Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Quevedo

For one person, living is cheaper in Quevedo: $845 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Quevedo
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Quevedo Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Quevedo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $845 in Quevedo.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Quevedo $845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,466 in Quevedo.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Quevedo $1,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $2,086 in Quevedo.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Quevedo $2,086

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 46% more expensive than in Quevedo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Quevedo 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$5.91 $5.91

49.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$54.8 $54.8

-9.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$7.57 $7.57

16.25%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.36 $3.36

-25.89%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.42 $1.42

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.11 $1.11

-23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$3.54 $3.54

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$6.04 $6.04

-28.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.14 $1.14

8.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$1.61 $1.61

18.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.51 $1.51

-5.30%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.17 $2.17

29.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$6.60 $6.60

93.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$5.71 $5.71

-5.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$7.68 $7.68

38.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.25 $2.25

22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.23 $1.23

47.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.32 $1.32

23.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.08 $1.08

85.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.19 $1.19

17.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.07 $1.07

18.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.87 $0.87

47.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.02 $1.02

-6.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$6.13 $6.13

-51.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$10.13 $10.13

-1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.57 $1.57

17.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$3.10 $3.10

-18.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.33 $0.33

230.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$17.45 $17.45

179.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.52 $1.52

21.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.49 $1.49

-33.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$10.15 $10.15

1.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.85 $0.85

57.65%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$21.3K $21.3K

14.69%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$28.0K $28.0K

21.04%

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

$104 R$529

$28.93 $28.93

261.04%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$17.60 $17.60

-5.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$28.80 $28.80

-22.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$34.05 $34.05

5.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$16.89 $16.89

179.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.44 $6.44

56.21%

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

$579 R$2,936

$227 $227

155.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$8,815 $8,815

93.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$70.8 $70.8

-7.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$50.4 $50.4

21.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$114 $114

-11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$108 $108

-14.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$300 $300

119.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$192 $192

122.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$790 $790

91.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$468 $468

119.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$1,113 $1,113

149.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$794 $794

152.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.12

15.42%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Quevedo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Quevedo

$192 22.7% 55.1% $236

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Quevedo

$199 23.5% 18.6% $46

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Quevedo

$150 17.8% 5.9% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Quevedo

$154 18.3% 7.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Quevedo

$75 8.9% 47.5% $68

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Quevedo

$28 3.3% 53.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Quevedo

$47 5.6% 16.1% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $300 in Quevedo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $55.0 in Quevedo. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $199, with Quevedo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇪🇨 Quevedo

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

15:07 3:07 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

300,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Quevedo 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Quevedo

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 Quevedo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Quevedo differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,235 vs $845 including rent). Quevedo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,852 in Sao Paulo and $1,268 in Quevedo 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 $300 in Quevedo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Quevedo runs roughly 180% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $227 in Quevedo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $845 in Quevedo versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quevedo but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Quevedo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Quevedo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.