Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Paulo vs. Buenos Aires Cost of Living Summary
Sao Paulo is 2.8% cheaper than Buenos Aires.
- Restaurants
-
pay 44.0% less in Sao Paulo
- Groceries
-
pay 11.3% less in Sao Paulo
- Transportation
-
pay 25.0% more in Sao Paulo
- Housing
-
pay 22.9% less in Sao Paulo
- Childcare
-
pay 2.1 times more in Sao Paulo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.4% less in Sao Paulo
- Clothing
-
pay 44.8% less in Sao Paulo
The cost of childcare and transportation in Sao Paulo are more expensive than in Buenos Aires. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, and groceries are lower in Sao Paulo. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Sao Paulo.
Sao Paulo vs. Buenos Aires Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Paulo instead of Buenos Aires, you would:
pay 44.0% less for restaurants
|
Buenos Aires
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
ARS25,933.50
|
$7.83
R$42.41
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
ARS17,289.00
|
$7.45
R$40.39
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.18
ARS3,142.45
|
$1.22
R$6.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.39
ARS1,999.93
|
$0.87
R$4.71
|
|
Buenos Aires vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.3% less for groceries
|
Buenos Aires
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.89
ARS4,164.89
|
$1.91
R$10.35
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.13
ARS8,836.60
|
$5.88
R$31.84
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.84
ARS8,409.97
|
$3.98
R$21.55
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.29
ARS4,738.61
|
$2.66
R$14.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.92
ARS5,647.01
|
$2.09
R$11.31
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.15
ARS1,658.22
|
$1.28
R$6.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.96
ARS1,384.97
|
$0.85
R$4.63
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.57
ARS815.96
|
$0.74
R$4.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.14
ARS1,641.89
|
$0.88
R$4.79
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.66
ARS948.96
|
$0.66
R$3.59
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.58
ARS834.01
|
$0.59
R$3.19
|
|
Buenos Aires vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of groceries
pay 25.0% more for transportation
|
Buenos Aires
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.31
ARS6,213.73
|
$4.28
R$23.22
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.00
ARS28,815.00
|
$46.58
R$252.46
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,000.00
ARS36,018,750.00
|
$22,360.53
R$121,180.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.51
ARS13,708.68
|
$7.45
R$40.39
|
|
Buenos Aires vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of transportation
pay 22.9% less for housing
|
Buenos Aires
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$29.42
ARS42,390.25
|
$20.82
R$112.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$659.06
ARS949,547.18
|
$671.45
R$3,638.87
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$463.75
ARS668,143.89
|
$417.23
R$2,261.12
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$100.98
ARS145,484.43
|
$46.29
R$250.87
|
|
Buenos Aires vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
|
Buenos Aires
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$367.39
ARS529,319.02
|
$484.48
R$2,625.58
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,496.25
ARS7,918,722.19
|
$15,731.99
R$85,257.92
|
|
Buenos Aires vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of childcare
pay 30.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Buenos Aires
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.80
ARS5,474.85
|
$2.24
R$12.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.13
ARS5,943.95
|
$2.13
R$11.52
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.68
ARS5,301.96
|
$2.63
R$14.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.59
ARS62,797.79
|
$31.73
R$171.94
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.00
ARS12,966.75
|
$8.39
R$45.44
|
|
Buenos Aires vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 44.8% less for clothing
|
Buenos Aires
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$112.87
ARS162,612.84
|
$54.85
R$297.28
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$91.59
ARS131,962.90
|
$45.57
R$246.95
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$129.33
ARS186,337.00
|
$87.31
R$473.15
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.94
ARS194,408.71
|
$74.26
R$402.43
|
|
Buenos Aires vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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