Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Paulo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $1,948 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $2,713 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Duncans $2,336

Sao Paulo costs about 17% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sao Paulo and Duncans are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 13% lower, Duncans 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$43.60

$13.60 JMD 2,144

-40.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$250

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-38.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.07

$8.14 JMD 1,284

1.23%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$12.90

$5.44 JMD 858

-55.70%

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

$1.32 R$7.06

$1.14 JMD 180

15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.52

$0.71 JMD 111

19.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$14.85

$2.25 JMD 355

23.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.22

$3.21 JMD 507

29.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.13

$4.15 JMD 655

-72.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.02

$3.73 JMD 588

-54.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.21

$1.58 JMD 249

-14.56%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.39

$3.58 JMD 565

-24.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$63.0

$11.50 JMD 1,813

2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$26.56

$6.21 JMD 979

-19.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.0

$10.34 JMD 1,631

-2.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.69

$6.01 JMD 947

-57.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.32

$3.97 JMD 625

-56.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.71

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-80.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.76

$3.02 JMD 476

-39.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.90

$3.32 JMD 523

-61.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.24

$2.61 JMD 411

-55.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.53

$3.01 JMD 475

-59.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.75

$1.43 JMD 226

-37.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.71

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-70.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$49.56

$11.25 JMD 1,775

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.23

$2.78 JMD 439

-37.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.71

$3.96 JMD 625

-39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$241

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.17

$1.27 JMD 200

35.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.78

$3.20 JMD 505

-72.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$50.9

$6.23 JMD 983

52.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.57

$1.45 JMD 228

-15.17%

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

$22.3K R$119.3K

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-49.37%

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

$32.5K R$173.7K

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

1.04%

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

$98.2 R$525

$171 JMD 27.0K

-42.69%

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

$15.47 R$82.7

$29.64 JMD 4,674

-47.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$111

$51.8 JMD 8,166

-59.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$170

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$236

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$48.51

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-32.36%

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

$512 R$2,740

$355 JMD 56.0K

44.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$84.6K

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

90.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$322

$23.91 JMD 3,771

151.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$306

$31.38 JMD 4,949

82.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$496

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

17.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$460

$103 JMD 16.3K

-16.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,377

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,318

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,239

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,119

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,373

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

9.45

23.60%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Duncans

$384 38% 69.2% $157

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 49.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Duncans

$253 25% 88.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 19.9% $27

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 68.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 46.3% $23

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 $47 in Sao Paulo versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $384 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

5,153

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Duncans 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,183 in Sao Paulo and $1,011 in Duncans. That makes Duncans about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $512 per month in Sao Paulo and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,183 in Sao Paulo and $1,011 in Duncans, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Duncans has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $1,183 in Sao Paulo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.