Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oaxaca de Juarez and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Oaxaca de Juarez: $1,154 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. The total is higher in Sao Paulo despite lower rent and utilities.

Oaxaca de Juarez
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,154
/mo nomad
Sao Paulo
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,235
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,154 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

  • Oaxaca de Juarez $1,154
  • Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,781 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

  • Oaxaca de Juarez $1,781
  • Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,408 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

  • Oaxaca de Juarez $2,408
  • Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Oaxaca de Juarez 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: Oaxaca de Juarez 15% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.48 MX$120
$8.81 R$44.68
-26.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.81 MX$606
$49.37 R$250
-33.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.33 MX$154
$8.80 R$44.63
-5.34%
Cappuccino
$2.82 MX$52.1
$2.49 R$12.63
13.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MX$27.83
$1.42 R$7.19
6.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 MX$14.59
$0.85 R$4.31
-7.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MX$45.90
$2.98 R$15.11
-16.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 MX$70.0
$4.34 R$22.02
-12.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 MX$24.59
$1.24 R$6.28
7.26%
White Bread (500g)
$3.13 MX$57.8
$1.91 R$9.66
63.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.12 MX$20.62
$1.43 R$7.25
-21.68%
Eggs
$1.74 MX$32.21
$2.81 R$14.23
-38.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.44 MX$119
$12.74 R$64.6
-49.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.49 MX$101
$5.41 R$27.44
1.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.27 MX$208
$10.64 R$54.0
5.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.46
$2.75 R$13.95
-22.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 MX$22.80
$1.81 R$9.19
-32.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.14
$1.63 R$8.27
16.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.53 MX$9.81
$2.00 R$10.16
-73.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.18
$1.40 R$7.10
43.57%
Onion (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.93
$1.27 R$6.43
57.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 MX$20.58
$1.28 R$6.47
-13.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 MX$17.46
$0.95 R$4.83
-1.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.24 MX$78.3
$2.99 R$15.15
41.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.40 MX$174
$9.96 R$50.5
-5.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 MX$27.11
$1.85 R$9.37
-20.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 MX$48.64
$2.54 R$12.90
3.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.81
$1.09 R$5.50
-51.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$48.78 R$247
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.89 MX$71.9
$1.85 R$9.39
110.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 MX$36.12
$0.99 R$4.99
96.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.89 MX$201
$10.29 R$52.2
5.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 MX$25.17
$1.34 R$6.78
1.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$396.0K
$24.4K R$123.8K
-12.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K MX$450.4K
$33.9K R$172.1K
-28.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.5 MX$1,155
$104 R$529
-40.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.03 MX$204
$16.71 R$84.7
-33.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.19 MX$447
$22.18 R$112
9.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.34 MX$819
$35.82 R$182
23.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$47.28 R$240
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.58 MX$103
$10.06 R$51.0
-44.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$422 MX$7,795
$579 R$2,936
-27.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.0K MX$369.3K
$17.1K R$86.6K
17.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 MX$988
$65.7 R$333
-18.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.6 MX$1,138
$61.0 R$309
0.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 MX$1,887
$100 R$509
1.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.3 MX$1,816
$92.1 R$467
6.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$696 MX$12.9K
$659 R$3,341
5.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$481 MX$8,885
$428 R$2,170
12.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 MX$22.3K
$1,515 R$7,678
-20.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$892 MX$16.5K
$1,026 R$5,201
-13.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,773 R$14.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,007 R$10.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oaxaca de Juarez
Sao Paulo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$909 R$4,609
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.96
11.68
-6.16%

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

Last update for Oaxaca de Juarez: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Oaxaca de Juarez
$481
Sao Paulo
$428 11% $53
Groceries & Markets
Oaxaca de Juarez
$222
Sao Paulo
$244 9.9% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Oaxaca de Juarez
$142
Sao Paulo
$144 1.2% $1.7
Eating Out
Oaxaca de Juarez
$140
Sao Paulo
$159 14% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oaxaca de Juarez
$98
Sao Paulo
$143 46.7% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Oaxaca de Juarez
$56
Sao Paulo
$56 0.8% $0.4
Getting Around
Oaxaca de Juarez
$16 *
Sao Paulo
$60 279% $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 $696 in Oaxaca de Juarez and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33.00 in Oaxaca de Juarez vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $244 per month, with Oaxaca de Juarez cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Oaxaca de Juarez
🇧🇷 Sao Paulo
🕒 Local time
02:20 2:20 AM
05:20 5:20 AM
3 h ahead of Oaxaca de Juarez
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
258,913
11,451,999
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oaxaca de Juarez Sao Paulo 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Oaxaca de Juarez
  • 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
Oaxaca de Juarez vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Oaxaca de Juarez or Sao Paulo?
Oaxaca de Juarez 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 Oaxaca de Juarez the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Oaxaca de Juarez and in Sao Paulo?
You'd need roughly $1,731 in Oaxaca de Juarez and $1,852 in Sao Paulo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Oaxaca de Juarez compared to Sao Paulo?
Rent for a central apartment: $696 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Oaxaca de Juarez or in Sao Paulo?
Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Oaxaca de Juarez compared to Sao Paulo?
All in, you'll spend $1,154 per month in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Oaxaca de Juarez or in Sao Paulo?
At $1,154 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oaxaca de Juarez but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Oaxaca de Juarez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Oaxaca de Juarez or Sao Paulo?
Both work as nomad bases, but Oaxaca de Juarez delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,154 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oaxaca de Juarez hard to pass up.
How safe is Oaxaca de Juarez compared to Sao Paulo?
Safety-wise, Oaxaca de Juarez 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Oaxaca de Juarez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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