Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasto and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $799 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
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Pasto Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$799

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $799 in Pasto versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Pasto $799
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,210 in Pasto versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Pasto $1,210
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,622 in Pasto versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Pasto $1,622
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Pasto costs roughly 35% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pasto 41% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 COP 12.6K

$8.81 R$44.68

-54.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.79 COP 75.4K

$49.37 R$250

-51.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 COP 23.7K

$8.80 R$44.63

-15.23%

Cappuccino

$1.56 COP 4,934

$2.49 R$12.63

-37.35%

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

$0.86 COP 2,724

$1.42 R$7.19

-39.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 COP 1,943

$0.85 R$4.31

-28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 COP 3,666

$2.98 R$15.11

-61.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 COP 6,968

$4.34 R$22.02

-49.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 COP 3,464

$1.24 R$6.28

-12.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 COP 4,088

$1.91 R$9.66

-32.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,744

$1.43 R$7.25

-17.48%

Eggs

$2.14 COP 6,771

$2.81 R$14.23

-23.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.61 COP 14.6K

$12.74 R$64.6

-63.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 COP 16.7K

$5.41 R$27.44

-2.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 COP 23.1K

$10.64 R$54.0

-31.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 COP 7,748

$2.75 R$13.95

-11.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 COP 3,302

$1.81 R$9.19

-42.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 COP 4,108

$1.63 R$8.27

-20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 COP 3,379

$2.00 R$10.16

-46.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 COP 3,648

$1.40 R$7.10

-17.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 COP 3,586

$1.27 R$6.43

-11.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 COP 2,537

$1.28 R$6.47

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,041

$0.95 R$4.83

-32.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 COP 7,509

$2.99 R$15.15

-20.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 COP 31.1K

$9.96 R$50.5

-1.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 COP 3,443

$1.85 R$9.37

-41.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 COP 5,599

$2.54 R$12.90

-30.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 COP 2,271

$1.09 R$5.50

-33.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.39 COP 96.4K

$48.78 R$247

-37.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 COP 4,532

$1.85 R$9.39

-22.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 COP 5,688

$0.99 R$4.99

80.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 COP 18.9K

$10.29 R$52.2

-41.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 COP 2,958

$1.34 R$6.78

-30.60%

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

$18.1K COP 57.2M

$24.4K R$123.8K

-26.05%

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

$25.7K COP 81.6M

$33.9K R$172.1K

-24.15%

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

$83.4 COP 264.4K

$104 R$529

-20.16%

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

$8.89 COP 28.2K

$16.71 R$84.7

-46.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.38 COP 71.0K

$22.18 R$112

0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.02 COP 73.0K

$35.82 R$182

-35.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 COP 12.3K

$10.06 R$51.0

-61.33%

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

$235 COP 744.6K

$579 R$2,936

-59.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,071 COP 19.2M

$17.1K R$86.6K

-64.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 COP 185.6K

$65.7 R$333

-10.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 COP 103.4K

$61.0 R$309

-46.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 COP 261.4K

$100 R$509

-17.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 COP 227.6K

$92.1 R$467

-22.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 COP 851.9K

$659 R$3,341

-59.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 COP 751.4K

$428 R$2,170

-44.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 COP 1.7M

$1,515 R$7,678

-65.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 COP 1.3M

$1,026 R$5,201

-59.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,429 COP 4.5M

$2,773 R$14.1K

-48.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 COP 3.4M

$2,007 R$10.2K

-46.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.06

11.68

11.82%

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

Last update for Pasto: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasto

$237 29.7%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 80.6% $191

Groceries & Markets

Pasto

$173 21.7%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 41% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasto

$115 14.4%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 25% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Pasto

$110 13.8%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 30.1% $33

Eating Out

Pasto

$89 11.1%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 79.3% $71

Getting Around

Pasto

$44 5.5%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 37.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Pasto

$31 3.9%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 81.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $269 in Pasto and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Pasto vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $244 per month, with Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Pasto

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

01:47 1:47 AM

2 h ahead of Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 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 COP in detail →

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Between locations

Pasto Sao Paulo 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasto
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

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

Pasto and Sao Paulo differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($799 vs $1,235 including rent). Pasto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,198 in Pasto 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $269 in Pasto versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pasto – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $799 in Pasto versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pasto but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Pasto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Pasto 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 Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.