Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Fortaleza

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $740 a month against $923 in Fortaleza, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Fortaleza
Learn more

Fortaleza Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Fortaleza

🇧🇷 Brazil

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan and in Fortaleza

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Juan and in Fortaleza actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $740 per month in San Juan vs $923 in Fortaleza, rent included.

San Juan $740
Fortaleza $923

A couple spends around $1,115 per month in San Juan vs $1,394 in Fortaleza, rent included.

San Juan $1,115
Fortaleza $1,394

A family of three spends $1,489 per month in San Juan vs $1,865 in Fortaleza, rent included.

San Juan $1,489
Fortaleza $1,865

San Juan is about 20% cheaper than Fortaleza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both San Juan and Fortaleza are more affordable than the global median – San Juan 45% lower, Fortaleza 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 ₱253

$5.88 R$29.79

-31.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.43 ₱1,035

$29.19 R$148

-43.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.81 ₱177

$8.04 R$40.77

-65.05%

Cappuccino

$2.66 ₱168

$2.26 R$11.45

17.70%

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

$0.62 ₱38.78

$1.13 R$5.72

-45.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.93

$0.69 R$3.47

-52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.7

$2.22 R$11.27

-53.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱102

$3.94 R$19.97

-58.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ₱102

$1.19 R$6.04

36.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱72.9

$1.96 R$9.94

-40.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ₱53.8

$1.18 R$5.97

-27.12%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$1.76 R$8.90

1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.12 ₱322

$7.97 R$40.39

-35.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ₱211

$4.14 R$20.98

-18.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 ₱453

$9.40 R$47.66

-23.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₱144

$2.94 R$14.92

-22.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₱90.6

$1.37 R$6.97

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$0.82 R$4.15

182.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.4

$1.77 R$8.97

-41.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.30 R$6.60

34.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱111

$1.12 R$5.67

58.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ₱41.48

$1.00 R$5.05

-34.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱56.9

$0.98 R$4.97

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₱173

$2.11 R$10.68

29.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.69 ₱484

$6.98 R$35.39

10.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.3

$1.54 R$7.80

-37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.64 R$8.33

8.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.47

$0.91 R$4.62

-71.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.18 ₱704

$19.70 R$99.9

-43.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.25

$1.35 R$6.85

-42.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.19

$0.78 R$3.97

-73.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱122

$7.59 R$38.48

-74.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.32 R$6.70

-6.82%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$23.1K R$116.9K

-7.92%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$33.9K R$171.9K

-43.34%

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

$138 ₱8,678

$125 R$635

9.96%

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

$14.30 ₱901

$10.64 R$53.9

34.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.21 ₱1,524

$21.44 R$109

12.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.95 ₱2,011

$26.17 R$133

22.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.63 ₱291

$43.66 R$221

-89.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 ₱334

$7.78 R$39.42

-31.75%

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

$72.6 ₱4,574

$206 R$1,044

-64.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,534 ₱159.5K

$3,898 R$19.8K

-35.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.74 ₱1,810

$64.7 R$328

-55.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.60 ₱1,234

$59.8 R$303

-67.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ₱4,428

$123 R$626

-43.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.4 ₱3,489

$69.2 R$351

-19.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₱16.6K

$425 R$2,155

-37.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 ₱10.8K

$230 R$1,165

-25.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.3K

$576 R$2,919

-10.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 ₱22.2K

$348 R$1,767

1.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,458 ₱154.8K

$2,716 R$13.8K

-9.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$997 ₱62.7K

$1,160 R$5,881

-14.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 ₱15.0K

$484 R$2,451

-50.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.38

-40.69%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Fortaleza: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$176 23.8%

Fortaleza

$157 17.1% 10.7% $19

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$173 23.3%

Fortaleza

$198 21.5% 14.7% $25

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$171 23.1%

Fortaleza

$230 24.9% 34.3% $59

Eating Out

San Juan

$85 11.5%

Fortaleza

$124 13.5% 46.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$78 10.6%

Fortaleza

$143 15.5% 82.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$43 5.8%

Fortaleza

$42 4.5% 2% $0.8

Getting Around

San Juan

$14 1.9%

Fortaleza

$29 3.1% 104% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in San Juan versus $425 in Fortaleza. 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 104% higher in Fortaleza, 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 $16.00 in San Juan versus $29.00 in Fortaleza. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $198 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Juan

🇧🇷 Fortaleza

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

11 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,347

2,428,708

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Fortaleza 17,470 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
Fortaleza

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

San Juan vs Fortaleza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fortaleza costs about 25% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,110 per month in San Juan and $1,384 in Fortaleza. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in San Juan and $29.00 in Fortaleza. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $740 in San Juan and $923 in Fortaleza. That's a gap of about 25%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $740 in San Juan and $923 in Fortaleza, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Juan costs $740 versus $923 in Fortaleza. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fortaleza makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.