Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Cartago

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Paulo and in Cartago: $1,235 and $1,281 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,281 in Cartago, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Cartago $1,281

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,972 in Cartago, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Cartago $1,972

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,663 in Cartago, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Cartago $2,663

Sao Paulo is about 4% cheaper than Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sao Paulo and Cartago are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 9% lower, Cartago 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.49

$7.58 COP 24.1K

16.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$249

$37.20 COP 118.3K

32.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.44

$8.47 COP 26.9K

3.90%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.57

$1.54 COP 4,884

61.69%

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

$1.42 R$7.16

$1.28 COP 4,063

10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.29

$0.83 COP 2,634

2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.04

$3.10 COP 9,869

-3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$21.92

$3.66 COP 11.7K

18.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.25

$1.60 COP 5,088

-22.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.62

$1.88 COP 5,973

1.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.22

$1.49 COP 4,751

-4.03%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.17

$2.93 COP 9,334

-4.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.3

$6.58 COP 20.9K

93.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.32

$7.11 COP 22.6K

-23.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$53.7

$9.93 COP 31.6K

7.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.89

$3.57 COP 11.4K

-22.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.15

$1.32 COP 4,200

37.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.23

$1.74 COP 5,530

-6.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.11

$1.63 COP 5,184

22.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.07

$1.42 COP 4,522

-1.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.41

$1.50 COP 4,758

-15.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.44

$1.08 COP 3,443

18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.81

$1.03 COP 3,261

-7.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.08

$3.69 COP 11.7K

-18.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.3

$13.12 COP 41.7K

-24.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.33

$1.50 COP 4,756

23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.84

$2.45 COP 7,794

3.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.48

$1.02 COP 3,244

6.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$246

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.35

$0.79 COP 2,524

134.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.97

$2.27 COP 7,230

-56.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$51.9

$8.40 COP 26.7K

22.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.75

$1.32 COP 4,211

1.52%

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

$24.4K R$123.2K

$28.0K COP 89.1M

-12.90%

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

$33.9K R$171.3K

$34.6K COP 110.2M

-2.02%

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

$104 R$527

$110 COP 349.3K

-4.91%

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

$16.71 R$84.4

$13.23 COP 42.1K

26.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$30.26 COP 96.2K

-26.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$181

$42.32 COP 134.6K

-15.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$239

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$50.8

$8.24 COP 26.2K

22.09%

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

$579 R$2,924

$701 COP 2.2M

-17.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.2K

$6,430 COP 20.5M

165.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$331

$77.8 COP 247.3K

-15.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$308

$55.1 COP 175.4K

10.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$507

$127 COP 403.0K

-20.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$465

$111 COP 351.7K

-16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,327

$645 COP 2.1M

2.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,161

$509 COP 1.6M

-15.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,645

$1,041 COP 3.3M

45.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,178

$970 COP 3.1M

5.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.0K

$1,999 COP 6.4M

38.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.1K

$1,803 COP 5.7M

11.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,589

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.58

0.86%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Cartago

$509 39.7% 18.9% $81

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Cartago

$241 18.8% 1.4% $3.3

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Cartago

$136 10.6% 14.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Cartago

$167 13% 16% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Cartago

$153 12% 7% $10

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Cartago

$16 * 1.3% 72.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Cartago

$59 4.6% 5.1% $2.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $645 in Cartago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $37.00 in Cartago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $241 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇴 Cartago

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

04:35 4:35 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

135,365

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.198 USD

1 BRL = 0.177 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.65 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Cartago 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cartago is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,921 in Cartago. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,235 in Sao Paulo and $1,281 in Cartago. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Sao Paulo and $701 in Cartago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Cartago at $1,281. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Paulo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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