Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in Quito vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Quito $978
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $1,586 per month in Quito vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Quito $1,586
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $2,194 per month in Quito vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Quito $2,194
Sao Paulo $2,911

Quito is about 21% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quito and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Quito 28% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$8.81 R$44.68

-30.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$49.37 R$250

12.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$8.80 R$44.63

-13.52%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$2.49 R$12.63

36.55%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$1.42 R$7.19

-3.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.85 R$4.31

28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.98 R$15.11

15.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$4.34 R$22.02

39.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.24 R$6.28

-8.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.91 R$9.66

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.43 R$7.25

10.49%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$2.81 R$14.23

-24.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$12.74 R$64.6

-48.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$5.41 R$27.44

1.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$10.64 R$54.0

-28.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.75 R$13.95

-18.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.81 R$9.19

-34.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.63 R$8.27

-18.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.00 R$10.16

-43.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.40 R$7.10

-11.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.27 R$6.43

-19.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.28 R$6.47

-28.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.95 R$4.83

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.99 R$15.15

106.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$9.96 R$50.5

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.85 R$9.37

-14.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.54 R$12.90

21.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$1.09 R$5.50

-66.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

$48.78 R$247

-56.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.85 R$9.39

-17.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.99 R$4.99

50.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$10.29 R$52.2

-4.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.34 R$6.78

-39.55%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$24.4K R$123.8K

-12.95%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-17.82%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$104 R$529

-72.47%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$16.71 R$84.7

6.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$22.18 R$112

27.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$35.82 R$182

28.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$47.28 R$240

-62.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$10.06 R$51.0

-36.98%

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

$739 $739

$579 R$2,936

27.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$17.1K R$86.6K

-47.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$65.7 R$333

8.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$61.0 R$309

-17.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$100 R$509

13.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$92.1 R$467

16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$659 R$3,341

-25.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$428 R$2,170

-27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$1,515 R$7,678

-38.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$1,026 R$5,201

-47.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

$2,773 R$14.1K

-36.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

$2,007 R$10.2K

-64.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$909 R$4,609

-34.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.68

-13.36%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 38.6% $119

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 23.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 6.9% $11

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 5.3% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 91.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 4.8% $2.8

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 88.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $491 in Quito 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.

Salaries run about 53% higher in Sao Paulo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Quito versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $244 in Sao Paulo – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

2 h ahead of Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 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 →

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Between locations

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

From you

Quito
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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

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

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,467 per month in Quito 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 Quito, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 128% less in Quito. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $739 per month in Quito and $579 in Sao Paulo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quito – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Quito. 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.