Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, NY and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,595 in Amherst, NY, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, NY
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Amherst, NY Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Amherst, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,595

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amherst, NY 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 Amherst, NY and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,595 per month in Amherst, NY vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Amherst, NY $2,595
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $3,768 per month in Amherst, NY vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Amherst, NY $3,768
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $4,940 per month in Amherst, NY vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Amherst, NY $4,940
Sao Paulo $2,911

Amherst, NY costs about 110% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Amherst, NY sits 92% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 $18.34

$8.81 R$44.68

108.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 $75.8

$49.37 R$250

53.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$8.80 R$44.63

38.75%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$2.49 R$12.63

139.76%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.42 R$7.19

85.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.85 R$4.31

143.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$2.98 R$15.11

136.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 $7.67

$4.34 R$22.02

76.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.24 R$6.28

-22.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.91 R$9.66

73.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.43 R$7.25

204.20%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$2.81 R$14.23

45.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 $11.17

$12.74 R$64.6

-12.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$5.41 R$27.44

86.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$10.64 R$54.0

51.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.75 R$13.95

78.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.81 R$9.19

-24.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.63 R$8.27

183.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.00 R$10.16

160.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.40 R$7.10

92.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.27 R$6.43

137.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.28 R$6.47

88.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.95 R$4.83

153.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.28 $14.28

$2.99 R$15.15

377.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$9.96 R$50.5

51.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.85 R$9.37

10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.54 R$12.90

61.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.09 R$5.50

87.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.85 R$9.39

103.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.99 R$4.99

120.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.49 $30.49

$10.29 R$52.2

196.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.34 R$6.78

-17.16%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$24.4K R$123.8K

42.63%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-25.36%

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

$230 $230

$104 R$529

120.50%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$16.71 R$84.7

208.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$22.18 R$112

203.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.68 $40.68

$35.82 R$182

13.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 $19.95

$47.28 R$240

-57.80%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 $12.96

$10.06 R$51.0

28.83%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$579 R$2,936

157.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$17.1K R$86.6K

4.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$65.7 R$333

-19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.32 $44.32

$61.0 R$309

-27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 $97.2

$100 R$509

-3.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$92.1 R$467

24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$659 R$3,341

142.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 $1,306

$428 R$2,170

205.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,483 $2,483

$1,515 R$7,678

63.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 $2,117

$1,026 R$5,201

106.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,696 $2,696

$2,773 R$14.1K

-2.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,376 $2,376

$2,007 R$10.2K

18.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,054 $4,054

$909 R$4,609

345.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

11.68

-44.18%

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

Last update for Amherst, NY: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, NY

$1.3K 50.3%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 67.2% $878

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, NY

$387 14.9%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 36.9% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, NY

$349 13.5%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 59% $206

Eating Out

Amherst, NY

$324 12.5%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 50.8% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, NY

$139 5.4%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 3.4% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, NY

$67 2.6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 16% $11

Getting Around

Amherst, NY

$23 * 0.9%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 163% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,601 in Amherst, NY versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 346% higher in Amherst, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Amherst, NY versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, NY

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

1 h ahead of Amherst, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amherst, NY Sao Paulo 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, NY
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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

Amherst, NY vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amherst, NY costs about 110% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,893 per month in Amherst, NY and $1,852 in Sao Paulo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Paulo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Amherst, NY and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Amherst, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Amherst, NY at $2,595. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amherst, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,235 versus $2,595 in Amherst, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amherst, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.