Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Cabarete

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Paulo and in Cabarete: $1,235 and $1,189 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cabarete
Learn more

Cabarete Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Cabarete

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,189 in Cabarete.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Cabarete $1,189

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,792 in Cabarete.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Cabarete $1,792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $2,396 in Cabarete.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Cabarete $2,396

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 4% more expensive than in Cabarete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Cabarete 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$7.85 DOP 481

12.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$49.97 DOP 3,061

-1.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$6.88 DOP 422

27.91%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.00 DOP 122

24.50%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.01 DOP 62.1

40.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.55 DOP 33.47

54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.40 DOP 147

24.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.16 DOP 194

37.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.39 DOP 84.9

-10.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$1.53 DOP 93.4

24.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.61 DOP 98.3

-11.18%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.27 DOP 139

23.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$6.99 DOP 428

82.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$5.45 DOP 334

-0.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$6.47 DOP 396

64.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.86 DOP 175

-3.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$0.77 DOP 46.88

135.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$2.67 DOP 164

-38.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.85 DOP 113

8.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$2.01 DOP 123

-30.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$2.21 DOP 136

-42.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.00 DOP 61.0

28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.79 DOP 48.39

20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$4.03 DOP 247

-25.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$10.43 DOP 639

-4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.58 DOP 158

-28.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.50 DOP 153

1.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.01 DOP 62.1

7.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$3.20 DOP 196

-42.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$2.27 DOP 139

-56.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$5.69 DOP 349

80.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.20 DOP 73.5

11.67%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$22.8K DOP 1.4M

7.09%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$33.3K DOP 2.0M

1.94%

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

$104 R$529

$91.3 DOP 5,593

14.40%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$31.47 DOP 1,928

-46.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$36.12 DOP 2,213

-38.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$25.15 DOP 1,541

42.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$7.56 DOP 463

33.07%

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

$579 R$2,936

$249 DOP 15.3K

132.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$7,256 DOP 444.5K

135.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$45.97 DOP 2,816

42.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$45.57 DOP 2,792

33.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$85.7 DOP 5,253

17.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$121 DOP 7,441

-24.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$706 DOP 43.2K

-6.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$491 DOP 30.1K

-12.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,189 DOP 72.9K

27.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$790 DOP 48.4K

29.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$297 DOP 18.2K

576.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

13.56

-13.86%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Cabarete

$491 41.3% 14.8% $63

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Cabarete

$214 18% 12.5% $31

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Cabarete

$132 11.1% 17.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Cabarete

$134 11.3% 6.4% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Cabarete

$159 13.4% 10.8% $16

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Cabarete

$19 * 1.6% 69% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Cabarete

$40 3.4% 28% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $706 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $50.0 in Cabarete. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $214, with Cabarete cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇩🇴 Cabarete

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

4,094

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.88 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Cabarete 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Cabarete

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 Cabarete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cabarete wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cabarete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,852 in Sao Paulo and $1,784 in Cabarete 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $706 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $249 in Cabarete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cabarete – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,189 in Cabarete versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cabarete but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Cabarete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cabarete delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,189 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cabarete hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Cabarete 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 Cabarete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.