Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $1,328 in Perez Zeledon, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Perez Zeledon despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,328 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Perez Zeledon $1,328

A couple spends around $2,044 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,371 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Perez Zeledon $2,371

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,414 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Perez Zeledon $3,414

Sao Paulo is about 8% cheaper than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Paulo and Perez Zeledon are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 10% lower, Perez Zeledon 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$9.34 ₡4,188

-6.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$36.62 ₡16.4K

32.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$8.23 ₡3,689

9.72%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$2.70 ₡1,210

-5.56%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.96 ₡880

-31.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.71 ₡766

-46.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$1.79 ₡804

71.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$3.08 ₡1,380

42.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.64 ₡735

-27.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$3.03 ₡1,357

-40.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$2.47 ₡1,109

-40.08%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$2.48 ₡1,113

13.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$10.62 ₡4,763

18.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$10.36 ₡4,646

-47.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$13.82 ₡6,196

-22.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$4.99 ₡2,238

-43.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.08 ₡483

68.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$4.85 ₡2,174

-67.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$3.96 ₡1,777

-48.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$3.86 ₡1,730

-62.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$3.78 ₡1,693

-66.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$0.46 ₡205

171.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$3.21 ₡1,441

-69.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$5.76 ₡2,582

-47.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$19.78 ₡8,870

-50.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$2.77 ₡1,240

-33.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$3.50 ₡1,572

-28.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$0.77 ₡344

38.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$2.51 ₡1,125

-27.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.61 ₡720

-37.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$8.81 ₡3,952

16.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.54 ₡689

-16.23%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

5.49%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$34.8K ₡15.6M

-0.73%

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

$104 R$527

$92.9 ₡41.7K

12.00%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$23.91 ₡10.7K

-30.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$58.7 ₡26.3K

-62.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$72.4 ₡32.5K

-49.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$7.46 ₡3,346

29.89%

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

$573 R$2,906

$508 ₡227.7K

12.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

0.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$72.9 ₡32.7K

-9.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$56.8 ₡25.5K

7.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$129 ₡58.0K

-23.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$130 ₡58.1K

-29.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$401 ₡180.0K

62.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$333 ₡149.4K

25.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$1,898 ₡851.1K

-19.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$1,258 ₡564.0K

-21.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

8.62

35.50%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1% 20.3% $85

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8% 57.1% $139

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2% 0.6% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2% 22.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2% 23% $33

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1% 76.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6% 56.5% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $654 in Sao Paulo versus $401 in Perez Zeledon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $37.00 in Perez Zeledon. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Sao Paulo vs $382 in Perez Zeledon – so Sao Paulo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

17:32 5:32 PM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

135,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Perez Zeledon 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Perez Zeledon

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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Perez Zeledon is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,833 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,992 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Paulo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,222 in Sao Paulo and $1,328 in Perez Zeledon. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $573 per month in Sao Paulo and $508 in Perez Zeledon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,222, than in Perez Zeledon at $1,328. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perez Zeledon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Paulo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Perez Zeledon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.