Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Bambous

For one person, living is cheaper in Bambous: $537 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Bambous
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Bambous Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Bambous

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $537 in Bambous.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Bambous $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $901 in Bambous.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Bambous $901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $1,265 in Bambous.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Bambous $1,265

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 130% more expensive than in Bambous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Bambous 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$4.16 MUR 196

111.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$37.24 MUR 1,753

32.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$4.26 MUR 201

106.57%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.14 MUR 101

16.36%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.02 MUR 48.07

39.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.40 MUR 19.06

112.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.65 MUR 125

12.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$1.56 MUR 73.6

178.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.15 MUR 54.1

7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$0.72 MUR 33.68

165.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.07 MUR 50.4

33.64%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.45 MUR 115

14.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$5.31 MUR 250

139.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$3.14 MUR 148

72.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$4.15 MUR 195

156.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.13 MUR 100

29.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$2.66 MUR 125

-31.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.44 MUR 67.6

13.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$2.88 MUR 136

-30.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$0.99 MUR 46.53

41.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$0.99 MUR 46.58

28.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.69 MUR 32.59

85.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.83 MUR 39.14

14.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$6.49 MUR 306

-53.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$8.35 MUR 393

19.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.69 MUR 79.5

9.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.36 MUR 111

7.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$4.19 MUR 197

-55.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$3.23 MUR 152

-69.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$21.46 MUR 1,010

-52.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.39 MUR 65.4

-3.60%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

-33.80%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$30.9K MUR 1.5M

10.00%

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

$104 R$529

$44.49 MUR 2,095

134.77%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$10.50 MUR 494

59.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$28.85 MUR 1,358

-23.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.18 MUR 291

62.78%

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

$579 R$2,936

$124 MUR 5,861

365.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$7,510 MUR 353.6K

127.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$77.0 MUR 3,624

-14.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$72.3 MUR 3,403

-15.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$120 MUR 5,646

-16.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$76.4 MUR 3,598

20.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.67

75.11%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bambous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Bambous

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Bambous

$171 31.9% 29.9% $73

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Bambous

$94 17.5% 41.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Bambous

$156 29% 8.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Bambous

$84 15.6% 41.5% $60

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Bambous

$20 * 3.8% 66.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Bambous

$12 * 2.3% 77.9% $44

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 $37.00 in Bambous for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $171 per month, with Bambous cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇺 Bambous

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

7 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

15,300

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Bambous 10,460 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Bambous

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 Bambous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Bambous differ by about 130% in total monthly costs ($1,235 vs $537 including rent). Bambous is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,852 in Sao Paulo and $805 in Bambous 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.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $124 in Bambous. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bambous – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $537 in Bambous versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bambous but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Bambous 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 Bambous 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 Bambous gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.