Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Pachuca

For one person, living is cheaper in Pachuca: $886 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pachuca
Learn more

Pachuca Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Pachuca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $886 in Pachuca.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Pachuca $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,483 in Pachuca.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Pachuca $1,483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $2,079 in Pachuca.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Pachuca $2,079

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 39% more expensive than in Pachuca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Pachuca 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$4.80 MX$88.8

83.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$26.48 MX$489

86.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$8.03 MX$148

9.59%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.09 MX$57.0

-19.42%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.16 MX$21.50

22.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.82 MX$15.16

3.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$1.61 MX$29.79

85.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.36 MX$62.2

29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.58 MX$29.20

-21.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.54 MX$46.99

-24.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.89 MX$34.93

-24.34%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.72 MX$50.4

3.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$7.22 MX$133

76.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$4.74 MX$87.5

14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$7.44 MX$138

43.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.08 MX$38.53

32.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.29 MX$23.82

40.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.52 MX$28.10

7.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.62 MX$29.91

23.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.53 MX$28.33

-8.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.34 MX$24.70

-5.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.93 MX$17.14

37.63%

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

$4.33 MX$80.0

-30.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$8.19 MX$151

21.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.39 MX$25.71

33.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.49 MX$46.08

2.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.57 MX$10.52

91.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$26.85 MX$496

81.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.63 MX$48.55

-29.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$2.62 MX$48.34

-62.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$11.11 MX$205

-7.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.38 MX$25.51

-2.90%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$21.4K MX$395.5K

14.07%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$23.5K MX$433.6K

44.68%

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

$104 R$529

$47.05 MX$869

122.00%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$19.21 MX$355

-13.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$22.45 MX$415

-1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$23.51 MX$434

52.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$10.99 MX$203

330.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$4.30 MX$79.4

133.95%

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

$579 R$2,936

$165 MX$3,049

251.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$2,599 MX$48.0K

557.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$53.2 MX$983

23.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$40.32 MX$745

51.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$94.8 MX$1,751

5.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$77.4 MX$1,430

19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$400 MX$7,386

64.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$269 MX$4,963

59.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$603 MX$11.1K

151.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$688 MX$12.7K

49.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$728 MX$13.5K

281.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$638 MX$11.8K

214.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$663 MX$12.2K

37.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.8

8.15%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pachuca: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Pachuca

$269 30.3% 37.3% $159

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Pachuca

$210 23.7% 13.9% $34

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Pachuca

$122 13.8% 23.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Pachuca

$120 13.5% 16.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Pachuca

$89 10% 38.1% $55

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Pachuca

$45 5.1% 25.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Pachuca

$32 3.6% 42.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $400 in Pachuca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 37% 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 $26.00 in Pachuca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $210 per month, with Pachuca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇽 Pachuca

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

297,848

💱 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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Between locations

Sao Paulo Pachuca 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Pachuca

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 Pachuca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pachuca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $400 in Pachuca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $165 in Pachuca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $886 in Pachuca versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pachuca but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Pachuca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pachuca 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.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Pachuca 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 Pachuca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.