Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Aguascalientes

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,113 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
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Aguascalientes Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,113 in Aguascalientes.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Aguascalientes $1,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $1,744 in Aguascalientes.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Aguascalientes $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $2,375 in Aguascalientes.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Aguascalientes $2,375

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 12% more expensive than in Aguascalientes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Aguascalientes 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$12.50 MX$229

-28.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$44.72 MX$821

10.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$7.00 MX$129

31.71%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$3.86 MX$70.9

-34.20%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$1.64 MX$30.09

-11.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$1.21 MX$22.21

-24.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$2.18 MX$40.03

40.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$3.26 MX$59.8

33.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.47 MX$26.98

-13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.22 MX$40.72

-17.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.56 MX$28.69

-9.62%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$2.45 MX$45.02

15.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$8.03 MX$147

56.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$8.61 MX$158

-37.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$11.47 MX$211

-6.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$2.32 MX$42.51

18.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.33 MX$24.38

36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$1.54 MX$28.29

0.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$1.76 MX$32.37

12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$1.62 MX$29.66

-9.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$1.36 MX$25.03

-8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.99 MX$18.21

28.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$0.83 MX$15.18

15.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$4.38 MX$80.4

-30.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$8.88 MX$163

14.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.81 MX$33.32

-4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$3.42 MX$62.8

-22.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.59 MX$10.78

76.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$24.33 MX$447

97.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$1.22 MX$22.36

49.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.16 MX$21.37

-12.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$10.96 MX$201

-7.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.54 MX$28.21

-17.53%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$21.7K MX$397.6K

12.32%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$23.9K MX$438.9K

42.26%

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

$104 R$519

$55.6 MX$1,021

86.98%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$24.71 MX$454

-34.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$24.50 MX$450

-7.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$31.42 MX$577

15.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$22.39 MX$411

113.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$5.16 MX$94.7

90.89%

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

$525 R$2,622

$220 MX$4,039

138.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$2,916 MX$53.5K

468.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$55.6 MX$1,021

20.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$37.98 MX$697

63.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$104 MX$1,916

-3.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$69.9 MX$1,284

30.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$516 MX$9,475

28.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$361 MX$6,620

17.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$810 MX$14.9K

88.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$642 MX$11.8K

57.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$1,183 MX$21.7K

132.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$1,176 MX$21.6K

75.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$884 MX$16.2K

-0.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.2

4.29%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Aguascalientes

$361 32.7% 14.7% $62

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Aguascalientes

$244 22.2% 0.4% $0.9

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Aguascalientes

$196 17.8% 20.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Aguascalientes

$121 10.9% 16.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Aguascalientes

$105 9.5% 26.6% $38

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1% 43% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Aguascalientes

$42 3.8% 25.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $516 in Aguascalientes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguascalientes pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $45.00 in Aguascalientes. Groceries flip the comparison at $243 vs $244, with Sao Paulo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

01:13 1:13 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

863,893

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Aguascalientes 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Aguascalientes

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 Aguascalientes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Aguascalientes. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $516 in Aguascalientes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 98% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo versus $220 in Aguascalientes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,113 in Aguascalientes versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aguascalientes 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.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Aguascalientes are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.