Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Trujillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Trujillo: $867 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
Learn more

Trujillo Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $867 in Trujillo.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Trujillo $867

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,340 in Trujillo.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Trujillo $1,340

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $1,814 in Trujillo.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Trujillo $1,814

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 42% more expensive than in Trujillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Trujillo 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$3.50 PEN 12.01

151.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$23.64 PEN 81.2

108.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$7.01 PEN 24.07

25.53%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.25 PEN 11.17

-23.38%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$0.89 PEN 3.06

59.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.62 PEN 2.12

37.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$1.98 PEN 6.81

50.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.46 PEN 11.89

25.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.31 PEN 4.50

-5.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.06 PEN 7.08

-7.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.14 PEN 3.92

25.44%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$3.98 PEN 13.68

-29.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$7.81 PEN 26.82

63.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$6.54 PEN 22.46

-17.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$9.20 PEN 31.61

15.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$1.67 PEN 5.74

64.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$0.61 PEN 2.08

196.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$0.60 PEN 2.06

171.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$0.89 PEN 3.07

124.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.00 PEN 3.42

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.14 PEN 3.90

11.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.24 PEN 4.24

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.14 PEN 3.93

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$4.22 PEN 14.49

-29.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$5.72 PEN 19.66

74.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.71 PEN 5.88

8.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$1.63 PEN 5.61

55.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.57 PEN 1.94

91.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$17.65 PEN 60.6

176.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.53 PEN 8.68

-26.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$2.21 PEN 7.58

-55.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$5.98 PEN 20.55

72.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.70 PEN 5.84

-21.18%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$17.5K PEN 60.2K

39.34%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$27.8K PEN 95.3K

22.28%

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

$104 R$529

$97.9 PEN 336

6.68%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$12.84 PEN 44.08

30.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$27.05 PEN 92.9

-18.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$39.49 PEN 136

-9.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$5.79 PEN 19.89

716.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$4.40 PEN 15.11

128.64%

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

$579 R$2,936

$107 PEN 369

439.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$2,078 PEN 7,136

721.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$71.8 PEN 247

-8.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$14.35 PEN 49.28

325.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$46.03 PEN 158

118.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$43.97 PEN 151

109.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$384 PEN 1,319

71.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$253 PEN 869

69.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$744 PEN 2,555

103.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$512 PEN 1,758

100.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$1,177 PEN 4,043

135.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$548 PEN 1,884

65.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.7

-0.17%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Trujillo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Trujillo

$253 29.2% 40.9% $175

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Trujillo

$204 23.5% 16.5% $40

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Trujillo

$111 12.8% 30.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Trujillo

$79 9.2% 44.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Trujillo

$138 15.9% 3.9% $5.5

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Trujillo

$33 3.9% 44.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Trujillo

$48 5.6% 13.7% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $384 in Trujillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 66% 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 $24.00 in Trujillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $204 per month, with Trujillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

314,939

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Trujillo 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Trujillo

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 Trujillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Trujillo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 66% 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: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $384 in Trujillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Trujillo runs roughly 176% 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 $107 in Trujillo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $867 in Trujillo versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Trujillo but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Trujillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Trujillo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Paulo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Trujillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.