Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $503 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
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Ragama Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $503 in Ragama.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Ragama $503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $814 in Ragama.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Ragama $814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $1,125 in Ragama.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Ragama $1,125

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 143% more expensive than in Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 10% lower, Ragama 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$3.73 LKR 1,237

133.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$24.62 LKR 8,154

97.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$7.63 LKR 2,528

18.35%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$2.50 LKR 828

2.00%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$0.72 LKR 239

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.25 LKR 82.7

264.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$2.15 LKR 711

42.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$2.99 LKR 990

46.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.42 LKR 470

-16.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$0.47 LKR 155

282.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$0.68 LKR 226

117.65%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$1.73 LKR 573

63.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$13.87 LKR 4,593

-9.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$4.74 LKR 1,571

13.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$7.33 LKR 2,428

46.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$6.69 LKR 2,217

-57.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$0.81 LKR 268

124.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$4.27 LKR 1,414

-62.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$1.28 LKR 423

58.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$1.03 LKR 341

41.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$0.77 LKR 254

62.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$0.89 LKR 296

40.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.45 LKR 149

117.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$10.11 LKR 3,350

-70.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$13.09 LKR 4,336

-25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.97 LKR 653

-6.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$2.94 LKR 974

-14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$0.37 LKR 123

389.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$0.35 LKR 115

188.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$0.93 LKR 308

1001.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.38 LKR 459

-6.52%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$44.6K LKR 14.8M

-47.19%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-13.86%

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

$104 R$527

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

74.80%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$4.28 LKR 1,416

287.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$21.08 LKR 6,982

4.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$4.45 LKR 1,474

117.75%

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

$573 R$2,906

$37.59 LKR 12.5K

1425.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$1,188 LKR 393.5K

1325.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$18.21 LKR 6,030

263.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$16.89 LKR 5,595

261.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

23.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$41.92 LKR 13.9K

117.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

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

12.69

-7.96%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Ragama

$233 46.4% 4.1% $10

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Ragama

$103 20.6% 35.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Ragama

$71 14% 50.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Ragama

$85 16.9% 40.5% $58

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 84.1% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $25.00 in Ragama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $233 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

03:34 3:34 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

15,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Ragama 14,030 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Ragama differ by about 143% in total monthly costs ($1,222 vs $503 including rent). Ragama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,833 in Sao Paulo and $754 in Ragama 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.

Childcare runs $573 in Sao Paulo versus $37.59 in Ragama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ragama – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $503 in Ragama versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ragama but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Ragama 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 Ragama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 143% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.