Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $719 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
Learn more

Arequipa Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo vs $719 in Arequipa, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Arequipa $719

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,114 in Arequipa, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Arequipa $1,114

A family of three spends $2,926 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,510 in Arequipa, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Arequipa $1,510

Sao Paulo costs about 73% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Paulo and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 7% lower, Arequipa 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$3.41 PEN 11.69

162.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$27.27 PEN 93.5

81.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$5.68 PEN 19.46

62.32%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$2.47 PEN 8.45

2.83%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$0.82 PEN 2.82

76.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.38 PEN 1.31

139.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$2.07 PEN 7.10

48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$4.40 PEN 15.08

-0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.33 PEN 4.57

-4.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.36 PEN 4.68

35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.52 PEN 5.20

-7.24%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$2.25 PEN 7.73

26.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$6.39 PEN 21.89

96.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$4.37 PEN 14.98

22.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$7.48 PEN 25.65

43.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$1.77 PEN 6.07

54.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.22 PEN 4.19

48.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$1.13 PEN 3.89

37.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$1.03 PEN 3.52

92.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$0.64 PEN 2.19

129.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$0.67 PEN 2.30

85.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.54 PEN 1.86

135.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$0.76 PEN 2.60

26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$5.18 PEN 17.76

-41.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$5.04 PEN 17.26

102.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$2.72 PEN 9.34

-36.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$2.20 PEN 7.55

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.28 PEN 0.95

271.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$2.01 PEN 6.88

-9.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.97 PEN 6.76

-48.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$13.00 PEN 44.55

-21.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.53 PEN 5.26

-16.99%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$19.2K PEN 65.7K

26.86%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$25.0K PEN 85.8K

35.81%

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

$104 R$519

$24.05 PEN 82.5

332.18%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$10.15 PEN 34.80

59.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$23.01 PEN 78.9

-1.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$25.05 PEN 85.9

44.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$8.13 PEN 27.88

487.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$7.41 PEN 25.39

32.93%

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

$525 R$2,622

$74.8 PEN 256

602.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$6,596 PEN 22.6K

151.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$48.85 PEN 167

36.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$26.46 PEN 90.7

135.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$68.0 PEN 233

48.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$57.3 PEN 196

58.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$354 PEN 1,213

87.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$236 PEN 809

79.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$714 PEN 2,449

113.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$418 PEN 1,431

141.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$1,991 PEN 6,824

37.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$974 PEN 3,340

112.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$617 PEN 2,115

42.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

-22.13%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Arequipa

$236 33.3% 44.2% $187

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Arequipa

$174 24.6% 28.5% $69

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 40% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 37.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 59.9% $85

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.8% 78.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 28.8% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $663 in Sao Paulo versus $354 in Arequipa. 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 43% higher in Sao Paulo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

17,062

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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 = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Arequipa 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Arequipa

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 Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo costs about 73% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,866 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,078 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, 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 $27.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Sao Paulo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Sao Paulo at $1,244. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $719 versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Arequipa. 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.