Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,128 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Paulo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
Learn more

Acuna Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Acuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,128 in Acuna, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Acuna $1,128

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,861 in Acuna, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Acuna $1,861

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,594 in Acuna, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Acuna $2,594

Sao Paulo costs about 9% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sao Paulo and Acuna are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 9% lower, Acuna 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$12.22 MX$226

-27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$40.26 MX$744

22.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$8.18 MX$151

7.58%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.04 MX$56.1

-18.09%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.26 MX$23.26

12.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.16 MX$21.43

-26.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.25 MX$41.51

32.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.51 MX$64.9

23.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.82 MX$33.55

-31.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.58 MX$47.59

-25.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.73 MX$31.92

-17.34%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.50 MX$46.18

12.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$7.88 MX$146

61.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$7.96 MX$147

-32.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$12.30 MX$227

-13.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$3.08 MX$57.0

-10.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.52 MX$28.10

19.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.95 MX$35.95

-16.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.74 MX$32.16

14.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.95 MX$36.12

-28.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.86 MX$34.34

-31.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.36 MX$25.17

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.22 MX$22.50

-22.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$4.08 MX$75.3

-26.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$10.98 MX$203

-9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.58 MX$29.24

17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$3.32 MX$61.3

-23.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.59 MX$10.92

84.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.47 MX$45.72

-25.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$2.14 MX$39.55

-53.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$12.51 MX$231

-17.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.31 MX$24.23

2.29%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$22.6K MX$417.6K

8.03%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$26.6K MX$491.6K

27.59%

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

$104 R$529

$55.5 MX$1,025

88.33%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$21.62 MX$399

-22.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$29.24 MX$540

-24.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$37.72 MX$697

-5.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$19.85 MX$367

138.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$5.30 MX$97.9

89.81%

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

$579 R$2,936

$242 MX$4,477

139.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$4,625 MX$85.5K

269.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$55.0 MX$1,017

19.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$43.44 MX$803

40.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$111 MX$2,043

-9.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$93.6 MX$1,729

-1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$543 MX$10.0K

21.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$367 MX$6,785

16.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$963 MX$17.8K

57.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$817 MX$15.1K

25.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$2,129 MX$39.4K

30.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,319 MX$24.4K

52.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.3

3.36%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Acuna: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Acuna

$367 32.5% 14.2% $61

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Acuna

$268 23.8% 9.8% $24

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Acuna

$187 16.5% 17% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Acuna

$136 12.1% 5.2% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Acuna

$106 9.4% 25.8% $37

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Acuna

$16 * 1.4% 74.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Acuna

$48 4.3% 13.6% $7.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $543 in Acuna. 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 $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $40.00 in Acuna. Groceries tell a different story – $244 in Sao Paulo vs $268 in Acuna – so Sao Paulo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

02:10 2:10 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

160,225

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Acuna 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Acuna

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 Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,693 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, 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 $49.00 in Sao Paulo and $40.00 in Acuna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Sao Paulo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Acuna. 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.