 28.95

$1.24 R$6.20

51.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 MVR 32.75

$1.27 R$6.35

66.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MVR 9.47

$0.96 R$4.79

-36.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MVR 29.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.01 MVR 231

$3.04 R$15.16

393.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MVR 9.74

$1.04 R$5.18

-39.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.22 MVR 466

$48.10 R$240

-37.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 MVR 30.56

$1.82 R$9.07

8.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MVR 29.35

$1.02 R$5.07

86.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 MVR 157

$10.16 R$50.7

0.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.24

$1.27 R$6.35

-22.05%

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

$32.9K MVR 506.6K

$24.3K R$121.4K

35.08%

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

$28.8K MVR 443.6K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-15.41%

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

$117 MVR 1,808

$104 R$519

12.80%

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

$30.56 MVR 471

$16.16 R$80.7

89.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.8 MVR 1,107

$22.59 R$113

217.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 MVR 1,110

$36.27 R$181

98.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.45 MVR 531

$47.78 R$239

-27.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 MVR 153

$9.85 R$49.19

0.51%

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

$185 MVR 2,860

$525 R$2,622

-64.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,048 MVR 47.0K

$16.6K R$82.8K

-81.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 MVR 605

$66.9 R$334

-41.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.98 MVR 771

$62.3 R$311

-19.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 MVR 1,323

$101 R$505

-15.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.5 MVR 794

$90.9 R$454

-43.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 MVR 14.6K

$663 R$3,309

43.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 MVR 10.9K

$423 R$2,110

67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 MVR 31.4K

$1,527 R$7,622

33.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 MVR 23.5K

$1,009 R$5,035

51.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,282 MVR 35.2K

$2,744 R$13.7K

-16.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,391 MVR 21.5K

$2,068 R$10.3K

-32.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$837 MVR 12.9K

$881 R$4,396

-5.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

19.86%

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

Last update for Male: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Male

$709 46.5%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 40.4% $287

Groceries & Markets

Male

$233 15.3%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 4.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Male

$220 14.4%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 35% $77

Eating Out

Male

$126 8.2%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 29.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Male

$102 6.7%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 41.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Male

$92 6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 39% $36

Getting Around

Male

$44 2.9%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 33.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $948 in Male and $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38.00 in Male vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $243 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Male

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

22:39 10:39 PM

8 h behind Male

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,693 Capital

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.29 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 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).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Male Sao Paulo 13,260 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Male
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

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

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Sao Paulo. 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: $948 in Male versus $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,524 per month in Male versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Paulo runs roughly 59% less than in Male. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,524 in Male, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Male. 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 Male, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Male 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 22% less than in Male. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.