Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,148 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
Learn more

Quetzaltenango Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,148 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,148
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $1,444 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,444
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $1,741 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,741
Sao Paulo $2,911

Quetzaltenango is about 7% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Quetzaltenango and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Quetzaltenango 15% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.78 Q 51.9

$8.81 R$44.68

-23.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.64 Q 380

$49.37 R$250

0.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 Q 58.6

$8.80 R$44.63

-12.95%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Q 24.91

$2.49 R$12.63

30.92%

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

$1.15 Q 8.77

$1.42 R$7.19

-19.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 Q 6.97

$0.85 R$4.31

7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 Q 25.60

$2.98 R$15.11

12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 Q 35.65

$4.34 R$22.02

7.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 Q 15.36

$1.24 R$6.28

62.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 Q 20.33

$1.91 R$9.66

39.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.30

$1.43 R$7.25

48.95%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.16

$2.81 R$14.23

-10.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 Q 49.23

$12.74 R$64.6

-49.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 Q 60.9

$5.41 R$27.44

47.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 Q 98.3

$10.64 R$54.0

20.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 Q 21.90

$2.75 R$13.95

4.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Q 13.02

$1.81 R$9.19

-6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.30

$1.63 R$8.27

79.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.55

$2.00 R$10.16

-18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 Q 11.81

$1.40 R$7.10

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Q 16.71

$1.27 R$6.43

72.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.31

$1.28 R$6.47

-46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.10

$0.95 R$4.83

25.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.64

$2.99 R$15.15

12.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$9.96 R$50.5

-18.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$1.85 R$9.37

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 Q 20.70

$2.54 R$12.90

6.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 Q 39.38

$1.85 R$9.39

178.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$0.99 R$4.99

74.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 Q 80.8

$10.29 R$52.2

2.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 Q 10.57

$1.34 R$6.78

2.99%

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

$27.5K Q 210.6K

$24.4K R$123.8K

12.81%

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

$25.3K Q 193.3K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-25.54%

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

$72.7 Q 556

$104 R$529

-30.36%

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

$13.06 Q 99.9

$16.71 R$84.7

-21.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.29 Q 354

$22.18 R$112

108.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.89 Q 251

$35.82 R$182

-8.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$6.35 Q 48.54

$10.06 R$51.0

-36.88%

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

$342 Q 2,611

$579 R$2,936

-41.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,757 Q 51.7K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-60.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 Q 382

$65.7 R$333

-23.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 Q 356

$61.0 R$309

-23.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 844

$100 R$509

9.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$92.1 R$467

21.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 Q 3,037

$659 R$3,341

-39.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 Q 3,046

$428 R$2,170

-6.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.68

-0.51%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: 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

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 7.4% $30

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$264 23%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 7.3% $19

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 5.9% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 8.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 22.7% $10

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 334% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Quetzaltenango 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Quetzaltenango versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

3 h ahead of Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 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).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quetzaltenango Sao Paulo 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
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

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

Sao Paulo costs about 8% more than Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,722 per month in Quetzaltenango 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 Quetzaltenango, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,148 in Quetzaltenango and $1,235 in Sao Paulo. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $342 per month in Quetzaltenango and $579 in Sao Paulo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quetzaltenango, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Quetzaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quetzaltenango costs $1,148 versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Quetzaltenango. 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.