Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloomington, IL and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,258 in Bloomington, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Bloomington, IL
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Bloomington, IL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Bloomington, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,258

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,258 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $2,258
Sao Paulo $1,222

A couple spends around $3,264 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $2,044 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $3,264
Sao Paulo $2,044

A family of three spends $4,270 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $2,867 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $4,270
Sao Paulo $2,867

Bloomington, IL costs about 85% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bloomington, IL sits 67% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.84 $17.84

$8.71 R$44.15

104.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 $78.4

$48.61 R$246

61.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$9.03 R$45.77

32.67%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$2.55 R$12.94

105.49%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$1.35 R$6.83

79.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.91 R$4.63

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 $5.65

$3.07 R$15.55

84.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.38 R$22.21

63.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.19 R$6.05

-8.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.80 R$9.14

28.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.48 R$7.51

186.49%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.82 R$14.31

31.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.39 $13.39

$12.61 R$63.9

6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 $7.76

$5.40 R$27.36

43.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.30 $17.30

$10.76 R$54.6

60.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.82 R$14.28

25.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.82 R$9.25

-10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$1.60 R$8.14

246.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.03 R$10.28

70.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.46 R$7.40

132.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.25 R$6.35

112.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.25 R$6.32

116.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.98 R$4.98

186.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.80 $7.80

$3.00 R$15.18

160.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$9.71 R$49.22

54.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.84 R$9.32

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.52 R$12.80

26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.07 R$5.41

14.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.70 $40.70

$47.26 R$240

-13.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.81 R$9.16

87.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.01 R$5.14

55.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 $40.78

$10.24 R$51.9

298.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 R$6.52

-26.36%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$23.5K R$119.3K

15.83%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-26.38%

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

$196 $196

$104 R$527

88.48%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$16.60 R$84.1

318.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.1 $76.1

$22.04 R$112

245.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 $59.8

$36.43 R$185

64.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 $10.13

$9.69 R$49.12

4.54%

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

$1,426 $1,426

$573 R$2,906

148.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.9K R$85.8K

40.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 $58.9

$66.3 R$336

-11.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 $40.53

$61.1 R$310

-33.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 $86.6

$98.8 R$501

-12.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$91.4 R$463

32.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$654 R$3,316

94.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 $970

$418 R$2,120

132.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 $1,784

$1,524 R$7,724

17.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 $1,439

$992 R$5,028

45.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,485 $1,485

$2,670 R$13.5K

-44.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,309 $1,309

$2,019 R$10.2K

-35.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,544 $4,544

$900 R$4,563

404.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

11.68

-42.47%

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

Last update for Bloomington, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bloomington, IL

$970 43%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 56.9% $552

Groceries & Markets

Bloomington, IL

$370 16.4%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 34.3% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloomington, IL

$342 15.1%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 58.2% $199

Eating Out

Bloomington, IL

$301 13.3%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 46.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Bloomington, IL

$138 6.1%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 3.5% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bloomington, IL

$80 3.6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 30.3% $24

Getting Around

Bloomington, IL

$57 2.5%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 2.7% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,275 in Bloomington, IL versus $654 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 405% higher in Bloomington, IL, 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 $78.0 in Bloomington, IL versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bloomington, IL

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

00:13 12:13 AM

2 h ahead of Bloomington, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,247

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

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Bloomington, IL Sao Paulo 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Bloomington, IL
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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

Bloomington, IL vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bloomington, IL costs about 85% 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 $3,387 per month in Bloomington, IL and $1,833 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,426 per month in Bloomington, IL and $573 in Sao Paulo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Bloomington, IL, 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 $1,222, than in Bloomington, IL at $2,258. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bloomington, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,222 versus $2,258 in Bloomington, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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