Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,592 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,592
Sao Paulo $1,222

A couple spends around $3,536 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,044 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,536
Sao Paulo $2,044

A family of three spends $4,480 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,867 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,480
Sao Paulo $2,867

Brookings, SD costs about 112% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brookings, SD sits 91% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.52 $17.52

$8.71 R$44.15

101.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.50 $39.50

$48.61 R$246

-18.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 $11.37

$9.03 R$45.77

25.91%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$2.55 R$12.94

80.00%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.35 R$6.83

86.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.91 R$4.63

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.07 R$15.55

98.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$4.38 R$22.21

60.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.19 R$6.05

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.80 R$9.14

93.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$1.48 R$7.51

341.89%

Eggs

$3.56 $3.56

$2.82 R$14.31

26.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$12.61 R$63.9

-17.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$5.40 R$27.36

156.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$10.76 R$54.6

21.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$2.82 R$14.28

109.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.82 R$9.25

0.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$1.60 R$8.14

309.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$2.03 R$10.28

156.65%

Potato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.46 R$7.40

200.68%

Onion (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.25 R$6.35

228.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.25 R$6.32

88.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.98 R$4.98

98.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$3.00 R$15.18

334.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$9.71 R$49.22

22.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.84 R$9.32

55.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.52 R$12.80

128.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$1.81 R$9.16

177.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.01 R$5.14

66.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.76 $23.76

$10.24 R$51.9

132.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.29 R$6.52

-20.16%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$23.5K R$119.3K

28.23%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-23.72%

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

$178 $178

$104 R$527

71.24%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$16.60 R$84.1

226.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$22.04 R$112

220.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 $11.83

$9.69 R$49.12

22.08%

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

$1,338 $1,338

$573 R$2,906

133.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.3K $36.3K

$16.9K R$85.8K

114.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.60 $42.60

$66.3 R$336

-35.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.98 $34.98

$61.1 R$310

-42.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$98.8 R$501

-10.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$91.4 R$463

13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,663 $1,663

$654 R$3,316

154.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 $1,419

$418 R$2,120

239.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 $2,083

$1,524 R$7,724

36.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,037 $2,037

$992 R$5,028

105.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,622 $2,622

$2,670 R$13.5K

-1.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,872 $2,872

$2,019 R$10.2K

42.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.68

-52.91%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: 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

Brookings, SD

$1.4K 54.8%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 70.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$420 16.2%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 42% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$303 11.7%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 52.9% $160

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$292 11.3%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 45% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$121 4.7%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 17.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 136% $32

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 335% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,663 in Brookings, SD 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Brookings, SD versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Groceries tell a different story – $420 in Brookings, SD vs $243 in Sao Paulo – so Sao Paulo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

2 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brookings, SD Sao Paulo 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
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

Brookings, SD vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 112% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Brookings, SD 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Brookings, SD 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 73% more in Brookings, SD, 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 Brookings, SD at $2,592. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,222 versus $2,592 in Brookings, SD. 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, Brookings, SD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.