Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Mayari

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $1,484 in Mayari, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Mayari
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Mayari Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Mayari

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,484 in Mayari.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Mayari $1,484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $2,453 in Mayari.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Mayari $2,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $3,423 in Mayari.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Mayari $3,423

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 16% less than in Mayari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Mayari is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.87

$5.87 CUP 141

52.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$248

$19.85 CUP 476

149.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.25

$6.42 CUP 154

43.61%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.77

$1.32 CUP 31.74

92.42%

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

$1.45 R$7.29

$2.14 CUP 51.5

-32.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.57

$1.23 CUP 29.49

-26.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.39

$2.52 CUP 60.5

21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.87

$2.95 CUP 70.8

47.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.36

$3.01 CUP 72.2

-57.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.22

$0.77 CUP 18.40

138.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.08

$2.43 CUP 58.3

-41.98%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.27

$3.07 CUP 73.7

-7.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$63.0

$5.81 CUP 139

116.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.95

$5.23 CUP 125

2.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.8

$11.96 CUP 287

-10.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.74

$5.05 CUP 121

-45.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.08

$1.18 CUP 28.41

53.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.78

$1.42 CUP 34.11

9.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.95

$1.42 CUP 33.97

39.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.38

$1.93 CUP 46.37

-23.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.23

$2.88 CUP 69.1

-56.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.38

$1.02 CUP 24.39

24.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.82

$1.12 CUP 26.88

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.24

$3.55 CUP 85.1

-14.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$51.1

$9.86 CUP 237

3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.69

$1.71 CUP 40.96

1.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.26

$1.99 CUP 47.78

32.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.20

$0.19 CUP 4.46

447.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$241

$20.16 CUP 484

138.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.12

$2.29 CUP 55.1

-20.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.10

$0.41 CUP 9.92

148.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$51.0

$19.78 CUP 475

-48.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.38

$1.24 CUP 29.74

2.42%

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

$24.3K R$122.0K

$70.0K CUP 1.7M

-65.25%

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

$34.0K R$170.6K

$80.4K CUP 1.9M

-57.72%

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

$104 R$522

$35.53 CUP 853

192.54%

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

$16.16 R$81.1

$40.35 CUP 968

-59.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$252 CUP 6,052

-91.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$182

$39.42 CUP 946

-7.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$240

$14.92 CUP 358

220.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.45

$0.98 CUP 23.61

905.10%

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

$525 R$2,635

$119 CUP 2,859

340.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$83.2K

$17.2K CUP 412.2K

-3.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$336

$54.3 CUP 1,303

23.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$312

$40.33 CUP 968

54.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$507

$45.69 CUP 1,096

121.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$456

$49.17 CUP 1,180

84.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,326

$211 CUP 5,069

213.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,121

$679 CUP 16.3K

-37.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,662

$376 CUP 9,016

306.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,061

$1,737 CUP 41.7K

-41.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.8K

$390 CUP 9,357

603.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.4K

$354 CUP 8,506

483.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,419

$21.80 CUP 523

3939.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

16.80%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mayari: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Mayari

$679 44.7% 60.5% $256

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Mayari

$246 16.2% 1% $2.3

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Mayari

$114 7.5% 30.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Mayari

$85 5.6% 41% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Mayari

$328 21.6% 130% $185

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Mayari

$25 1.7% 57.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Mayari

$41 2.7% 26.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $211 in Mayari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 3940% 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 $20.00 in Mayari. Groceries flip the comparison at $243 vs $246, with Sao Paulo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇺 Mayari

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

07:42 7:42 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

29,259

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, 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 = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.89 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Mayari 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Mayari

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 Mayari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Mayari. 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 3940% 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 $211 in Mayari. 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 $20.00 in Mayari. 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 $1,484 in Mayari – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,484 in Mayari, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Mayari. 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 19% less than in Mayari. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.