Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $688 in Cusco.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Cusco $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $1,096 in Cusco.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Cusco $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $1,505 in Cusco.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Cusco $1,505

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 81% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$1.99 PEN 6.82

349.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$20.55 PEN 70.4

140.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$6.70 PEN 22.96

37.61%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$2.11 PEN 7.22

20.38%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$0.78 PEN 2.68

85.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.33 PEN 1.13

175.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$1.72 PEN 5.90

78.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$4.33 PEN 14.85

0.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.24 PEN 4.26

2.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.32 PEN 7.95

-20.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.29 PEN 4.42

9.30%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$3.63 PEN 12.44

-21.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$4.69 PEN 16.08

167.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$4.43 PEN 15.19

21.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$7.37 PEN 25.26

45.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$2.55 PEN 8.75

7.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$0.77 PEN 2.62

135.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$1.47 PEN 5.02

5.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$0.85 PEN 2.93

132.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$1.02 PEN 3.51

44.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$1.10 PEN 3.79

12.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.49 PEN 1.66

159.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$0.75 PEN 2.57

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$5.93 PEN 20.34

71.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.85 PEN 6.36

-6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$4.12 PEN 14.11

-35.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.30 PEN 1.04

246.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$1.72 PEN 5.89

5.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.93 PEN 6.63

-47.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$2.82 PEN 9.65

260.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.57 PEN 5.40

-19.11%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$28.9K PEN 99.2K

17.52%

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

$104 R$519

$29.31 PEN 100

254.62%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$14.31 PEN 49.05

12.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$44.13 PEN 151

-48.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$28.51 PEN 97.7

27.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$4.26 PEN 14.59

131.22%

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

$525 R$2,622

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$37.39 PEN 128

78.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$33.43 PEN 115

86.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$54.4 PEN 186

86.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$72.2 PEN 248

25.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$218 PEN 746

204.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$191 PEN 654

121.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$538 PEN 1,843

184.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$416 PEN 1,426

142.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$3,249 PEN 11.1K

-15.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$1,823 PEN 6,248

13.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$433 PEN 1,485

103.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Cusco

$191 27.8% 54.8% $232

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Cusco

$187 27.2% 23.3% $57

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Cusco

$83 12.1% 49.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 38.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Cusco

$88 12.8% 38.5% $55

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Cusco

$13 * 1.8% 78.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 33.9% $19

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 $663 in Sao Paulo and $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 103% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $21.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

05:14 5:14 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

428,450

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Cusco 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 103% higher in Sao Paulo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Paulo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.