Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Sao Carlos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $982 a month against $1,055 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Curitiba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
Learn more

Curitiba Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
Learn more

Sao Carlos Living Index

Jump to prices

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,055

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Sao Carlos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Curitiba versus $982 in Sao Carlos.

Curitiba $1,055
Sao Carlos $982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Curitiba versus $1,709 in Sao Carlos.

Curitiba $1,641
Sao Carlos $1,709

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Curitiba versus $2,436 in Sao Carlos.

Curitiba $2,228
Sao Carlos $2,436

Living in Curitiba is roughly 7% more expensive than in Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 22% lower, Sao Carlos 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.08 R$40.95

$4.98 R$25.25

62.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.04 R$198

$40.05 R$203

-2.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 R$44.21

$6.77 R$34.33

28.80%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R$13.40

$2.12 R$10.74

24.53%

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

$1.13 R$5.74

$1.34 R$6.78

-15.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.79 R$3.98

16.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.84

$1.63 R$8.24

67.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 R$19.56

$2.83 R$14.36

36.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.36

$1.34 R$6.80

-20.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 R$9.24

$1.96 R$9.96

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.92

$1.78 R$9.03

-23.03%

Eggs

$2.54 R$12.87

$2.95 R$14.94

-13.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.1

$12.48 R$63.3

-19.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R$25.75

$5.25 R$26.61

-3.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$9.22 R$46.72

13.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.70

$2.71 R$13.72

-36.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.84 R$9.33

-42.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.78 R$9.01

-42.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.96 R$9.95

-29.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.04

$1.74 R$8.84

-54.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.03

$1.36 R$6.88

-41.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.09

$1.01 R$5.14

-19.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.17

$1.16 R$5.88

-29.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.88

$3.19 R$16.18

-7.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 R$36.10

$8.46 R$42.91

-15.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.63

$1.48 R$7.50

-11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.89

$2.91 R$14.73

-12.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 R$5.91

$0.98 R$4.97

19.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 R$360

$23.86 R$121

197.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.48 R$7.48

-14.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.87

$1.01 R$5.11

-24.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 R$30.23

$3.64 R$18.45

63.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.25 R$6.32

4.00%

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

$23.3K R$118.0K

$20.2K R$102.2K

15.47%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$31.5K R$159.5K

5.99%

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

$105 R$534

$62.4 R$316

69.06%

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

$14.51 R$73.6

$13.74 R$69.6

5.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.46 R$119

$24.07 R$122

-2.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 R$147

$34.77 R$176

-16.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 R$102

$48.31 R$245

-58.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$5.38 R$27.29

44.61%

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

$383 R$1,943

$302 R$1,531

26.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$55.4K

$3,032 R$15.4K

260.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 R$292

$84.7 R$429

-32.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 R$280

$96.7 R$490

-42.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 R$480

$139 R$705

-31.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 R$410

$163 R$826

-50.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 R$2,612

$272 R$1,377

89.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 R$1,540

$236 R$1,197

28.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,316

$673 R$3,410

26.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 R$2,785

$663 R$3,358

-17.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 R$12.5K

$849 R$4,303

191.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,745 R$8,847

$730 R$3,698

139.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$687 R$3,481

$681 R$3,453

0.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

10.75

7.35%

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$304 28.8%

Sao Carlos

$236 24% 22.3% $68

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$200 19%

Sao Carlos

$241 24.5% 20.2% $41

Eating Out

Curitiba

$152 14.4%

Sao Carlos

$108 11% 29.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$143 13.6%

Sao Carlos

$100 10.2% 30.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$130 12.3%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 67.6% $88

Getting Around

Curitiba

$81 7.7%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 57.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$45 4.2%

Sao Carlos

$46 4.6% 2.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $515 in Curitiba and $272 in Sao Carlos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 1% 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: $39.00 in Curitiba vs $40.00 in Sao Carlos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $241 per month, with Curitiba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

254,857

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Curitiba Sao Carlos 420 km

From you

Curitiba
Sao Carlos

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

Curitiba vs Sao Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Carlos wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Carlos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Curitiba, 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: $515 in Curitiba versus $272 in Sao Carlos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Carlos runs roughly 198% less than in Curitiba. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $383 in Curitiba versus $302 in Sao Carlos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $982 in Sao Carlos versus $1,055 in Curitiba, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Carlos but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Carlos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Carlos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $982 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Carlos hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Carlos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.