Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Mazar-i-Sharif $297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $470 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Mazar-i-Sharif $470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $643 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Mazar-i-Sharif $643

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 319% more expensive than in Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Mazar-i-Sharif 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.87

$2.31 ؋149

287.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$248

$15.68 ؋1,015

215.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.25

$3.90 ؋252

136.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.77

$1.19 ؋77.3

113.45%

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

$1.45 R$7.29

$0.56 ؋36.07

158.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.57

$0.32 ؋20.97

184.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.87

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.36

$0.60 ؋38.87

111.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.22

$0.15 ؋9.41

1126.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.08

$2.15 ؋139

-34.42%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.27

$1.59 ؋103

78.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$63.0

$7.92 ؋513

58.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.95

$3.37 ؋218

59.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.8

$6.23 ؋404

72.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.74

$0.59 ؋38.23

364.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.08

$1.17 ؋76.0

54.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.78

$0.81 ؋52.6

91.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.95

$0.61 ؋39.57

224.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.38

$0.51 ؋33.06

188.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.23

$0.40 ؋25.83

210.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.38

$0.52 ؋33.75

144.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.82

$0.32 ؋20.76

200.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.24

$1.56 ؋101

94.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$51.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.69

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.20

$0.80 ؋52.0

30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$241

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.12

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$51.0

$1.52 ؋98.7

568.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.38

$1.49 ؋96.3

-14.77%

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

$24.3K R$122.0K

$9,933 ؋643.3K

144.84%

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

$34.0K R$170.6K

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

$104 R$522

$83.8 ؋5,425

24.09%

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

$16.16 R$81.1

$16.94 ؋1,097

-4.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$182

$11.69 ؋757

210.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$240

$3.91 ؋253

1121.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.45

$4.72 ؋306

108.69%

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

$525 R$2,635

$78.1 ؋5,058

572.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$83.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$336

$13.14 ؋851

408.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$312

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$507

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$456

$18.75 ؋1,214

384.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,326

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,121

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,662

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,061

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,419

$231 ؋15.0K

281.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2% 56.3% $137

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3% 70.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9% 90.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3% 29.4% $42

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1% 94.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2% 62.3% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

Sao Paulo pays 281% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $106 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

10:29 10:29 AM

7 h 30 min ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

300,600

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Mazar-i-Sharif 13,600 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazar-i-Sharif is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 319% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 281% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 129% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif – a 319% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Mazar-i-Sharif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 319% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.