Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlton and Guarulhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $2,253 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index

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Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,253

/mo nomad

Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Carlton and in Guarulhos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,253 in Carlton versus $964 in Guarulhos.

Carlton $2,253
Guarulhos $964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,284 in Carlton versus $1,764 in Guarulhos.

Carlton $3,284
Guarulhos $1,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,315 in Carlton versus $2,565 in Guarulhos.

Carlton $4,315
Guarulhos $2,565

Living in Carlton is roughly 134% more expensive than in Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Carlton is 66% above, Guarulhos is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.96

$8.69 R$44.06

99.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 A$100.0

$40.01 R$203

73.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 A$14.66

$9.00 R$45.61

13.22%

Cappuccino

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.46 R$12.50

23.17%

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

$2.63 A$3.78

$1.35 R$6.82

94.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 A$3.04

$0.86 R$4.37

145.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 A$9.41

$2.44 R$12.39

168.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 A$9.46

$3.88 R$19.65

69.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.92

$1.05 R$5.32

27.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 A$2.98

$1.88 R$9.52

10.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 A$1.92

$1.33 R$6.76

0.75%

Eggs

$3.27 A$4.70

$2.46 R$12.47

32.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 A$14.81

$12.61 R$63.9

-18.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 A$14.37

$4.79 R$24.27

108.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 A$21.37

$10.70 R$54.3

38.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.38 R$12.07

37.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.72 R$8.71

65.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.62

$1.53 R$7.74

109.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 A$6.49

$1.53 R$7.76

194.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.26 R$6.40

96.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.08

$1.18 R$6.00

81.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 A$3.13

$0.98 R$4.97

121.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 A$1.30

$0.85 R$4.32

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.29 A$36.39

$2.49 R$12.65

915.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 A$14.92

$9.88 R$50.1

4.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.50 R$7.62

279.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 A$7.50

$2.49 R$12.64

109.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 A$4.39

$1.24 R$6.30

145.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 A$118

$105 R$532

-21.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$1.17 R$5.94

201.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 A$1.77

$0.72 R$3.64

70.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 A$38.12

$8.49 R$43.03

212.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.88

$1.28 R$6.50

1.56%

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

$18.1K A$26.1K

$23.6K R$119.5K

-23.22%

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

$14.0K A$20.1K

$34.2K R$173.5K

-59.18%

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

$92.2 A$133

$91.6 R$465

0.63%

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

$27.31 A$39.30

$14.98 R$75.9

82.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.00 A$67.6

$22.33 R$113

110.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.64 A$45.53

$28.22 R$143

12.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.38 A$25.01

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 A$19.00

$10.05 R$50.9

31.34%

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

$2,076 A$2,987

$429 R$2,173

384.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K A$17.8K

$11.0K R$56.0K

11.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 A$114

$65.1 R$330

21.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.34 A$71.0

$57.1 R$289

-13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 A$100

$92.2 R$467

-24.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$79.5 R$403

68.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 A$2,007

$349 R$1,770

299.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 A$1,679

$158 R$801

638.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,121 A$3,052

$995 R$5,042

113.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 A$2,568

$768 R$3,895

132.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,783 A$8,322

$1,944 R$9,855

197.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,967 A$7,148

$1,480 R$7,502

235.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,754 A$8,280

$378 R$1,914

1424.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.25

-47.56%

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

Last update for Carlton: October 18, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlton

$1.2K 51.8%

Guarulhos

$158 16.4% 86.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Carlton

$338 15%

Guarulhos

$227 23.5% 32.8% $111

Eating Out

Carlton

$271 12%

Guarulhos

$155 16.1% 42.7% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlton

$167 7.4%

Guarulhos

$129 13.4% 22.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Carlton

$150 6.6%

Guarulhos

$132 13.7% 11.6% $17

Getting Around

Carlton

$104 4.6%

Guarulhos

$115 11.9% 10.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Carlton

$58 2.6%

Guarulhos

$48 5% 16.8% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,395 in Carlton and $349 in Guarulhos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 1424% 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: $69.0 in Carlton vs $40.00 in Guarulhos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $227 per month, with Guarulhos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Carlton

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

14:45 2:45 PM

14 h behind Carlton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,001

1,291,771

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Carlton Guarulhos 13,100 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlton
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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

Carlton vs Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carlton and Guarulhos differ by about 134% in total monthly costs ($2,253 vs $964 including rent). Guarulhos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1424% higher in Carlton, 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: $1,395 in Carlton versus $349 in Guarulhos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,076 in Carlton versus $429 in Guarulhos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Carlton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $964 in Guarulhos versus $2,253 in Carlton, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guarulhos but tight or insufficient in Carlton. The gap between the two cities makes Guarulhos 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.

Safety-wise, Carlton and Guarulhos are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Guarulhos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.