Cost of living in Sao Paulo

In Sao Paulo, Brazil, living costs about $1012 per month for one person and $2565 for a family of four, including rent.

How expensive is Sao Paulo compared to other cities?

Sao Paulo is 14% more expensive overall versus the European benchmark.

How does Sao Paulo compare to your city?

Sao Paulo is 63% cheaper than New York City, without rent.

Rent in Sao Paulo is, on average, 82% lower than in New York City.

What drives the cost of living in Sao Paulo?

Who is Sao Paulo a good fit for?

Sao Paulo is most realistic when moving with a strong job offer or relocation package. Without high income, the housing-driven price level can be difficult to sustain.

FAQ

Why is Sao Paulo so expensive?

The high cost of living in Sao Paulo is primarily driven by elevated rent and utility expenses. These costs significantly impact the overall affordability of the city.

Is food expensive in Sao Paulo?

Food prices in Sao Paulo are 17% lower than the European benchmark, making it relatively affordable. Residents can enjoy a variety of dining options without breaking the bank.

Is public transport affordable in Sao Paulo?

Public transport in Sao Paulo is 65% higher than the European benchmark, which can be a burden for daily commuters. This elevated cost may influence transportation choices for residents.

Cost of living breakdown

Cost of Living, one person, including rent
1012 $
Without Rent
530 $
Rent & Utilities
481 $
Food
285 $
Transport
145 $
Monthly Salary, after tax
477 $
GDP per Capita
10,044 $
Freedom Index
6.92
Lifespan
73 years
Speak English
5%
Population
11.5M

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Update Prices

Restaurants

Lunch menu, inexpensive restaurant 6.82 $
Dinner 38.4 $
Fast food, McDonalds or KFC 7.22 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.95 $
Capuccino 2.19 $
Coke, 330ml 1.13 $

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Markets

Milk, 1 L or 1 qt 1 $
Bread, 0.5 kg or 1 lb 1.4 $
Rice, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.13 $
Eggs, 12 pack 2.48 $
Cheese, 1 kg or 2 lb 10 $
Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2 lb 4.11 $
Round Steak, 1 kg or 2 lb 7.71 $
Apples, 1 kg or 2 lb 2.41 $
Banana, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.86 $
Oranges, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.36 $
Tomato, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.74 $
Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.57 $
Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.45 $
Water, 1 L or 1 qt 0.49 $
Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz 1.83 $
Wine, 750 mL bottle 8.17 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.24 $
Cigarette pack 2.23 $

Transportation

One-way Ticket 0.93 $
Monthly Pass 47.9 $
Gas or Petrol, 1l or 0.26 gal 1.04 $
Taxi, 8 km 8.27 $

Personal Care

Doctor Visit, private clinic 57.8 $
Cold medicine, for 1 week 4.84 $
Hair Shampoo, 400 ml or 12 oz. 3.35 $
Toilet paper, 4 rolls 1.52 $
Toothpaste, 1 tube 0.98 $

Utilities per Month

1 person, electricity, heating, water & garbage 50 $
Family of 4, electricity, heating, water & garbage 77 $
Internet plan, +60 Mbps 19.3 $

Rent per Month

1 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 40 sq.m 371 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 85 sq.m 694 $
1 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 40 sq.m 574 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 85 sq.m 1,002 $

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment, in city center 2,416 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy House, in suburbs 1,687 $

Salaries and Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary, after tax 477 $
Mortgage Interest Rate, for 20 years fixed-rate 10.91%

Sports and Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 24.9 $
Cinema, 1 seat 7.65 $
Haircut 10.4 $

Clothing and Shoes

Brand Sneakers, mid-range, Nike or similar 84.4 $
Brand Jeans, Levis 501 51.5 $

Childcare

Preschool, full day, monthly for 1 child 482 $
International Primary School, yearly for 1 child 13,135 $

