Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Chimaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
Learn more

Chimaltenango Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo vs $745 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Chimaltenango $745

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,229 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Chimaltenango $1,229

A family of three spends $2,926 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,712 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Chimaltenango $1,712

Sao Paulo costs about 67% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sao Paulo and Chimaltenango are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 7% lower, Chimaltenango 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$6.92 Q 52.9

29.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$49.80 Q 381

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$7.69 Q 58.8

19.90%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$3.36 Q 25.67

-24.40%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$1.16 Q 8.88

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.93 Q 7.10

-2.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$3.19 Q 24.36

-3.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$4.85 Q 37.04

-10.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$2.00 Q 15.30

-36.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$3.13 Q 23.94

-41.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$2.09 Q 15.96

-32.54%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$2.56 Q 19.59

10.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$6.46 Q 49.37

94.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$9.44 Q 72.1

-43.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$13.47 Q 103

-20.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$4.00 Q 30.54

-31.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.66 Q 12.66

9.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$2.82 Q 21.56

-45.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$1.66 Q 12.70

19.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$1.48 Q 11.27

-0.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$2.10 Q 16.08

-40.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.68 Q 5.17

86.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.15 Q 8.78

-16.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$3.99 Q 30.48

-23.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$8.36 Q 63.9

21.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.75 Q 13.36

-1.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$2.68 Q 20.49

-1.49%

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

$5.27 Q 40.28

-65.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$10.27 Q 78.5

-1.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.21 Q 9.28

4.96%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$27.9K Q 213.3K

-12.86%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$25.3K Q 193.1K

34.55%

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

$104 R$519

$72.4 Q 553

43.58%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$29.30 Q 224

-44.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$47.04 Q 359

-51.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$6.34 Q 48.43

55.36%

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

$525 R$2,622

$338 Q 2,583

55.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$6,593 Q 50.4K

151.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$49.38 Q 377

35.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$47.63 Q 364

30.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$116 Q 889

-13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$114 Q 873

-20.46%

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

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

11.62

0.52%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Chimaltenango

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7% 16.1% $39

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4% 6.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7% 2% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9% 4.2% $6

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7% 91.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7% 77.3% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $50.0 in Chimaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $282 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

43,900

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Chimaltenango 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Chimaltenango

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 Chimaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo costs about 67% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,866 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,117 in Chimaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo and $50.0 in Chimaltenango. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Sao Paulo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Sao Paulo at $1,244. In Chimaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chimaltenango costs $745 versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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