Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $1,334 in Guatemala City, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
Learn more

Guatemala City Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Guatemala City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,334 in Guatemala City.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Guatemala City $1,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $2,040 in Guatemala City.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Guatemala City $2,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $2,746 in Guatemala City.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Guatemala City $2,746

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 7% less than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Guatemala City is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.87

$6.84 Q 52.2

30.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$248

$49.83 Q 381

-0.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.25

$7.72 Q 59.0

19.43%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.77

$3.24 Q 24.80

-21.60%

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

$1.45 R$7.29

$1.11 Q 8.46

30.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.57

$0.98 Q 7.49

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.39

$3.22 Q 24.59

-4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.87

$4.88 Q 37.30

-10.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.36

$2.11 Q 16.11

-39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.22

$3.04 Q 23.22

-39.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.08

$2.09 Q 15.96

-32.54%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.27

$2.51 Q 19.15

13.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$63.0

$6.16 Q 47.10

103.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.95

$9.55 Q 73.0

-43.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.8

$13.51 Q 103

-20.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.74

$4.00 Q 30.54

-31.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.08

$1.71 Q 13.05

5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.78

$2.83 Q 21.63

-45.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.95

$1.65 Q 12.61

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.38

$1.49 Q 11.37

-1.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.23

$2.12 Q 16.21

-41.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.38

$0.68 Q 5.20

86.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.82

$1.20 Q 9.16

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.24

$4.11 Q 31.39

-26.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$51.1

$8.11 Q 61.9

25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.69

$1.74 Q 13.30

-0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.26

$2.73 Q 20.83

-3.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.20

$1.29 Q 9.88

-19.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$241

$14.31 Q 109

236.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.12

$5.16 Q 39.46

-64.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$51.0

$10.46 Q 79.9

-2.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.38

$1.33 Q 10.17

-4.51%

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

$24.3K R$122.0K

$27.3K Q 208.8K

-11.00%

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

$34.0K R$170.6K

$25.3K Q 193.6K

34.26%

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

$104 R$522

$73.2 Q 559

42.03%

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

$16.16 R$81.1

$28.62 Q 219

-43.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$45.27 Q 346

-50.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$182

$40.18 Q 307

-9.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$240

$13.22 Q 101

261.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.45

$6.60 Q 50.5

49.24%

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

$525 R$2,635

$334 Q 2,554

57.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$83.2K

$6,809 Q 52.0K

143.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$336

$49.72 Q 380

34.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$312

$48.13 Q 368

29.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$507

$120 Q 916

-15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$456

$112 Q 857

-18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,326

$837 Q 6,396

-20.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,121

$534 Q 4,082

-20.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,662

$1,537 Q 11.7K

-0.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,061

$803 Q 6,139

25.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.8K

$2,071 Q 15.8K

32.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.4K

$1,092 Q 8,344

89.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,419

$841 Q 6,425

4.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.62

0.52%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Guatemala City

$534 39.8% 26.4% $111

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Guatemala City

$283 21.1% 16.2% $39

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Guatemala City

$151 11.3% 7.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Guatemala City

$148 11.1% 2.7% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Guatemala City

$147 11% 3.1% $4.4

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 58.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Guatemala City

$53 4% 4.6% $2.6

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 $837 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $50.0 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $283 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Guatemala City 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Guatemala City

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 Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Guatemala City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% 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 $837 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $50.0 in Guatemala City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo versus $1,334 in Guatemala City – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,334 in Guatemala City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Guatemala City. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Paulo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,244 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Guatemala City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.