Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Carlos vs. Quito Cost of Living Summary
Sao Carlos is 14.6% cheaper than Quito.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.1% less in Sao Carlos
- Groceries
-
pay 3.8% more in Sao Carlos
- Transportation
-
pay 1.9% more in Sao Carlos
- Housing
-
pay 9.8% more in Sao Carlos
- Childcare
-
pay 37.3% less in Sao Carlos
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 38.0% less in Sao Carlos
- Clothing
-
pay 35.6% less in Sao Carlos
The cost of housing, groceries, and transportation in Sao Carlos are more expensive than in Quito. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Sao Carlos.
Sao Carlos vs. Quito Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Carlos instead of Quito, you would:
pay 7.1% less for restaurants
|
Quito
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.00
|
$4.66
R$25.34
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.38
|
$5.96
R$32.43
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.13
|
$1.16
R$6.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.73
|
$0.70
R$3.80
|
|
Quito vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.8% more for groceries
|
Quito
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.62
|
$1.54
R$8.36
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.18
|
$5.12
R$27.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.06
|
$3.98
R$21.62
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.43
|
$2.30
R$12.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.52
|
$1.87
R$10.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.82
R$4.49
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
|
$0.51
R$2.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.48
|
$0.71
R$3.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
|
$0.73
R$3.98
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.68
|
$0.65
R$3.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
|
$0.59
R$3.22
|
|
Quito vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of groceries
pay 1.9% more for transportation
|
Quito
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.63
|
$3.98
R$21.65
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$27.00
|
$22.36
R$121.63
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,000.00
|
$21,615.18
R$117,573.58
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.50
|
$8.76
R$47.64
|
|
Quito vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of transportation
pay 9.8% more for housing
|
Quito
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$28.44
|
$20.65
R$112.30
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$448.12
|
$232.92
R$1,266.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$317.19
|
$198.76
R$1,081.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$25.07
|
$63.17
R$343.62
|
|
Quito vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of housing
pay 37.3% less for childcare
|
Quito
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$283.25
|
$270.19
R$1,469.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,360.00
|
$2,795.07
R$15,203.48
|
|
Quito vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of childcare
pay 38.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Quito
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.38
|
$1.49
R$8.11
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.96
|
$2.07
R$11.23
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.00
|
$2.24
R$12.16
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.55
|
$28.42
R$154.57
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.00
|
$4.66
R$25.34
|
|
Quito vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 35.6% less for clothing
|
Quito
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.15
|
$35.40
R$192.58
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.83
|
$33.54
R$182.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.42
|
$81.19
R$441.62
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.78
|
$46.58
R$253.39
|
|
Quito vs. Sao Carlos - 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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