Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portoviejo and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $807 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
Learn more

Portoviejo Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$807

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $807 in Portoviejo versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Portoviejo $807
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,347 in Portoviejo versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Portoviejo $1,347
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,888 in Portoviejo versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Portoviejo $1,888
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Portoviejo 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: Portoviejo 40% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 $4.07

$8.81 R$44.68

-53.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 $51.8

$49.37 R$250

4.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 $9.19

$8.80 R$44.63

4.43%

Cappuccino

$2.91 $2.91

$2.49 R$12.63

16.87%

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

$0.89 $0.89

$1.42 R$7.19

-37.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$0.85 R$4.31

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.98 R$15.11

2.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.34 R$22.02

-3.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.24 R$6.28

-1.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.91 R$9.66

3.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.43 R$7.25

-0.70%

Eggs

$2.04 $2.04

$2.81 R$14.23

-27.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.85 $6.85

$12.74 R$64.6

-46.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$5.41 R$27.44

-5.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.35 $9.35

$10.64 R$54.0

-12.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.75 R$13.95

-44.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.81 R$9.19

-36.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.63 R$8.27

-39.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.00 R$10.16

-52.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.40 R$7.10

-12.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.27 R$6.43

-23.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.28 R$6.47

-35.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.95 R$4.83

4.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$2.99 R$15.15

96.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 $11.77

$9.96 R$50.5

18.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.85 R$9.37

-14.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.54 R$12.90

-13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$1.09 R$5.50

-66.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.65 $17.65

$48.78 R$247

-63.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.85 R$9.39

-25.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.99 R$4.99

73.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.82 $11.82

$10.29 R$52.2

14.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.34 R$6.78

-38.06%

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

$20.6K $20.6K

$24.4K R$123.8K

-15.60%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-8.72%

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

$39.37 $39.37

$104 R$529

-62.31%

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

$14.63 $14.63

$16.71 R$84.7

-12.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.63 $25.63

$22.18 R$112

15.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.86 $26.86

$35.82 R$182

-25.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$47.28 R$240

-62.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 $7.46

$10.06 R$51.0

-25.84%

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

$378 $378

$579 R$2,936

-34.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,653 $5,653

$17.1K R$86.6K

-66.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$65.7 R$333

-0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 $39.77

$61.0 R$309

-34.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$100 R$509

24.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$92.1 R$467

2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 $296

$659 R$3,341

-55.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 $185

$428 R$2,170

-56.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 $719

$1,515 R$7,678

-52.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 $362

$1,026 R$5,201

-64.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,183 $1,183

$2,773 R$14.1K

-57.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 $769

$2,007 R$10.2K

-61.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$327 $327

$909 R$4,609

-64.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.68

-13.96%

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

Last update for Portoviejo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portoviejo

$200 24.8%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 22.3% $44

Accommodation & Living

Portoviejo

$185 23%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 131% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Portoviejo

$146 18.1%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 1.6% $2.3

Eating Out

Portoviejo

$125 15.5%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 27.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portoviejo

$80 9.9%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 80% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Portoviejo

$42 5.2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 33.9% $14

Getting Around

Portoviejo

$29 3.6%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 106% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Portoviejo and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 178% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Portoviejo vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $244, with Portoviejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

2 h ahead of Portoviejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,641

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portoviejo Sao Paulo 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Portoviejo
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

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

Portoviejo wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Portoviejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 178% 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: $296 in Portoviejo versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Portoviejo – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $807 in Portoviejo versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Portoviejo but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Portoviejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Portoviejo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $807 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Portoviejo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Portoviejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.