Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Dourados

For one person, living is cheaper in Dourados: $881 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Dourados
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Dourados Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Dourados

🇧🇷 Brazil

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $881 in Dourados.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Dourados $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $1,409 in Dourados.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Dourados $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $1,937 in Dourados.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Dourados $1,937

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 39% more expensive than in Dourados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 10% lower, Dourados 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$43.51

$6.05 R$30.20

43.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$243

$31.61 R$158

53.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.11

$7.72 R$38.57

16.97%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.76

$2.09 R$10.44

22.01%

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

$1.35 R$6.73

$1.33 R$6.63

1.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.57

$0.77 R$3.84

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.32

$2.02 R$10.10

51.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$21.89

$3.07 R$15.35

42.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.97

$1.07 R$5.34

11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.01

$1.73 R$8.64

4.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.40

$1.28 R$6.42

15.62%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.11

$2.15 R$10.75

31.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.0

$9.53 R$47.61

32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$26.97

$4.35 R$21.71

24.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$53.8

$8.40 R$41.97

28.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.07

$2.24 R$11.19

25.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.12

$1.31 R$6.56

38.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.02

$1.21 R$6.06

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.13

$1.53 R$7.65

32.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.29

$1.27 R$6.35

14.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.26

$1.11 R$5.55

12.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.23

$0.84 R$4.20

48.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.90

$0.83 R$4.17

18.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$14.96

$2.47 R$12.36

21.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$48.51

$7.87 R$39.30

23.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.19

$1.27 R$6.36

44.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.61

$2.03 R$10.17

24.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.33

$1.00 R$4.99

7.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$236

$44.26 R$221

6.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.02

$1.32 R$6.60

37.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.92 R$4.61

9.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.1

$8.17 R$40.82

25.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.43

$1.31 R$6.53

-1.53%

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

$23.5K R$117.6K

$23.9K R$119.5K

-1.60%

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

$34.5K R$172.4K

$32.6K R$162.8K

5.92%

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

$104 R$520

$75.6 R$378

37.58%

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

$16.60 R$82.9

$12.64 R$63.2

31.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$110

$20.95 R$105

5.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$182

$25.92 R$130

40.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$236

$27.94 R$140

69.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$48.41

$7.39 R$36.94

31.12%

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

$573 R$2,865

$284 R$1,420

101.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$84.6K

$7,338 R$36.7K

130.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$331

$54.8 R$274

20.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$305

$50.3 R$251

21.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$493

$92.1 R$460

7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$457

$73.8 R$369

23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,268

$360 R$1,798

81.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,090

$240 R$1,198

74.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,613

$686 R$3,425

122.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$4,955

$481 R$2,402

106.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.3K

$1,719 R$8,588

55.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.1K

$1,189 R$5,939

69.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,498

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.18%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Dourados: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Dourados

$240 27.2% 42.7% $179

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Dourados

$194 22.1% 20.1% $49

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Dourados

$121 13.8% 24.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Dourados

$122 13.8% 14.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Dourados

$109 12.4% 23.5% $33

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Dourados

$54 6.2% 7.2% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Dourados

$41 4.6% 27.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $360 in Dourados. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Sao Paulo vs $32 in Dourados for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $194 per month, with Dourados cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Dourados

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

22:39 10:39 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

243,367

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Dourados 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Dourados

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 Dourados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dourados wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dourados the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,833 in Sao Paulo and $1,322 in Dourados to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $360 in Dourados. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dourados – a meal for two runs $32 versus $49 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Dourados is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Dourados gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.