Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Portoviejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $807 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
Learn more

Portoviejo Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $807 in Portoviejo.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Portoviejo $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,347 in Portoviejo.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Portoviejo $1,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $1,888 in Portoviejo.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Portoviejo $1,888

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 53% more expensive than in Portoviejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Portoviejo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$4.07 $4.07

116.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$51.8 $51.8

-4.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$9.19 $9.19

-4.24%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.91 $2.91

-14.43%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$0.89 $0.89

59.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.75 $0.75

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$3.04 $3.04

-1.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$4.19 $4.19

3.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.22 $1.22

1.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$1.98 $1.98

-3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.42 $1.42

0.70%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.04 $2.04

37.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$6.85 $6.85

85.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$5.11 $5.11

5.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$9.35 $9.35

13.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$1.53 $1.53

79.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.15 $1.15

57.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$0.99 $0.99

64.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$0.95 $0.95

110.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.23 $1.23

13.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$0.97 $0.97

30.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.82 $0.82

56.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.99 $0.99

-4.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$5.87 $5.87

-49.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$11.77 $11.77

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.58 $1.58

17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.20 $2.20

15.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.36 $0.36

202.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$17.65 $17.65

176.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.37 $1.37

35.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.72 $1.72

-42.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$11.82 $11.82

-12.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.83 $0.83

61.45%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$20.6K $20.6K

18.48%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$31.0K $31.0K

9.56%

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

$104 R$529

$39.37 $39.37

165.30%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$14.63 $14.63

14.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$25.63 $25.63

-13.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$26.86 $26.86

33.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$17.76 $17.76

166.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$7.46 $7.46

34.85%

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

$579 R$2,936

$378 $378

53.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$5,653 $5,653

202.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$65.3 $65.3

0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$39.77 $39.77

53.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$125 $125

-19.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$94.0 $94.0

-1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$296 $296

122.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$185 $185

130.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$719 $719

110.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$362 $362

183.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$1,183 $1,183

134.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$769 $769

161.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$327 $327

177.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.05

16.22%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Portoviejo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Portoviejo

$185 23% 56.7% $243

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Portoviejo

$200 24.8% 18.2% $44

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Portoviejo

$125 15.5% 21.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Portoviejo

$146 18.1% 1.6% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Portoviejo

$80 9.9% 44.4% $64

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Portoviejo

$29 3.6% 51.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Portoviejo

$42 5.2% 25.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $296 in Portoviejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 178% 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 $52.0 in Portoviejo. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $200, with Portoviejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

22:17 10:17 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

180,641

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Portoviejo 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Portoviejo

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 Portoviejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portoviejo wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Portoviejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 178% 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 $296 in Portoviejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Portoviejo – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $807 in Portoviejo versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Portoviejo but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Portoviejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Portoviejo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $807 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Portoviejo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Portoviejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.