Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Ajijic

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Paulo and in Ajijic: $1,235 and $1,267 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
Learn more

Ajijic Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,267 in Ajijic, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Ajijic $1,267

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,020 in Ajijic, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Ajijic $2,020

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,773 in Ajijic, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Ajijic $2,773

Sao Paulo is about 3% cheaper than Ajijic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sao Paulo and Ajijic are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 9% lower, Ajijic 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$9.81 MX$181

-10.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$43.69 MX$807

13.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$7.22 MX$133

21.88%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.47 MX$64.1

-28.24%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.60 MX$29.62

-11.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.24 MX$22.92

-31.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.24 MX$41.31

33.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.32 MX$61.4

30.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.49 MX$27.52

-16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.24 MX$41.31

-14.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.07 MX$19.78

33.64%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.19 MX$40.54

28.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$7.84 MX$145

62.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$8.56 MX$158

-36.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$7.21 MX$133

47.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.30 MX$42.42

19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.32 MX$24.42

37.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.48 MX$27.42

10.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.71 MX$31.66

16.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.60 MX$29.60

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.38 MX$25.57

-7.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.03 MX$19.03

24.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.84 MX$15.55

13.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$4.47 MX$82.7

-33.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$8.92 MX$165

11.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.55 MX$28.60

19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$1.39 MX$25.61

82.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.64 MX$11.84

70.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.25 MX$23.18

48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$4.40 MX$81.3

-77.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$11.00 MX$203

-6.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.49 MX$27.50

-10.07%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

16.71%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$24.2K MX$447.2K

40.26%

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

$104 R$529

$55.9 MX$1,033

86.85%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$14.30 MX$264

16.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$24.07 MX$445

-7.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$24.24 MX$448

47.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$5.42 MX$100

772.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$4.78 MX$88.3

110.46%

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

$579 R$2,936

$212 MX$3,922

172.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$2,953 MX$54.6K

478.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$44.03 MX$814

49.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$16.71 MX$309

265.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$68.7 MX$1,270

46.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$69.6 MX$1,286

32.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$841 MX$15.5K

-21.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$630 MX$11.6K

-32.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,506 MX$27.8K

0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$1,267 MX$23.4K

-19.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$3,332 MX$61.6K

-16.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,734 MX$32.0K

15.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$562 MX$10.4K

61.91%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Ajijic: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Ajijic

$630 49.7% 47.1% $202

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Ajijic

$222 17.6% 9% $22

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Ajijic

$171 13.5% 7.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Ajijic

$90 7.1% 37.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Ajijic

$94 7.4% 34.2% $49

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Ajijic

$26 * 2% 56.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Ajijic

$34 2.7% 39.6% $22

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 $841 in Ajijic. 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 62% higher in Sao Paulo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $44.00 in Ajijic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $222 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

11,439

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Sao Paulo Ajijic 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Ajijic

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 Ajijic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajijic is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,900 in Ajijic. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,235 in Sao Paulo and $1,267 in Ajijic. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Sao Paulo and $212 in Ajijic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Ajijic at $1,267. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajijic it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Paulo – 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 Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajijic makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.