Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surinam and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
Learn more

Surinam Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Surinam and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $626 in Surinam versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo.

Surinam $626
Sao Paulo $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,049 in Surinam versus $2,044 in Sao Paulo.

Surinam $1,049
Sao Paulo $2,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,472 in Surinam versus $2,867 in Sao Paulo.

Surinam $1,472
Sao Paulo $2,867

Living in Surinam costs roughly 49% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surinam 54% lower, Sao Paulo 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 MUR 280

$8.71 R$44.15

-31.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.18 MUR 1,797

$48.61 R$246

-21.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 MUR 355

$9.03 R$45.77

-16.50%

Cappuccino

$2.70 MUR 127

$2.55 R$12.94

5.88%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.3

$1.35 R$6.83

-12.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MUR 31.99

$0.91 R$4.63

-25.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MUR 126

$3.07 R$15.55

-12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MUR 218

$4.38 R$22.21

5.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MUR 75.6

$1.19 R$6.05

35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MUR 33.80

$1.80 R$9.14

-60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.8

$1.48 R$7.51

-25.68%

Eggs

$2.65 MUR 125

$2.82 R$14.31

-6.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 MUR 250

$12.61 R$63.9

-57.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 MUR 291

$5.40 R$27.36

14.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 MUR 520

$10.76 R$54.6

2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MUR 132

$2.82 R$14.28

-0.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 MUR 125

$1.82 R$9.25

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MUR 68.3

$1.60 R$8.14

-9.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 MUR 140

$2.03 R$10.28

46.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MUR 43.58

$1.46 R$7.40

-36.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 45.08

$1.25 R$6.35

-23.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.57

$1.25 R$6.32

-41.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MUR 41.98

$0.98 R$4.98

-9.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 MUR 298

$3.00 R$15.18

111.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 MUR 405

$9.71 R$49.22

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MUR 78.3

$1.84 R$9.32

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 MUR 112

$2.52 R$12.80

-5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 MUR 192

$1.81 R$9.16

125.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 MUR 151

$1.01 R$5.14

218.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.97 MUR 987

$10.24 R$51.9

104.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MUR 65.2

$1.29 R$6.52

7.75%

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

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

$23.5K R$119.3K

57.04%

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

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

$34.5K R$174.9K

-11.77%

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

$44.93 MUR 2,115

$104 R$527

-56.81%

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

$10.67 MUR 502

$16.60 R$84.1

-35.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MUR 1,346

$22.04 R$112

29.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 MUR 301

$9.69 R$49.12

-34.06%

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

$124 MUR 5,826

$573 R$2,906

-78.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

$16.9K R$85.8K

-55.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 MUR 3,702

$66.3 R$336

18.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 MUR 3,533

$61.1 R$310

22.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 MUR 5,633

$98.8 R$501

21.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MUR 3,678

$91.4 R$463

-14.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.68

-42.89%

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

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surinam

$217 34.8%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 11.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Surinam

$158 25.3%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 9.6% $15

Eating Out

Surinam

$133 21.2%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 20.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surinam

$84 13.5%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 69.5% $58

Getting Around

Surinam

$20 * 3.2%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 190% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Surinam

$13 * 2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 337% $43

Accommodation & Living

Surinam

- * 0%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38.00 in Surinam vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $243 per month, with Surinam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Surinam

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

00:17 12:17 AM

7 h behind Surinam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,500

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surinam Sao Paulo 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Surinam
Sao Paulo

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

Surinam vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surinam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $938 in Surinam and $1,833 in Sao Paulo 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.

Childcare runs $124 in Surinam versus $573 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surinam – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $626 in Surinam versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surinam but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Surinam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Surinam 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.

Safety-wise, Surinam and Sao Paulo 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 Surinam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.