Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Billings, MT and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,260 in Billings, MT, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Billings, MT
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Billings, MT Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Billings, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,260

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,260 per month in Billings, MT vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Billings, MT $2,260
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $3,500 per month in Billings, MT vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Billings, MT $3,500
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $4,739 per month in Billings, MT vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Billings, MT $4,739
Sao Paulo $2,911

Billings, MT costs about 83% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Billings, MT sits 67% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.42 $26.42

$8.81 R$44.68

199.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$49.37 R$250

51.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 $13.32

$8.80 R$44.63

51.36%

Cappuccino

$6.18 $6.18

$2.49 R$12.63

148.19%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.42 R$7.19

73.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.85 R$4.31

87.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.98 R$15.11

36.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 $4.88

$4.34 R$22.02

12.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.24 R$6.28

-15.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.91 R$9.66

85.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.43 R$7.25

116.78%

Eggs

$3.07 $3.07

$2.81 R$14.23

9.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 $11.84

$12.74 R$64.6

-7.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$5.41 R$27.44

115.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.45 $17.45

$10.64 R$54.0

64.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.75 R$13.95

29.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.81 R$9.19

-20.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.63 R$8.27

83.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.00 R$10.16

124.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.40 R$7.10

-15.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.27 R$6.43

59.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.28 R$6.47

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.95 R$4.83

49.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 $9.45

$2.99 R$15.15

216.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 $10.92

$9.96 R$50.5

9.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.85 R$9.37

18.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.54 R$12.90

99.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.09 R$5.50

79.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.77 $27.77

$48.78 R$247

-43.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.85 R$9.39

31.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$0.99 R$4.99

36.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.1 $59.1

$10.29 R$52.2

474.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.34 R$6.78

-23.13%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$24.4K R$123.8K

35.38%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-28.28%

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

$176 $176

$104 R$529

68.28%

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

$49.08 $49.08

$16.71 R$84.7

193.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.9 $85.9

$22.18 R$112

287.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.69 $48.69

$35.82 R$182

35.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 $15.19

$47.28 R$240

-67.87%

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 $13.57

$10.06 R$51.0

34.89%

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

$1,074 $1,074

$579 R$2,936

85.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$17.1K R$86.6K

11.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 $61.2

$65.7 R$333

-6.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 $67.0

$61.0 R$309

9.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 $97.5

$100 R$509

-2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$92.1 R$467

31.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 $1,262

$659 R$3,341

91.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$947 $947

$428 R$2,170

121.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,110 $2,110

$1,515 R$7,678

39.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 $1,818

$1,026 R$5,201

77.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,393 $2,393

$2,773 R$14.1K

-13.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,096 $2,096

$2,007 R$10.2K

4.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,936 $3,936

$909 R$4,609

332.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

11.68

-45.21%

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

Last update for Billings, MT: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Billings, MT

$947 41.9%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 54.8% $518

Eating Out

Billings, MT

$372 16.5%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 57.1% $212

Groceries & Markets

Billings, MT

$354 15.7%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 31.1% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Billings, MT

$311 13.8%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 53.9% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Billings, MT

$156 6.9%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 7.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Billings, MT

$76 3.4%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 26.3% $20

Getting Around

Billings, MT

$45 2%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 33.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,262 in Billings, MT 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 333% higher in Billings, MT, 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 $75.0 in Billings, MT versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Billings, MT

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

3 h ahead of Billings, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,116

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

Billings, MT Sao Paulo 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Billings, MT
Sao Paulo

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

Billings, MT vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Billings, MT costs about 83% 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 $3,390 per month in Billings, MT 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.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Sao Paulo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,074 per month in Billings, MT and $579 in Sao Paulo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Billings, MT at $2,260. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Billings, MT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,235 versus $2,260 in Billings, MT. 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, Billings, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.