Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Oaxaca de Juarez

For one person, living is cheaper in Oaxaca de Juarez: $1,154 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. The total is higher in Sao Paulo despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Oaxaca de Juarez
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Oaxaca de Juarez Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Oaxaca de Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Oaxaca de Juarez

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 Oaxaca de Juarez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,154 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Oaxaca de Juarez $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,781 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Oaxaca de Juarez $1,781

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $2,408 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Oaxaca de Juarez $2,408

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 7% more expensive than in Oaxaca de Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Oaxaca de Juarez 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$6.48 MX$120

35.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$32.81 MX$606

50.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$8.33 MX$154

5.64%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.82 MX$52.1

-11.70%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.51 MX$27.83

-5.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.79 MX$14.59

7.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.48 MX$45.90

20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.79 MX$70.0

14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.33 MX$24.59

-6.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$3.13 MX$57.8

-38.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.12 MX$20.62

27.68%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$1.74 MX$32.21

61.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$6.44 MX$119

97.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$5.49 MX$101

-1.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$11.27 MX$208

-5.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.14 MX$39.46

28.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.23 MX$22.80

47.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.90 MX$35.14

-14.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$0.53 MX$9.81

277.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$2.01 MX$37.18

-30.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$2.00 MX$36.93

-36.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.11 MX$20.58

15.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.94 MX$17.46

1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$4.24 MX$78.3

-29.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$9.40 MX$174

5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.47 MX$27.11

25.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.63 MX$48.64

-3.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.53 MX$9.81

105.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$3.89 MX$71.9

-52.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.95 MX$36.12

-49.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$10.89 MX$201

-5.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.36 MX$25.17

-1.47%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$21.4K MX$396.0K

13.93%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$24.4K MX$450.4K

39.26%

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

$104 R$529

$62.5 MX$1,155

67.07%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$11.03 MX$204

51.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$24.19 MX$447

-8.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$44.34 MX$819

-19.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$5.58 MX$103

80.29%

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

$579 R$2,936

$422 MX$7,795

37.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$20.0K MX$369.3K

-14.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$53.5 MX$988

22.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$61.6 MX$1,138

-0.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$102 MX$1,887

-1.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$98.3 MX$1,816

-6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$696 MX$12.9K

-5.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$481 MX$8,885

-10.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,208 MX$22.3K

25.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$892 MX$16.5K

15.01%

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

10.96

6.57%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Oaxaca de Juarez: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$481 41.7% 12.3% $53

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$222 19.3% 9% $22

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$140 12.1% 12.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$142 12.3% 1.2% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$98 8.5% 31.8% $46

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$16 * 1.4% 73.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$56 4.8% 0.8% $0.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $696 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $33.00 in Oaxaca de Juarez for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $222 per month, with Oaxaca de Juarez cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇽 Oaxaca de Juarez

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

258,913

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Oaxaca de Juarez 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Oaxaca de Juarez

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 Oaxaca de Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oaxaca de Juarez wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oaxaca de Juarez the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,852 in Sao Paulo and $1,731 in Oaxaca de Juarez 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $696 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo versus $1,154 in Oaxaca de Juarez – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,154 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oaxaca de Juarez but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Oaxaca de Juarez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Oaxaca de Juarez delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,154 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oaxaca de Juarez hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Oaxaca de Juarez are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Oaxaca de Juarez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.