Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Campinas and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Campinas: $1,006 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Campinas
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Campinas Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Campinas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,006

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,006 per month in Campinas vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Campinas $1,006
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $1,680 per month in Campinas vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Campinas $1,680
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $2,354 per month in Campinas vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Campinas $2,354
Sao Paulo $2,911

Campinas is about 19% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Campinas and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Campinas 26% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.02 R$50.8

$8.81 R$44.68

13.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.21 R$184

$49.37 R$250

-26.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 R$45.15

$8.80 R$44.63

1.25%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.07

$2.49 R$12.63

-4.42%

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

$1.35 R$6.84

$1.42 R$7.19

-4.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.50

$0.85 R$4.31

4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.51

$2.98 R$15.11

-17.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 R$20.65

$4.34 R$22.02

-6.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.24 R$6.28

-16.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.04

$1.91 R$9.66

3.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.04

$1.43 R$7.25

-2.80%

Eggs

$2.56 R$12.98

$2.81 R$14.23

-8.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 R$54.1

$12.74 R$64.6

-16.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 R$24.10

$5.41 R$27.44

-12.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 R$54.4

$10.64 R$54.0

0.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 R$12.28

$2.75 R$13.95

-12.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R$8.45

$1.81 R$9.19

-7.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.63 R$8.27

-1.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.92

$2.00 R$10.16

-31.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.40 R$7.10

-7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.33

$1.27 R$6.43

-1.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 R$4.76

$1.28 R$6.47

-26.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.47

$0.95 R$4.83

-7.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 R$13.00

$2.99 R$15.15

-14.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 R$42.50

$9.96 R$50.5

-15.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R$7.75

$1.85 R$9.37

-17.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.61

$2.54 R$12.90

-1.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 R$5.81

$1.09 R$5.50

5.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.96 R$223

$48.78 R$247

-9.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.85 R$9.39

-35.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$3.71

$0.99 R$4.99

-26.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.64 R$43.80

$10.29 R$52.2

-16.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.34 R$6.78

0.75%

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

$23.6K R$119.7K

$24.4K R$123.8K

-3.25%

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

$32.8K R$166.2K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-3.39%

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

$66.3 R$336

$104 R$529

-36.52%

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

$14.65 R$74.3

$16.71 R$84.7

-12.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$22.18 R$112

2.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.36 R$149

$35.82 R$182

-18.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.62 R$186

$47.28 R$240

-22.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.08 R$40.96

$10.06 R$51.0

-19.68%

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

$439 R$2,227

$579 R$2,936

-24.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$55.0K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-36.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.1 R$335

$65.7 R$333

0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 R$292

$61.0 R$309

-5.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 R$455

$100 R$509

-10.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 R$405

$92.1 R$467

-13.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 R$2,242

$659 R$3,341

-32.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 R$1,454

$428 R$2,170

-32.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 R$4,962

$1,515 R$7,678

-35.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$687 R$3,482

$1,026 R$5,201

-33.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 R$11.0K

$2,773 R$14.1K

-21.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,251 R$6,341

$2,007 R$10.2K

-37.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$576 R$2,922

$909 R$4,609

-36.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

11.68

-7.45%

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

Last update for Campinas: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Campinas

$287 28.5%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 49.2% $141

Groceries & Markets

Campinas

$219 21.8%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 11.4% $25

Eating Out

Campinas

$165 16.4%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 3.3% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Campinas

$132 13.1%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 8.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Campinas

$104 10.3%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 38.1% $40

Getting Around

Campinas

$53 5.3%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 12.2% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Campinas

$46 4.5%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 22.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $442 in Campinas 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 58% higher in Sao Paulo, 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 $36.00 in Campinas versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $244 – making Campinas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Campinas

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

Same time as Campinas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,139,047

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Campinas Sao Paulo 84 km

From you

Campinas
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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

Campinas vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo costs about 23% more than Campinas, 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 $1,509 per month in Campinas 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 Campinas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Sao Paulo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Campinas and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Campinas, where all-in costs run around $1,006, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Campinas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Campinas costs $1,006 versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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