Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and San Pedro Sula

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Paulo and in San Pedro Sula: $1,244 and $1,214 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro Sula
Learn more

San Pedro Sula Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

San Pedro Sula

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in San Pedro Sula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,214 in San Pedro Sula.

Sao Paulo $1,244
San Pedro Sula $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $1,834 in San Pedro Sula.

Sao Paulo $2,085
San Pedro Sula $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $2,453 in San Pedro Sula.

Sao Paulo $2,926
San Pedro Sula $2,453

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 2% more expensive than in San Pedro Sula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, San Pedro Sula 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$7.47 HNL 201

19.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$33.65 HNL 904

46.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$9.48 HNL 255

-2.74%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$2.37 HNL 63.6

7.17%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$1.02 HNL 27.42

42.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.83 HNL 22.16

9.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$1.85 HNL 49.68

65.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$3.56 HNL 95.5

22.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.52 HNL 40.86

-16.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.96 HNL 52.6

-6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.54 HNL 41.28

-8.44%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$2.43 HNL 65.3

16.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$8.63 HNL 232

45.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$6.73 HNL 181

-20.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$9.34 HNL 251

14.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$3.52 HNL 94.5

-22.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.21 HNL 32.45

49.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$3.30 HNL 88.8

-53.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$1.64 HNL 44.12

20.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$2.43 HNL 65.2

-39.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$2.32 HNL 62.3

-46.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.43 HNL 38.29

-11.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.61 HNL 43.20

-40.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$2.92 HNL 78.4

4.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$13.14 HNL 353

-22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$0.79 HNL 21.19

118.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$1.34 HNL 36.06

97.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.63 HNL 17.00

65.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$35.83 HNL 962

34.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$2.83 HNL 76.1

-35.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.88 HNL 50.4

-45.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$11.29 HNL 303

-10.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.01 HNL 27.05

25.74%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$22.8K HNL 613.4K

6.50%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$25.3K HNL 678.9K

34.55%

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

$104 R$519

$130 HNL 3,497

-20.17%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$11.37 HNL 305

42.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$43.66 HNL 1,173

-48.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$37.58 HNL 1,009

-3.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$13.86 HNL 372

244.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$5.59 HNL 150

76.21%

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

$525 R$2,622

$146 HNL 3,932

258.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$3,243 HNL 87.1K

411.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$75.5 HNL 2,029

-11.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$39.70 HNL 1,066

56.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$79.7 HNL 2,139

26.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$76.2 HNL 2,045

19.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$560 HNL 15.0K

18.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$422 HNL 11.3K

0.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$814 HNL 21.9K

87.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$710 HNL 19.1K

41.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$1,017 HNL 27.3K

169.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$436 HNL 11.7K

374.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$604 HNL 16.2K

45.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

12.33

-5.27%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for San Pedro Sula: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

San Pedro Sula

$422 34.5% 0.3% $1.1

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

San Pedro Sula

$254 20.8% 4.6% $11

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

San Pedro Sula

$140 11.5% 14% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

San Pedro Sula

$122 10% 15.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

San Pedro Sula

$185 15.2% 29.8% $43

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

San Pedro Sula

$51 4.1% 14.5% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

San Pedro Sula

$49 4% 12.9% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $560 in San Pedro Sula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 46% 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 $34.00 in San Pedro Sula. Groceries flip the comparison at $243 vs $254, with Sao Paulo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇭🇳 San Pedro Sula

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

02:53 2:53 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

719,064

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.12 HNL (100 HNL = 3.32 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo San Pedro Sula 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
San Pedro Sula

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 Pedro Sula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and San Pedro Sula differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,214 including rent). San Pedro Sula is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% 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: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $560 in San Pedro Sula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Pedro Sula runs roughly 34% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo versus $146 in San Pedro Sula. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,214 in San Pedro Sula versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Pedro Sula but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes San Pedro Sula 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 San Pedro Sula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.