Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and the Maldives

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $1,501 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Maldives outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Sao Paulo
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,244
/mo nomad
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,501
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Sao Paulo is 4.7% more expensive than the Maldives without rent, and 17.1% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 6.3% more expensive than the Maldives without rent, and 10.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.94 R$44.64
$6.54 MVR 101
36.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.46 R$247
$49.62 MVR 765
-0.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 R$46.01
$10.00 MVR 154
-7.80%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.97 MVR 76.6
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$9.82 MVR 151
-
Cappuccino
$2.54 R$12.70
$3.27 MVR 50.4
-22.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 R$7.25
$1.51 MVR 23.32
-3.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 R$4.55
$0.31 MVR 4.81
193.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.07 R$15.31
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 R$21.75
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 R$6.32
$1.88 MVR 29.01
-32.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 R$9.17
$1.56 MVR 24.10
17.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.05
$1.04 MVR 16.04
35.58%
Eggs
$2.84 R$14.20
$1.75 MVR 27.04
62.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.56 R$62.7
$6.18 MVR 95.4
103.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.37 R$26.81
$6.75 MVR 104
-20.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.72 R$53.5
$10.03 MVR 155
6.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.74 R$13.67
$3.98 MVR 61.3
-31.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 R$9.03
$2.99 MVR 46.12
-39.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 R$7.74
$3.88 MVR 59.8
-60.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 R$9.90
$2.56 MVR 39.48
-22.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 R$7.34
$1.75 MVR 26.93
-16.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.20
$1.75 MVR 26.99
-29.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 R$6.35
$2.23 MVR 34.38
-43.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R$4.79
$0.60 MVR 9.25
60.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$11.14 MVR 172
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.53 MVR 39.01
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.61 MVR 71.1
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R$15.16
$15.06 MVR 232
-79.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.19 R$50.8
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 R$8.64
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 R$13.19
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 R$5.18
$0.68 MVR 10.51
52.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.10 R$240
$28.89 MVR 446
66.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.82 R$9.07
$1.89 MVR 29.15
-3.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 R$5.07
$1.95 MVR 30.12
-47.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.16 R$50.7
$8.02 MVR 124
26.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 R$6.35
$0.99 MVR 15.19
28.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.3K R$121.4K
$31.7K MVR 489.3K
-23.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.0K R$169.8K
$29.9K MVR 460.5K
13.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 R$519
$132 MVR 2,038
-21.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.16 R$80.7
$30.76 MVR 474
-47.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.59 R$113
$68.3 MVR 1,052
-66.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.27 R$181
$63.4 MVR 978
-42.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.78 R$239
$21.44 MVR 331
122.85%
Cinema Ticket
$9.85 R$49.19
$9.03 MVR 139
9.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$525 R$2,622
$183 MVR 2,826
186.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K R$82.8K
$2,922 MVR 45.1K
467.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.9 R$334
$37.67 MVR 581
77.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.3 R$311
$50.1 MVR 772
24.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 R$505
$86.1 MVR 1,327
17.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.9 R$454
$51.9 MVR 800
75.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$663 R$3,309
$911 MVR 14.0K
-27.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$423 R$2,110
$672 MVR 10.4K
-37.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,527 R$7,622
$1,927 MVR 29.7K
-20.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,009 R$5,035
$1,467 MVR 22.6K
-31.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,744 R$13.7K
$2,641 MVR 40.7K
3.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,068 R$10.3K
$781 MVR 12.0K
164.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Paulo
Maldives
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$881 R$4,396
$783 MVR 12.1K
12.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.68
14
-16.57%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for the Maldives: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sao Paulo
$423
Maldives
$672 58.9% $249
Groceries & Markets
Sao Paulo
$243
Maldives
$219 10% $24
Eating Out
Sao Paulo
$163
Maldives
$129 21.1% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Sao Paulo
$145
Maldives
$102 29.7% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Paulo
$143
Maldives
$231 62% $88
Getting Around
Sao Paulo
$59
Maldives
$43 26.8% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Sao Paulo
$56
Maldives
$81 45.6% $26
Good to know
🇧🇷 Sao Paulo
🇲🇻 Maldives
🕒 Local time
11:17 11:17 AM
19:17 7:17 PM
8 h ahead of Sao Paulo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
11,451,999
436,330
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.28 MVR (100 MVR = 5.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sao Paulo Maldives 13,260 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sao Paulo
  • Maldives

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

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