Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Paulo is 28.8% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 28.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 26.3% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 20.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$11.78 ₡5,312

-24.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$55.5 ₡25.0K

-10.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$10.72 ₡4,831

-13.99%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$4.49 ₡2,023

-43.43%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$2.33 ₡1,051

-37.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$1.81 ₡815

-49.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$3.23 ₡1,455

-4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$4.42 ₡1,992

-1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$2.30 ₡1,037

-44.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$3.55 ₡1,600

-48.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$2.71 ₡1,221

-47.97%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$4.05 ₡1,825

-29.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$9.92 ₡4,473

26.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$10.49 ₡4,729

-48.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$13.56 ₡6,111

-20.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$5.13 ₡2,312

-46.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.68 ₡758

7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$3.63 ₡1,639

-57.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$3.24 ₡1,463

-38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$3.40 ₡1,534

-56.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$3.09 ₡1,394

-59.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.11 ₡501

14.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$2.64 ₡1,192

-63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$5.43 ₡2,446

-44.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$15.63 ₡7,048

-34.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$2.75 ₡1,238

-37.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$3.27 ₡1,472

-19.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$1.07 ₡480

-2.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$65.3 ₡29.4K

-26.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$2.18 ₡981

-16.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$2.03 ₡916

-49.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$8.82 ₡3,977

15.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.53 ₡688

-16.99%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$32.8K ₡14.8M

-25.79%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$36.0K ₡16.2M

-5.47%

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

$104 R$519

$93.4 ₡42.1K

11.28%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$30.19 ₡13.6K

-46.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$57.1 ₡25.7K

-60.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$65.1 ₡29.3K

-44.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$22.13 ₡9,976

115.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$8.09 ₡3,645

21.76%

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

$525 R$2,622

$740 ₡333.8K

-29.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$12.6K ₡5.7M

32.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$75.5 ₡34.0K

-11.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$54.6 ₡24.6K

14.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$127 ₡57.4K

-20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$107 ₡48.3K

-15.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$833 ₡375.3K

-20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$641 ₡289.1K

-34.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$1,776 ₡800.8K

-14.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$1,191 ₡536.9K

-15.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$2,437 ₡1.1M

12.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$1,631 ₡735.2K

26.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$1,033 ₡465.8K

-14.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

9.56

22.18%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Costa Rica

$641 36.7% 51.7% $219

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Costa Rica

$379 21.7% 55.8% $136

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Costa Rica

$222 12.7% 35.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Costa Rica

$164 9.4% 13.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Costa Rica

$181 10.3% 26.6% $38

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Costa Rica

$82 4.7% 38.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Costa Rica

$81 4.6% 45.2% $25

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

00:56 12:56 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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 = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Costa Rica 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Costa Rica

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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