Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Mahabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $522 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $522 in Mahabad, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Mahabad $522

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $849 in Mahabad, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Mahabad $849

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,177 in Mahabad, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Mahabad $1,177

Sao Paulo costs about 137% more than Mahabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Paulo and Mahabad are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 9% lower, Mahabad 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$2.97 $2.97

196.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$17.06 $17.06

189.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$4.06 $4.06

116.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 $0.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$1.13 $1.13

120.35%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$0.52 $0.52

173.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.94 $0.94

-9.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$0.65 $0.65

90.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$0.51 $0.51

274.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$2.07 $2.07

-30.92%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$1.18 $1.18

138.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$4.30 $4.30

196.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$3.21 $3.21

68.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$7.58 $7.58

40.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$1.00 $1.00

175.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.55 $1.55

16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$0.86 $0.86

89.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$0.61 $0.61

227.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$0.54 $0.54

159.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$0.47 $0.47

170.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.53 $0.53

141.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.26 $0.26

265.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.92 $0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$2.14 $2.14

39.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.15 $0.15

626.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$8.76 $8.76

456.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$0.44 $0.44

320.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.29 $0.29

241.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$2.87 $2.87

258.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.10 $0.10

1240.00%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$47.7K $47.7K

-48.85%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$47.6K $47.6K

-28.75%

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

$104 R$529

$12.32 $12.32

747.81%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$1.58 $1.58

957.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$3.76 $3.76

489.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$18.63 $18.63

92.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$11.75 $11.75

302.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$1.97 $1.97

410.66%

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

$579 R$2,936

$106 $106

444.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$2,234 $2,234

664.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$23.20 $23.20

183.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$28.48 $28.48

114.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$96.3 $96.3

4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$71.4 $71.4

29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$264 $264

149.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$211 $211

102.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$728 $728

108.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$408 $408

151.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$1,131 $1,131

145.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$530 $530

278.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$253 $253

259.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

24.3

-51.93%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mahabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Mahabad

$211 40.5% 50.7% $217

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Mahabad

$105 20.1% 57.1% $139

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Mahabad

$55 10.6% 65.3% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Mahabad

$99 18.9% 31.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Mahabad

$18 3.4% 87.7% $126

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Mahabad

$11 2.2% 81.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Mahabad

$23 4.3% 59.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $264 in Mahabad. 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 260% 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 $17.00 in Mahabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $105 – making Mahabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

6 h 30 min ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

208,541

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Mahabad 11,740 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Mahabad

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 Mahabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $783 in Mahabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Sao Paulo and $106 in Mahabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 133% more in Sao Paulo, 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 Mahabad, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Mahabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mahabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Mahabad. 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.