Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Villahermosa

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Paulo and in Villahermosa: $1,235 and $1,237 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Villahermosa
Learn more

Villahermosa Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Villahermosa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,237 in Villahermosa.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Villahermosa $1,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $2,106 in Villahermosa.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Villahermosa $2,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $2,975 in Villahermosa.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Villahermosa $2,975

Monthly costs are close between Sao Paulo and Villahermosa; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Villahermosa 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$10.89 MX$201

-19.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$35.88 MX$663

37.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$10.87 MX$201

-19.04%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.31 MX$61.2

-24.77%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.27 MX$23.39

11.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.20 MX$22.17

-29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.81 MX$52.0

6.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$5.58 MX$103

-22.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.75 MX$32.42

-29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$1.78 MX$32.95

7.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.41 MX$25.98

1.42%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$1.92 MX$35.41

46.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$8.51 MX$157

49.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$10.55 MX$195

-48.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$13.90 MX$257

-23.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$3.38 MX$62.4

-18.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.41 MX$26.04

28.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.61 MX$29.68

1.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.22 MX$22.50

63.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.61 MX$29.75

-13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.35 MX$24.99

-5.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.40 MX$25.86

-8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.27 MX$23.38

-25.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$6.45 MX$119

-53.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$9.36 MX$173

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.76 MX$50.9

-32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$6.47 MX$119

-60.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.57 MX$10.59

91.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$23.36 MX$432

108.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.20 MX$40.72

-15.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$2.24 MX$41.37

-55.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$11.08 MX$205

-7.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.39 MX$25.61

-3.60%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$23.2K MX$428.3K

5.32%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$26.2K MX$484.9K

29.38%

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

$104 R$529

$63.5 MX$1,173

64.57%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$29.82 MX$551

-43.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$32.36 MX$598

-31.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$50.2 MX$928

-28.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$4.29 MX$79.2

134.50%

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

$579 R$2,936

$311 MX$5,741

86.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$4,546 MX$84.0K

275.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$64.7 MX$1,196

1.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$76.2 MX$1,407

31.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$61.3 MX$1,132

50.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$496 MX$9,160

32.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$448 MX$8,275

-4.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,588 MX$29.3K

-4.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$1,212 MX$22.4K

-15.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,222 MX$22.6K

64.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Villahermosa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Villahermosa

$448 36.2% 4.6% $20

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Villahermosa

$280 22.7% 14.7% $36

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Villahermosa

$195 15.7% 22% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Villahermosa

$91 * 7.4% 36.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Villahermosa

$126 10.2% 12.3% $18

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Villahermosa

$39 3.2% 34.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Villahermosa

$59 4.8% 5.1% $2.9

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 $496 in Villahermosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $36.00 in Villahermosa. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $280, with Sao Paulo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇽 Villahermosa

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

21:39 9:39 PM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

340,060

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Villahermosa 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Villahermosa

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 Villahermosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $1,852 in Sao Paulo and $1,856 in Villahermosa 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 $496 in Villahermosa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $311 in Villahermosa. 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 $36.00 in Villahermosa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,237 in Villahermosa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Villahermosa. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

It comes down to priorities – Sao Paulo wins on affordability, Villahermosa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.