Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
Learn more

Burlington, NC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Burlington, NC vs $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,604
Sao Paulo $1,222

A couple spends around $3,784 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,044 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,784
Sao Paulo $2,044

A family of three spends $4,963 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,867 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Burlington, NC $4,963
Sao Paulo $2,867

Burlington, NC costs about 113% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Burlington, NC sits 92% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.93 $18.93

$8.71 R$44.15

117.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$48.61 R$246

53.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$9.03 R$45.77

20.60%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$2.55 R$12.94

105.10%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.35 R$6.83

85.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.91 R$4.63

126.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.07 R$15.55

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$4.38 R$22.21

55.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.19 R$6.05

-12.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.80 R$9.14

98.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.48 R$7.51

193.92%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.82 R$14.31

49.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$12.61 R$63.9

-1.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$5.40 R$27.36

109.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 $15.63

$10.76 R$54.6

45.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.82 R$14.28

78.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.82 R$9.25

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.60 R$8.14

162.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.03 R$10.28

136.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.46 R$7.40

99.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.25 R$6.35

120.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.25 R$6.32

68.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.98 R$4.98

112.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$3.00 R$15.18

212.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 $14.08

$9.71 R$49.22

45.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.84 R$9.32

0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.52 R$12.80

32.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.07 R$5.41

88.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.81 R$9.16

87.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.01 R$5.14

63.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 $28.99

$10.24 R$51.9

183.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.29 R$6.52

-31.01%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$23.5K R$119.3K

26.92%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-26.25%

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

$191 $191

$104 R$527

83.21%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$16.60 R$84.1

218.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$22.04 R$112

203.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 $42.35

$36.43 R$185

16.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 $13.34

$9.69 R$49.12

37.67%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$573 R$2,906

123.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.9K R$85.8K

40.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$66.3 R$336

-23.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$61.1 R$310

-34.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$98.8 R$501

-13.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$91.4 R$463

22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$654 R$3,316

149.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 $1,378

$418 R$2,120

229.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 $2,653

$1,524 R$7,724

74.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$992 R$5,028

126.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 $2,740

$2,670 R$13.5K

2.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$2,019 R$10.2K

19.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.68

-44.26%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 69.6% $960

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 37.4% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 54% $168

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 48.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$130 5%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 10.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 19.2% $13

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 196% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Burlington, NC 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 $75.0 in Burlington, NC versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

1 h ahead of Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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 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

Burlington, NC Sao Paulo 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, NC
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

Burlington, NC vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,604 in Burlington, NC, $1,222 in Sao Paulo – roughly 113% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in Burlington, NC 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $1,222 in Sao Paulo. That's a gap of about 113%.

Kindergarten costs $1,282 per month in Burlington, NC and $573 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 $1,222, than in Burlington, NC at $2,604. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sao Paulo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,222 in Sao Paulo to $2,604 in Burlington, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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