Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,842 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,842

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,842 in Cary, NC versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Cary, NC $2,842
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,173 in Cary, NC versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Cary, NC $4,173
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,505 in Cary, NC versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Cary, NC $5,505
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 130% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cary, NC is 111% above, Sao Paulo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 $19.35

$8.81 R$44.68

119.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 $99.3

$49.37 R$250

101.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 $10.42

$8.80 R$44.63

18.41%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$2.49 R$12.63

103.21%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$1.42 R$7.19

42.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.85 R$4.31

117.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.98 R$15.11

51.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$4.34 R$22.02

47.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.24 R$6.28

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$5.51 $5.51

$1.91 R$9.66

188.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$1.43 R$7.25

332.17%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$2.81 R$14.23

43.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.74 $17.74

$12.74 R$64.6

39.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$5.41 R$27.44

207.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$10.64 R$54.0

68.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$2.75 R$13.95

127.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.81 R$9.19

6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.63 R$8.27

130.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$2.00 R$10.16

245.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.40 R$7.10

132.14%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.27 R$6.43

228.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.28 R$6.47

132.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.95 R$4.83

150.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$2.99 R$15.15

236.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 $9.71

$9.96 R$50.5

-2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.85 R$9.37

25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.54 R$12.90

59.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.09 R$5.50

132.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.7 $78.7

$48.78 R$247

61.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.34 R$6.78

-30.60%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

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

$28.7K $28.7K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-15.57%

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

$179 $179

$104 R$529

71.24%

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

$47.18 $47.18

$16.71 R$84.7

182.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$22.18 R$112

204.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$35.82 R$182

117.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.88 $21.88

$47.28 R$240

-53.72%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$10.06 R$51.0

51.69%

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

$1,455 $1,455

$579 R$2,936

151.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 $65.9

$65.7 R$333

0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 $32.18

$61.0 R$309

-47.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$100 R$509

18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$92.1 R$467

48.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 $1,904

$659 R$3,341

188.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$428 R$2,170

228.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,710 $2,710

$1,515 R$7,678

78.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$1,026 R$5,201

110.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,859 $2,859

$2,773 R$14.1K

3.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$2,007 R$10.2K

31.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,032 $6,032

$909 R$4,609

563.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

11.68

-45.03%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.5%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 69.6% $979

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 17.1%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 49.8% $242

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$298 10.5%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 46.4% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$294 10.3%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 51.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$160 5.6%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 10% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$108 3.8%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 48.4% $52

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$89 * 3.1%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 32.5% $29

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 $1,904 in Cary, NC and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays 563% 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: $99.0 in Cary, NC vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $244 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h ahead of Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Between locations

Cary, NC Sao Paulo 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cary, 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

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

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 130% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 563% higher in Cary, NC, 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: $1,904 in Cary, NC versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,455 in Cary, NC versus $579 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $2,842 in Cary, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Cary, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Paulo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cary, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.