Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Caguas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $1,621 in Caguas, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
Learn more

Caguas Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,621 in Caguas, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Caguas $1,621

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,580 in Caguas, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Caguas $2,580

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,539 in Caguas, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Caguas $3,539

Sao Paulo is about 24% cheaper than Caguas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Paulo sits 9% below the global median, while Caguas is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$14.74 $14.74

-40.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$82.9 $82.9

-40.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$8.99 $8.99

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.28 $2.28

9.21%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.12 $1.12

26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.24 $1.24

-31.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$1.52 $1.52

96.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$4.12 $4.12

5.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$2.16 $2.16

-42.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.80 $2.80

-31.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$2.31 $2.31

-38.10%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$4.97 $4.97

-43.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$6.90 $6.90

84.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$9.13 $9.13

-40.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$11.99 $11.99

-11.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$5.15 $5.15

-46.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$2.61 $2.61

-30.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$2.39 $2.39

-31.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$4.53 $4.53

-55.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$2.57 $2.57

-45.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$2.71 $2.71

-53.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$2.26 $2.26

-43.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.60 $1.60

-40.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$10.64 $10.64

-71.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$14.03 $14.03

-29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.45 $1.45

27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.18 $2.18

16.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.98 $1.98

-44.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$70.3 $70.3

-30.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.44 $2.44

-24.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.54 $1.54

-35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$42.73 $42.73

-75.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.89 $0.89

50.56%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$30.5K $30.5K

-20.08%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$25.8K $25.8K

31.65%

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

$104 R$529

$185 $185

-43.60%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$59.9 $59.9

-72.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$56.2 $56.2

-60.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$35.28 $35.28

1.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$50.9 $50.9

-7.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$9.83 $9.83

2.34%

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

$579 R$2,936

$300 $300

93.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$12.3K $12.3K

39.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$26.14 $26.14

151.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$35.43 $35.43

72.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$81.1 $81.1

23.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$115 $115

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$752 $752

-12.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$528 $528

-18.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,080 $1,080

40.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$977 $977

5.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$2,422 $2,422

14.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$849 $849

136.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$3,041 $3,041

-70.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.85

140.82%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Caguas

$528 32.6% 23.3% $100

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Caguas

$336 20.7% 37.4% $91

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Caguas

$198 12.2% 23.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Caguas

$116 7.2% 19.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Caguas

$301 18.6% 110% $158

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Caguas

$88 5.5% 47.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Caguas

$55 3.4% 1.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $752 in Caguas. 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 234% higher in Caguas, 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 $83.0 in Caguas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $336 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇷 Caguas

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

14:38 2:38 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

70,318

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Caguas 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Caguas

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 Caguas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caguas costs about 31% more than Sao Paulo, 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 $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $2,432 in Caguas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Paulo, 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 $83.0 in Caguas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,235 in Sao Paulo and $1,621 in Caguas. That's a gap of about 31%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,235 versus $1,621 in Caguas. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Caguas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.