Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Paulo vs. Mexico City Cost of Living Summary
Sao Paulo is 4.1% cheaper than Mexico City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.5% less in Sao Paulo
- Groceries
-
pay 17.3% less in Sao Paulo
- Transportation
-
pay 50.5% more in Sao Paulo
- Housing
-
pay 21.2% less in Sao Paulo
- Childcare
-
pay 28.5% more in Sao Paulo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 26.4% less in Sao Paulo
- Clothing
-
pay 16.4% less in Sao Paulo
The cost of transportation and childcare in Sao Paulo are more expensive than in Mexico City. Expenses including restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and clothing are lower in Sao Paulo.
Sao Paulo vs. Mexico City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Paulo instead of Mexico City, you would:
pay 26.5% less for restaurants
|
Mexico City
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.86
MX$197.31
|
$7.83
R$42.57
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.82
MX$160.32
|
$7.45
R$40.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.73
MX$31.47
|
$1.22
R$6.64
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.30
MX$23.70
|
$0.87
R$4.73
|
|
Mexico City vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of restaurants
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pay 17.3% less for groceries
|
Mexico City
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.63
MX$47.71
|
$1.91
R$10.39
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.04
MX$91.60
|
$5.88
R$31.96
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.54
MX$118.83
|
$3.98
R$21.63
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.61
MX$47.38
|
$2.66
R$14.48
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.80
MX$69.15
|
$2.09
R$11.35
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.37
MX$24.88
|
$1.28
R$6.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.80
MX$14.54
|
$0.85
R$4.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.97
MX$17.69
|
$0.74
R$4.05
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.91
MX$16.47
|
$0.88
R$4.80
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.96
MX$17.42
|
$0.66
R$3.60
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.99
MX$18.07
|
$0.59
R$3.20
|
|
Mexico City vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of groceries
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pay 50.5% more for transportation
|
Mexico City
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.14
MX$93.37
|
$4.28
R$23.30
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$19.54
MX$355.17
|
$46.58
R$253.39
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,030.45
MX$364,045.47
|
$22,360.53
R$121,627.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.42
MX$80.42
|
$7.45
R$40.54
|
|
Mexico City vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of transportation
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pay 21.2% less for housing
|
Mexico City
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$30.93
MX$562.20
|
$20.82
R$113.24
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,079.15
MX$19,613.07
|
$671.45
R$3,652.30
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$677.25
MX$12,308.67
|
$417.23
R$2,269.46
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$37.36
MX$679.03
|
$46.29
R$251.79
|
|
Mexico City vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of housing
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pay 28.5% more for childcare
|
Mexico City
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$430.39
MX$7,822.12
|
$484.48
R$2,635.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,897.53
MX$198,058.25
|
$15,731.99
R$85,572.56
|
|
Mexico City vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of childcare
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pay 26.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Mexico City
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.26
MX$59.19
|
$2.24
R$12.16
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.81
MX$69.31
|
$2.13
R$11.57
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.34
MX$78.93
|
$2.63
R$14.32
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.44
MX$1,062.21
|
$31.73
R$172.57
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.51
MX$118.39
|
$8.39
R$45.61
|
|
Mexico City vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 16.4% less for clothing
|
Mexico City
|
Sao Paulo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.95
MX$1,107.65
|
$54.85
R$298.37
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.08
MX$873.77
|
$45.57
R$247.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.72
MX$1,921.42
|
$87.31
R$474.90
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$110.91
MX$2,015.75
|
$74.26
R$403.92
|
|
Mexico City vs. Sao Paulo - Cost of clothing
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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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