Compare Sao Paulo with other top cities

Curacao
Sao Paulo vs Willemstad (Willemstad is 38% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Barber (Barber is 38% more expensive)
Uruguay
Sao Paulo vs Montevideo (Montevideo is 32% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Salto (Salto is 2% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Ciudad de la Costa (Ciudad de la Costa is 16% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Rivera (Rivera is 25% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Maldonado (Maldonado is 4% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Paysandu (Paysandu is 24% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Tacuarembo (Tacuarembo is 18% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Melo (Melo is 28% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Mercedes (Mercedes is 1% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Artigas (Artigas is 13% less expensive)
Trinidad And Tobago
Sao Paulo vs Chaguanas (Chaguanas is 6% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Port of Spain (Port of Spain is 15% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs San Fernando (San Fernando is 5% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Scarborough (Scarborough is 9% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs San Juan (San Juan is 15% more expensive)
Chile
Sao Paulo vs Santiago (Santiago is 19% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Puente Alto (Puente Alto is 5% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Antofagasta (Antofagasta is 4% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Vina del Mar (Vina del Mar is 8% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs San Bernardo (San Bernardo is 16% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Valparaiso (Valparaiso is 5% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Temuco (Temuco is 13% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Rancagua (Rancagua is 17% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 9% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Talca (Talca is 16% less expensive)
Guyana
Sao Paulo vs Georgetown (Georgetown is 3% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Linden (Linden is 0% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs New Amsterdam (New Amsterdam is 0% more expensive)
Mexico
Sao Paulo vs Mexico City (Mexico City is 18% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Tijuana (Tijuana is 4% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Ecatepec de Morelos (Ecatepec de Morelos is 27% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Leon (Leon is 29% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Zapopan (Zapopan has similar costs) Sao Paulo vs Guadalajara (Guadalajara is 3% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Puebla (Puebla is 7% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Ciudad Juarez (Ciudad Juarez is 4% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Monterrey (Monterrey is 24% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl (Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl is 29% less expensive)
Suriname
Sao Paulo vs Paramaribo (Paramaribo is 14% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Nieuw Nickerie (Nieuw Nickerie is 17% less expensive)
Ecuador
Sao Paulo vs Guayaquil (Guayaquil is 10% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Quito (Quito is 11% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Cuenca (Cuenca is 24% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo is 42% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Duran (Duran is 20% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Machala (Machala is 41% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Manta (Manta is 14% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Portoviejo (Portoviejo is 25% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Loja (Loja is 39% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Quevedo (Quevedo is 36% less expensive)
Peru
Sao Paulo vs Lima (Lima is 3% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Arequipa (Arequipa is 45% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Trujillo (Trujillo is 31% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Chiclayo (Chiclayo is 49% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Callao (Callao is 23% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Piura (Piura is 44% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Cusco (Cusco is 36% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Chimbote (Chimbote is 51% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Huancayo (Huancayo is 42% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Iquitos (Iquitos is 33% less expensive)
Venezuela
Sao Paulo vs Caracas (Caracas is 3% more expensive) Sao Paulo vs Maracaibo (Maracaibo is 30% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Valencia (Valencia is 23% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Maracay (Maracay is 28% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Barquisimeto (Barquisimeto is 29% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Barinas (Barinas is 21% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Ciudad Guayana (Ciudad Guayana is 12% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Catia La Mar (Catia La Mar is 6% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Ciudad Bolivar (Ciudad Bolivar is 14% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Santa Teresa del Tuy (Santa Teresa del Tuy is 10% less expensive)
Colombia
Sao Paulo vs Bogota (Bogota is 14% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Medellin (Medellin is 14% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Cali (Cali is 28% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Barranquilla (Barranquilla is 22% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Cartagena (Cartagena is 26% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Cucuta (Cucuta is 45% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Soacha (Soacha is 26% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Soledad (Soledad is 17% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Villavicencio (Villavicencio is 53% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Bucaramanga (Bucaramanga is 37% less expensive)
Brazil
Sao Paulo vs Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo has similar costs) Sao Paulo vs Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro is 6% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Brasilia (Brasilia is 20% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Fortaleza (Fortaleza is 29% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Salvador (Salvador is 27% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Belo Horizonte (Belo Horizonte is 22% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Manaus (Manaus is 21% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Curitiba (Curitiba is 24% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Recife (Recife is 23% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Goiania (Goiania is 35% less expensive)
Argentina
Sao Paulo vs Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires is 10% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Cordoba (Cordoba is 8% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Rosario (Rosario is 38% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs San Miguel de Tucuman (San Miguel de Tucuman is 31% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Mar del Plata (Mar del Plata is 26% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Salta (Salta is 28% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs San Juan (San Juan is 35% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Lanus (Lanus is 20% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Santiago del Estero (Santiago del Estero is 62% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Santa Fe (Santa Fe is 30% less expensive)
Bolivia
Sao Paulo vs Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Santa Cruz de la Sierra is 25% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs La Paz (La Paz is 33% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs El Alto (El Alto is 37% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Cochabamba (Cochabamba is 47% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Sucre (Sucre is 35% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Oruro (Oruro is 41% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Potosi (Potosi is 51% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Tarija (Tarija is 38% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Sacaba (Sacaba is 47% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Trinidad (Trinidad is 24% less expensive)
Paraguay
Sao Paulo vs Asuncion (Asuncion is 34% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Ciudad del Este (Ciudad del Este is 48% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Luque (Luque is 40% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo is 39% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Pedro Juan Caballero (Pedro Juan Caballero is 48% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Caaguazu (Caaguazu is 59% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Encarnacion (Encarnacion is 49% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Coronel Oviedo (Coronel Oviedo is 47% less expensive) Sao Paulo vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 47% less expensive)