Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Ashgabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $3,331 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
Learn more

Ashgabat Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $3,331 in Ashgabat.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Ashgabat $3,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $5,094 in Ashgabat.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Ashgabat $5,094

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $6,857 in Ashgabat.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Ashgabat $6,857

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 63% less than in Ashgabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Ashgabat is 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.87

$31.23 TMT 105

-71.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$248

$85.1 TMT 285

-41.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.25

$12.65 TMT 42.39

-27.11%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.77

$6.59 TMT 22.07

-61.46%

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

$1.45 R$7.29

$1.53 TMT 5.14

-5.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.57

$0.82 TMT 2.74

10.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.39

$5.67 TMT 18.98

-45.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.87

$13.74 TMT 46.04

-68.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.36

$4.48 TMT 15.00

-71.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.22

$2.05 TMT 6.88

-10.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.08

$5.82 TMT 19.48

-75.77%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.27

$5.93 TMT 19.87

-52.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$63.0

$37.90 TMT 127

-66.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.95

$20.09 TMT 67.3

-73.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.8

$23.50 TMT 78.7

-54.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.74

$4.98 TMT 16.70

-44.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.08

$8.53 TMT 28.58

-78.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.78

$7.32 TMT 24.52

-78.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.95

$3.61 TMT 12.09

-45.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.38

$2.33 TMT 7.80

-36.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.23

$1.46 TMT 4.90

-15.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.38

$2.69 TMT 9.00

-52.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.82

$1.12 TMT 3.74

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.24

$25.56 TMT 85.6

-88.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$51.1

$42.09 TMT 141

-75.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.69

$5.26 TMT 17.62

-67.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.26

$2.89 TMT 9.67

-8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.20

$0.15 TMT 0.49

593.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$241

$9.89 TMT 33.13

386.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.12

$2.90 TMT 9.73

-37.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.10

$0.88 TMT 2.96

15.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$51.0

$8.41 TMT 28.17

20.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.38

$0.44 TMT 1.48

188.64%

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

$24.3K R$122.0K

$44.6K TMT 149.3K

-45.41%

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

$34.0K R$170.6K

$57.2K TMT 191.5K

-40.50%

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

$104 R$522

$580 TMT 1,944

-82.09%

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

$16.16 R$81.1

$56.8 TMT 190

-71.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$103 TMT 347

-78.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$182

$191 TMT 640

-81.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$240

$45.50 TMT 152

5.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.45

$8.53 TMT 28.58

15.47%

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

$525 R$2,635

$23.05 TMT 77.2

2178.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$83.2K

$24.8K TMT 83.0K

-33.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$336

$54.8 TMT 184

22.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$312

$115 TMT 385

-45.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$507

$365 TMT 1,224

-72.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$456

$189 TMT 632

-51.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,326

$1,402 TMT 4,695

-52.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,121

$1,000 TMT 3,351

-57.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,662

$2,288 TMT 7,663

-33.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,061

$1,920 TMT 6,433

-47.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.8K

$3,527 TMT 11.8K

-22.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.4K

$2,813 TMT 9,422

-26.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,419

$736 TMT 2,467

19.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

9.5

22.95%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ashgabat: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Ashgabat

$1K 29.5% 137% $578

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Ashgabat

$671 19.8% 176% $427

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Ashgabat

$432 12.7% 165% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Ashgabat

$326 9.6% 125% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Ashgabat

$741 21.8% 419% $598

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Ashgabat

$18 0.5% 69.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Ashgabat

$208 6.1% 272% $152

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $1,402 in Ashgabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 20% 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 $85.0 in Ashgabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $671 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

11:44 11:44 AM

8 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

909,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.266 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.76 TMT (1 TMT = 0.266 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Ashgabat 12,860 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Ashgabat

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 Ashgabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Ashgabat differ by about 168% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $3,331 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $1,402 in Ashgabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo versus $23.05 in Ashgabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 176% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $3,331 in Ashgabat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Ashgabat 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 Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.