Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $1,732 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,732 per month in San Rafael vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

San Rafael $1,732
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in San Rafael vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

San Rafael $2,736
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $3,739 per month in San Rafael vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

San Rafael $3,739
Sao Paulo $2,911

San Rafael costs about 40% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Rafael sits 28% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 ₡5,496

$8.81 R$44.68

39.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 ₡27.7K

$49.37 R$250

24.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 ₡5,119

$8.80 R$44.63

29.77%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,973

$2.49 R$12.63

76.71%

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

$2.73 ₡1,225

$1.42 R$7.19

92.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡841

$0.85 R$4.31

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$2.98 R$15.11

13.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,038

$4.34 R$22.02

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,044

$1.24 R$6.28

87.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,352

$1.91 R$9.66

58.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,084

$1.43 R$7.25

69.23%

Eggs

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.81 R$14.23

25.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,712

$12.74 R$64.6

-17.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ₡4,597

$5.41 R$27.44

89.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 ₡6,378

$10.64 R$54.0

33.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ₡2,282

$2.75 R$13.95

85.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.81 R$9.19

-13.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,098

$1.63 R$8.27

187.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$2.00 R$10.16

93.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,741

$1.40 R$7.10

177.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,653

$1.27 R$6.43

190.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.28 R$6.47

-14.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₡1,403

$0.95 R$4.83

229.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 ₡2,739

$2.99 R$15.15

104.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.14 ₡9,031

$9.96 R$50.5

102.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,254

$1.85 R$9.37

51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,606

$2.54 R$12.90

40.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₡527

$1.09 R$5.50

8.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$1.85 R$9.39

35.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.99 R$4.99

58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,803

$10.29 R$52.2

-17.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.34 R$6.78

14.93%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$24.4K R$123.8K

-8.56%

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

$35.5K ₡15.9M

$33.9K R$172.1K

4.68%

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

$93.5 ₡41.9K

$104 R$529

-10.50%

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

$36.26 ₡16.3K

$16.71 R$84.7

117.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 ₡26.2K

$22.18 R$112

163.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 ₡28.3K

$35.82 R$182

75.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$10.06 R$51.0

-25.45%

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

$991 ₡444.6K

$579 R$2,936

71.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.5M

$17.1K R$86.6K

-1.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$65.7 R$333

7.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.0K

$61.0 R$309

-8.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$100 R$509

28.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.5K

$92.1 R$467

44.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₡332.0K

$659 R$3,341

12.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 ₡291.2K

$428 R$2,170

51.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 ₡927.9K

$1,515 R$7,678

36.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$1,026 R$5,201

24.22%

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 %)

8.62

11.68

-26.20%

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

Last update for San Rafael: 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

San Rafael

$649 37.5%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 34.1% $221

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$398 23%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 38.6% $154

Eating Out

San Rafael

$229 13.2%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 30.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$188 10.9%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 23.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 10.1%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 17.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$78 4.5%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 28.3% $22

Getting Around

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 298% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $740 in San Rafael 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 $62.0 in San Rafael versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

3 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Rafael Sao Paulo 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Rafael
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

San Rafael vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,732 in San Rafael, $1,235 in Sao Paulo – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,599 per month in San Rafael 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 Sao Paulo, 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 $62.0 in San Rafael and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in San Rafael, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in San Rafael at $1,732. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Rafael it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sao Paulo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,235 in Sao Paulo to $1,732 in San Rafael. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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