Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Azua

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $660 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Azua
Learn more

Azua Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Azua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $660 in Azua.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Azua $660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $1,060 in Azua.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Azua $1,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $1,460 in Azua.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Azua $1,460

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 89% more expensive than in Azua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Azua 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$8.61 DOP 524

3.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$41.37 DOP 2,518

19.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$7.15 DOP 435

28.95%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$1.36 DOP 82.5

86.76%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$0.68 DOP 41.59

113.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.39 DOP 23.53

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$2.57 DOP 157

19.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$4.14 DOP 252

5.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.20 DOP 73.0

5.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.83 DOP 111

0.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.05 DOP 63.8

34.29%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$1.47 DOP 89.3

93.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$6.55 DOP 399

91.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$3.69 DOP 224

45.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$4.83 DOP 294

121.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$3.74 DOP 228

-26.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.42 DOP 86.2

27.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$3.23 DOP 197

-52.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$2.27 DOP 138

-12.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$3.68 DOP 224

-60.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$2.93 DOP 178

-57.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.96 DOP 58.6

32.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.63 DOP 98.9

-41.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$4.75 DOP 289

-36.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$17.12 DOP 1,042

-40.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$2.92 DOP 178

-40.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$3.37 DOP 205

-21.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$2.49 DOP 151

-26.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$3.27 DOP 199

-68.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.37 DOP 83.7

-7.30%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$15.0K DOP 915.2K

61.76%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$25.7K DOP 1.6M

32.07%

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

$104 R$519

$94.7 DOP 5,767

9.71%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$27.44 DOP 1,670

-41.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$39.28 DOP 2,391

-42.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$20.21 DOP 1,230

79.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$5.07 DOP 309

94.28%

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

$525 R$2,622

$152 DOP 9,263

245.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$5,570 DOP 339.0K

197.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$26.60 DOP 1,619

151.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$45.31 DOP 2,758

37.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$62.8 DOP 3,824

60.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$66.8 DOP 4,063

36.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$3,576 DOP 217.7K

-23.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.18%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Azua: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Azua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Azua

$240 35.7% 1.3% $3.1

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Azua

$132 19.6% 19.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Azua

$91 13.5% 37.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Azua

$161 24% 13.2% $19

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Azua

$19 * 2.8% 68.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Azua

$30 4.5% 45.8% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $41.00 in Azua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $240 per month, with Azua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇩🇴 Azua

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

128,264

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 60.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.21 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Azua 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Azua

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 Azua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Azua is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,866 in Sao Paulo and $990 in Azua to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo versus $660 in Azua – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $660 in Azua versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Azua but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Azua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Azua 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 Azua 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 Azua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.