Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Guadalupe

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $1,594 in Guadalupe, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Guadalupe
Learn more

Guadalupe Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Guadalupe

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,594 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Guadalupe $1,594

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,489 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Guadalupe $2,489

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,383 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Guadalupe $3,383

Sao Paulo is about 23% cheaper than Guadalupe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Paulo sits 9% below the global median, while Guadalupe is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$10.85 ₡4,865

-18.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$33.22 ₡14.9K

48.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$8.74 ₡3,919

0.69%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.30 ₡1,481

-24.55%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$2.24 ₡1,005

-36.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.92 ₡862

-55.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$3.36 ₡1,505

-11.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$4.48 ₡2,009

-3.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$2.23 ₡1,000

-44.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$3.07 ₡1,379

-37.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$2.41 ₡1,079

-40.66%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$3.54 ₡1,588

-20.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$9.62 ₡4,316

32.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$10.09 ₡4,527

-46.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$13.77 ₡6,177

-22.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$5.24 ₡2,350

-47.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.62 ₡729

11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$4.74 ₡2,126

-65.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$3.85 ₡1,727

-48.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$3.86 ₡1,730

-63.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$3.58 ₡1,606

-64.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.13 ₡507

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$3.22 ₡1,446

-70.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$4.29 ₡1,922

-30.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$19.92 ₡8,935

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.77 ₡1,241

-33.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$3.70 ₡1,661

-31.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.27 ₡568

-14.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.03 ₡911

-8.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.64 ₡733

-39.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$8.75 ₡3,923

17.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.46 ₡656

-8.22%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$22.2K ₡10.0M

9.83%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$35.1K ₡15.8M

-3.37%

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

$104 R$529

$36.06 ₡16.2K

189.66%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$26.07 ₡11.7K

-35.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$54.7 ₡24.5K

-59.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-49.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$7.82 ₡3,506

28.64%

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

$579 R$2,936

$982 ₡440.4K

-41.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-0.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$70.7 ₡31.7K

-7.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$44.20 ₡19.8K

38.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$129 ₡57.9K

-22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$99.8 ₡44.7K

-7.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$795 ₡356.5K

-17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$630 ₡282.6K

-32.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,902 ₡853.1K

-20.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$1,243 ₡557.7K

-17.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$1,209 ₡542.1K

-24.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

8.62

35.50%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Guadalupe: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Guadalupe

$630 39.5% 47.2% $202

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Guadalupe

$395 24.8% 61.6% $150

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Guadalupe

$195 12.2% 22.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Guadalupe

$155 9.7% 7.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Guadalupe

$117 7.3% 18.5% $27

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Guadalupe

$15 * 1% 74.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Guadalupe

$87 5.5% 56% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $795 in Guadalupe. 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 33% higher in Guadalupe, 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 $33.00 in Guadalupe. Groceries tell a different story – $244 in Sao Paulo vs $395 in Guadalupe – so Sao Paulo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇷 Guadalupe

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

06:52 6:52 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

23,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Guadalupe 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Guadalupe

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 Guadalupe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo, $1,594 in Guadalupe – 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 $2,391 in Guadalupe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Paulo, 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 $33.00 in Guadalupe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Guadalupe, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Guadalupe at $1,594. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guadalupe 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 $1,235 in Sao Paulo to $1,594 in Guadalupe. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guadalupe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.