Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Shahrekord

For one person, living is cheaper in Shahrekord: $529 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Shahrekord
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Shahrekord Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Shahrekord

🇮🇷 Iran

$529

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Sao Paulo versus $529 in Shahrekord.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Shahrekord $529

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,948 in Sao Paulo versus $830 in Shahrekord.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Shahrekord $830

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,713 in Sao Paulo versus $1,130 in Shahrekord.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Shahrekord $1,130

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 123% more expensive than in Shahrekord, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 13% lower, Shahrekord 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$43.61

$2.56 $2.56

218.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$250

$15.92 $15.92

193.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.08

$4.19 $4.19

96.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.66 $0.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 $1.15

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$12.90

$0.67 $0.67

259.70%

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

$1.32 R$7.06

$0.47 $0.47

180.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.52

$1.00 $1.00

-15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$14.86

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.23

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.13

$0.70 $0.70

64.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.02

$0.53 $0.53

218.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.21

$1.98 $1.98

-31.82%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.39

$1.15 $1.15

133.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$63.0

$4.38 $4.38

168.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$26.56

$3.63 $3.63

36.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.0

$8.87 $8.87

13.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.69

$0.97 $0.97

163.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.32

$1.62 $1.62

7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.71

$0.87 $0.87

65.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.76

$0.61 $0.61

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.90

$0.54 $0.54

138.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.25

$0.50 $0.50

134.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.53

$0.54 $0.54

125.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.75

$0.29 $0.29

206.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.84 $0.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.71

$2.87 $2.87

-4.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$49.57

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.71

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.48

$0.15 $0.15

580.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$241

$10.12 $10.12

344.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.17

$0.38 $0.38

352.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.78

$0.28 $0.28

217.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$50.9

$2.94 $2.94

223.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.57

$0.10 $0.10

1130.00%

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

$22.3K R$119.4K

$45.5K $45.5K

-50.92%

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

$32.5K R$173.7K

$45.2K $45.2K

-28.10%

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

$98.2 R$525

$11.69 $11.69

739.78%

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

$15.47 R$82.7

$1.58 $1.58

879.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$111

$4.13 $4.13

401.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$170

$18.28 $18.28

74.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$236

$13.10 $13.10

237.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$48.52

$1.92 $1.92

372.40%

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

$512 R$2,740

$92.9 $92.9

451.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$84.6K

$2,147 $2,147

637.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$322

$23.07 $23.07

160.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$306

$28.39 $28.39

101.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$496

$108 $108

-14.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$460

$73.8 $73.8

16.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,377

$295 $295

113.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,318

$214 $214

102.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,240

$892 $892

51.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,120

$349 $349

173.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.3K

$903 $903

174.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.2K

$495 $495

286.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,374

$200 $200

308.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

24.3

-51.93%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shahrekord: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Shahrekord

$214 40.4% 50.7% $220

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Shahrekord

$112 21.2% 50.6% $115

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Shahrekord

$47 8.9% 68.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Shahrekord

$17 3.3% 87.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Shahrekord

$105 19.8% 21.3% $28

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Shahrekord

$13 2.4% 77.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Shahrekord

$22 4.2% 55.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $632 in Sao Paulo and $295 in Shahrekord. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Sao Paulo vs $16 in Shahrekord for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $112 per month, with Shahrekord cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇮🇷 Shahrekord

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

01:54 1:54 AM

6 h 30 min ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

129,153

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 USD = 0.897 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Shahrekord 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Shahrekord

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 Shahrekord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shahrekord is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sao Paulo is about 4.1 times higher, 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: $632 in Sao Paulo versus $295 in Shahrekord. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shahrekord runs roughly 78% less than in Sao Paulo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $512 in Sao Paulo versus $93 in Shahrekord. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $529 in Shahrekord versus $1,183 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shahrekord but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Shahrekord 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 Shahrekord gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.