Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Ecatepec

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Paulo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $961 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Ecatepec $961

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,670 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Ecatepec $1,670

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,380 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Ecatepec $2,380

Sao Paulo costs about 29% more than Ecatepec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Paulo and Ecatepec are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 9% lower, Ecatepec 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$11.14 MX$206

-20.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$50.1 MX$926

-1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$9.57 MX$177

-8.05%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.71 MX$68.6

-32.88%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.62 MX$30.02

-12.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.09 MX$20.09

-22.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$3.38 MX$62.5

-11.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$5.59 MX$103

-22.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.72 MX$31.71

-27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.66 MX$49.12

-28.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.96 MX$36.17

-27.04%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.75 MX$50.9

2.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$8.82 MX$163

44.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$9.12 MX$168

-40.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$13.47 MX$249

-21.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$3.14 MX$58.0

-12.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.66 MX$30.74

9.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$2.04 MX$37.65

-20.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.90 MX$35.12

5.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.79 MX$33.16

-21.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.75 MX$32.42

-27.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.49 MX$27.48

-14.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.19 MX$21.95

-20.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$4.59 MX$84.9

-34.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$16.62 MX$307

-40.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.92 MX$35.43

-3.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$3.83 MX$70.7

-33.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.63 MX$11.72

73.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$31.01 MX$573

57.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.99 MX$36.81

-7.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.52 MX$9.68

90.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$5.32 MX$98.3

93.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.54 MX$28.48

-12.99%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$21.5K MX$397.7K

13.44%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$23.5K MX$434.5K

44.38%

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

$104 R$529

$57.7 MX$1,067

80.93%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$27.01 MX$499

-38.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$24.74 MX$457

-10.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$26.37 MX$487

35.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$11.00 MX$203

329.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.47 MX$120

55.49%

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

$579 R$2,936

$270 MX$4,996

114.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$5,048 MX$93.3K

238.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$59.1 MX$1,092

11.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$44.94 MX$830

35.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$100 MX$1,855

-0.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$98.8 MX$1,826

-6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$243 MX$4,487

171.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$138 MX$2,550

210.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$683 MX$12.6K

121.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$444 MX$8,205

131.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$755 MX$14.0K

267.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$755 MX$13.9K

166.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$553 MX$10.2K

64.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.3

3.36%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Ecatepec

$138 14.4% 67.8% $290

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Ecatepec

$298 31% 22% $54

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Ecatepec

$201 21% 26.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Ecatepec

$136 14.2% 5% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Ecatepec

$109 11.4% 23.6% $34

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Ecatepec

$38 4% 36.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Ecatepec

$39 4.1% 29.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $243 in Ecatepec. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 64% higher in Sao Paulo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $50.0 in Ecatepec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $298 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

1,645,352

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Ecatepec 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Ecatepec

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 Ecatepec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo, $961 in Ecatepec – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,441 in Ecatepec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ecatepec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,235 in Sao Paulo and $961 in Ecatepec. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sao Paulo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in Ecatepec to $1,235 in Sao Paulo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ecatepec. 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.