Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $1,684 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in San Juan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,684 in San Juan.

Sao Paulo $1,235
San Juan $1,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $2,772 in San Juan.

Sao Paulo $2,073
San Juan $2,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $3,861 in San Juan.

Sao Paulo $2,911
San Juan $3,861

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 27% less than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 9% below, San Juan is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$12.36 ₡5,541

-28.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-19.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$11.46 ₡5,139

-23.21%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$4.42 ₡1,982

-43.67%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$2.77 ₡1,240

-48.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.94 ₡870

-56.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$3.31 ₡1,483

-9.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$4.45 ₡1,996

-2.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$2.34 ₡1,052

-47.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$3.18 ₡1,425

-39.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$2.51 ₡1,125

-43.03%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$3.46 ₡1,551

-18.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$10.66 ₡4,782

19.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$10.33 ₡4,633

-47.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$13.90 ₡6,233

-23.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$4.97 ₡2,230

-44.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.59 ₡714

13.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$4.64 ₡2,079

-64.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$3.95 ₡1,771

-49.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$3.86 ₡1,731

-63.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$3.75 ₡1,684

-66.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.07 ₡479

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$3.08 ₡1,379

-69.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$6.00 ₡2,691

-50.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$19.72 ₡8,844

-49.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.76 ₡1,236

-32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$3.69 ₡1,654

-31.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.37 ₡614

-20.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.41 ₡1,079

-23.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.54 ₡693

-35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$8.58 ₡3,849

19.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.55 ₡695

-13.55%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

12.84%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$34.9K ₡15.6M

-2.64%

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

$104 R$529

$96.4 ₡43.2K

8.38%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$35.06 ₡15.7K

-52.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$59.3 ₡26.6K

-62.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$66.9 ₡30.0K

-46.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$7.50 ₡3,362

34.13%

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

$579 R$2,936

$1,001 ₡449.1K

-42.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

1.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$70.9 ₡31.8K

-7.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$55.3 ₡24.8K

10.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$126 ₡56.6K

-20.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$134 ₡60.2K

-31.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$717 ₡321.3K

-8.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$593 ₡266.1K

-27.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,850 ₡829.6K

-18.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$1,386 ₡621.4K

-25.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

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 13, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

San Juan

$593 35.2% 38.6% $165

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

San Juan

$398 23.6% 62.9% $154

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

San Juan

$231 13.7% 44.5% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

San Juan

$174 10.3% 21.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

San Juan

$191 11.3% 33.1% $47

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 73.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

San Juan

$82 4.9% 46.4% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $717 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $61.0 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $398 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

27,000

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo San Juan 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
San Juan

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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and San Juan differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,235 vs $1,684 including rent). Sao Paulo 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 $2,526 in San Juan 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 $717 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $1,001 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $61.0 in San Juan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,684 in San Juan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in San Juan. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo 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.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and San Juan 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 Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in San Juan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.