Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Mayaguez

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Paulo and in Mayaguez: $1,235 and $1,288 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Mayaguez
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Mayaguez Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Mayaguez

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,288 in Mayaguez.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Mayaguez $1,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,991 in Mayaguez.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Mayaguez $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $2,694 in Mayaguez.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Mayaguez $2,694

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 4% less than in Mayaguez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Mayaguez 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$12.78 $12.78

-31.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$67.1 $67.1

-26.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$9.01 $9.01

-2.33%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.60 $3.60

-30.83%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.25 $1.25

13.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.11 $1.11

-23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.98 $2.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$4.38 $4.38

-0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$2.14 $2.14

-42.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$3.68 $3.68

-48.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$2.32 $2.32

-38.36%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$7.34 $7.34

-61.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$12.75 $12.75

-0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$9.68 $9.68

-44.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$13.06 $13.06

-18.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$5.04 $5.04

-45.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$2.54 $2.54

-28.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$4.83 $4.83

-66.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$4.94 $4.94

-59.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$3.74 $3.74

-62.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$3.93 $3.93

-67.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$3.42 $3.42

-62.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.61 $1.61

-40.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$11.92 $11.92

-74.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$15.54 $15.54

-35.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.96 $2.96

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$4.06 $4.06

-37.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.47 $2.47

-25.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.48 $1.48

-33.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$41.76 $41.76

-75.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.01 $1.01

32.67%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$39.3K $39.3K

-37.92%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$27.4K $27.4K

23.74%

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

$104 R$529

$318 $318

-67.11%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$69.1 $69.1

-75.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$69.9 $69.9

-68.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$27.89 $27.89

28.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.66 $10.66

-5.63%

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

$579 R$2,936

$814 $814

-28.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$12.5K $12.5K

36.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$56.5 $56.5

16.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$61.4 $61.4

-0.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$111 $111

-9.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$113 $113

-18.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.55

78.32%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mayaguez: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Mayaguez

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Mayaguez

$413 32.1% 69.1% $169

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Mayaguez

$206 16% 28.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Mayaguez

$154 12% 7.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Mayaguez

$457 35.4% 219% $313

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Mayaguez

$9.9 * 0.8% 83.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Mayaguez

$49 3.8% 12% $6.7

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $67.0 in Mayaguez for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $413 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇷 Mayaguez

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

57,566

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar 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).

United States Dollar 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 Mayaguez 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
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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 Mayaguez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,852 in Sao Paulo and $1,932 in Mayaguez to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $814 in Mayaguez. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $67.0 in Mayaguez. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,288 in Mayaguez, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Mayaguez. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Paulo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mayaguez, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Mayaguez. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.