Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bristol, VA and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,040 a month against $2,038 in Bristol, VA, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Bristol, VA
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Bristol, VA Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Bristol, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,038

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bristol, VA and in Sao Caetano do Sul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bristol, VA and in Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $1,040 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Bristol, VA $2,038
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,040 in Bristol, VA versus $1,793 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Bristol, VA $3,040
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,041 in Bristol, VA versus $2,546 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Bristol, VA $4,041
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,546

Living in Bristol, VA is roughly 96% more expensive than in Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bristol, VA is 50% above, Sao Caetano do Sul is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 $17.76

$9.03 R$45.79

96.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 $63.9

$39.06 R$198

63.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$8.99 R$45.57

20.36%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$2.30 R$11.66

75.22%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$1.33 R$6.74

45.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.88 R$4.47

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.40 R$12.16

91.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.92 R$19.85

50.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.23 R$6.24

-21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.98 R$10.05

102.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.44 R$7.28

131.25%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$2.57 R$13.03

43.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$10.85 R$55.0

49.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$5.13 R$25.98

210.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.05 $18.05

$10.56 R$53.5

70.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.31 R$11.69

125.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.69 R$8.58

-24.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.53 R$7.76

207.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.06 R$10.45

122.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.45 R$7.33

164.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.19 R$6.05

143.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.97 R$4.90

106.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.84 R$4.27

178.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 $8.54

$2.41 R$12.20

254.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$8.90 R$45.12

74.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.84 R$9.34

33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.56 R$12.97

43.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 R$3.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.26 R$6.39

142.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.03 R$5.24

85.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$8.68 R$44.00

239.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.28 R$6.47

-30.47%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$23.2K R$117.7K

48.59%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.2K R$168.3K

-23.46%

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

$171 $171

$102 R$518

67.67%

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

$67.4 $67.4

$14.59 R$74.0

362.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$22.31 R$113

216.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.37 $31.37

$49.28 R$250

-36.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.12 R$229

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 $15.98

$10.06 R$51.0

58.85%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$430 R$2,181

240.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$10.8K R$54.7K

129.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 $50.7

$64.2 R$326

-21.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 $36.93

$56.8 R$288

-34.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 $65.5

$97.5 R$494

-32.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 $90.6

$92.3 R$468

-1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$409 R$2,074

170.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$298 R$1,512

178.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 $1,786

$838 R$4,247

113.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 $1,389

$845 R$4,286

64.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 $1,788

$1,866 R$9,458

-4.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,800 $1,800

$1,444 R$7,319

24.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 $3,025

$942 R$4,776

221.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

10.81

-40.06%

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

Last update for Bristol, VA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bristol, VA

$831 40.8%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$298 28.7% 64.1% $533

Groceries & Markets

Bristol, VA

$440 21.6%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$229 22% 47.9% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bristol, VA

$309 15.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$139 13.4% 55% $170

Eating Out

Bristol, VA

$272 13.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 15% 42.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Bristol, VA

$110 5.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$140 13.5% 27.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Bristol, VA

$63 3.1%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$69 6.7% 9.6% $6.1

Getting Around

Bristol, VA

$13 * 0.6%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.3 * 0.9% 26.1% $3.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Bristol, VA and $409 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol, VA pays 221% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Bristol, VA vs $39.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $440 vs $229 per month, with Sao Caetano do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bristol, VA

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

1 h ahead of Bristol, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,141

165,655

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bristol, VA Sao Caetano do Sul 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bristol, VA
Sao Caetano do Sul

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

Bristol, VA vs Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bristol, VA and Sao Caetano do Sul differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($2,038 vs $1,040 including rent). Sao Caetano do Sul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 221% higher in Bristol, VA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,107 in Bristol, VA versus $409 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,465 in Bristol, VA versus $430 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $64.0 in Bristol, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,040 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $2,038 in Bristol, VA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Caetano do Sul but tight or insufficient in Bristol, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Caetano do Sul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Sao Caetano do Sul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Bristol, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.