Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Champaign, IL and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
Learn more

Champaign, IL Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Champaign, IL vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Champaign, IL $2,161
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Champaign, IL vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Champaign, IL $3,133
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $4,106 per month in Champaign, IL vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Champaign, IL $4,106
Sao Paulo $2,911

Champaign, IL costs about 75% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Champaign, IL sits 60% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$8.81 R$44.68

73.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$49.37 R$250

23.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$8.80 R$44.63

14.89%

Cappuccino

$4.83 $4.83

$2.49 R$12.63

93.98%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$1.42 R$7.19

51.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.85 R$4.31

103.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.98 R$15.11

86.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 $5.35

$4.34 R$22.02

23.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.24 R$6.28

-31.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.91 R$9.66

64.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.43 R$7.25

118.88%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$2.81 R$14.23

38.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.19 $12.19

$12.74 R$64.6

-4.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$5.41 R$27.44

10.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 $12.81

$10.64 R$54.0

20.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.75 R$13.95

25.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.81 R$9.19

-23.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.63 R$8.27

90.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.00 R$10.16

128.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.40 R$7.10

44.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.27 R$6.43

75.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.28 R$6.47

72.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.95 R$4.83

31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 $10.25

$2.99 R$15.15

242.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$9.96 R$50.5

47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.85 R$9.37

16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.54 R$12.90

60.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.09 R$5.50

-11.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.38 $20.38

$48.78 R$247

-58.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.85 R$9.39

36.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.99 R$4.99

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.34 R$6.78

-13.43%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$24.4K R$123.8K

43.87%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-4.99%

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

$240 $240

$104 R$529

129.70%

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

$45.66 $45.66

$16.71 R$84.7

173.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$22.18 R$112

204.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.34 $25.34

$35.82 R$182

-29.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.85 $11.85

$47.28 R$240

-74.94%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 $11.09

$10.06 R$51.0

10.24%

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

$993 $993

$579 R$2,936

71.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$17.1K R$86.6K

16.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.98 $48.98

$65.7 R$333

-25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$100 R$509

15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$92.1 R$467

32.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$659 R$3,341

120.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 $1,016

$428 R$2,170

137.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 $1,941

$1,515 R$7,678

28.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 $1,691

$1,026 R$5,201

64.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 $1,688

$2,773 R$14.1K

-39.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 $1,709

$2,007 R$10.2K

-14.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,674 $3,674

$909 R$4,609

304.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.68

-41.61%

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

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Champaign, IL

$1K 47%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 57.9% $588

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 59.4% $210

Groceries & Markets

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 22.7% $72

Eating Out

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 39.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 11.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 17.7% $8.4

Getting Around

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 72.3% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,453 in Champaign, IL 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 304% higher in Champaign, IL, 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 $61.0 in Champaign, IL versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

2 h ahead of Champaign, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,302

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

Champaign, IL Sao Paulo 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Champaign, IL
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

Champaign, IL vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,161 in Champaign, IL, $1,235 in Sao Paulo – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,241 per month in Champaign, IL 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 Sao Paulo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Champaign, IL, 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 $61.0 in Champaign, IL and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL 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 $1,235 in Sao Paulo to $2,161 in Champaign, IL. 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, Champaign, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.