Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Abadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Abadan: $513 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Abadan
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Abadan Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Abadan

🇮🇷 Iran

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Abadan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $513 in Abadan.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Abadan $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $820 in Abadan.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Abadan $820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $1,127 in Abadan.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Abadan $1,127

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 140% more expensive than in Abadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Abadan 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$2.95 $2.95

198.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$16.62 $16.62

197.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$4.12 $4.12

113.59%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$0.99 $0.99

151.52%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$0.45 $0.45

215.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.87 $0.87

-2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.08 $1.08

14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$0.45 $0.45

324.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$2.25 $2.25

-36.44%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$1.17 $1.17

140.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$5.03 $5.03

153.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$3.17 $3.17

70.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$9.02 $9.02

17.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$1.16 $1.16

137.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.81 $1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$0.89 $0.89

83.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$0.56 $0.56

257.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$0.53 $0.53

164.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$0.46 $0.46

176.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.49 $0.49

161.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.24 $0.24

295.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.91 $0.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 $1.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$2.53 $2.53

18.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.14 $0.14

678.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$9.69 $9.69

403.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$0.39 $0.39

374.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.31 $0.31

219.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$2.32 $2.32

343.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.09 $0.09

1388.89%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$49.4K $49.4K

-50.59%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$44.4K $44.4K

-23.58%

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

$104 R$529

$13.48 $13.48

674.85%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$1.63 $1.63

925.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$3.55 $3.55

524.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$17.76 $17.76

101.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$12.51 $12.51

277.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$2.03 $2.03

395.57%

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

$579 R$2,936

$108 $108

436.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$2,343 $2,343

628.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$20.38 $20.38

222.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$27.95 $27.95

118.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$105 $105

-4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$79.5 $79.5

15.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$288 $288

128.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$186 $186

130.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$774 $774

95.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$318 $318

223.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$709 $709

291.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,022 $1,022

96.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$444 $444

104.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

24.3

-51.93%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Abadan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Abadan

$186 36.1% 56.7% $243

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Abadan

$117 22.9% 52% $127

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Abadan

$53 10.3% 66.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Abadan

$105 20.4% 27.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Abadan

$19 3.6% 87% $125

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Abadan

$12 2.4% 79.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Abadan

$22 4.3% 61% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $288 in Abadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 105% 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: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $17.00 in Abadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $117 per month, with Abadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇮🇷 Abadan

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

12:25 12:25 PM

6 h 30 min ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

231,476

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

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

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Abadan 11,750 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Abadan

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

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

Abadan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 140% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 105% higher in Sao Paulo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $288 in Abadan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abadan – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo versus $513 in Abadan – a 140% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $513 in Abadan versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abadan but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Abadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Abadan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Paulo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Abadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.