Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo.

Des Plaines, IL $3,073
Sao Paulo $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,085 in Sao Paulo.

Des Plaines, IL $4,412
Sao Paulo $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,926 in Sao Paulo.

Des Plaines, IL $5,750
Sao Paulo $2,926

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 147% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Des Plaines, IL is 129% above, Sao Paulo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 $20.88

$8.94 R$44.64

133.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 $89.5

$49.46 R$247

80.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.87 $12.87

$9.22 R$46.01

39.59%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.54 R$12.70

122.44%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$1.45 R$7.25

78.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.91 R$4.55

154.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.07 R$15.31

126.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.36 R$21.75

83.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.27 R$6.32

-25.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.84 R$9.17

89.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.41 R$7.05

200.00%

Eggs

$4.16 $4.16

$2.84 R$14.20

46.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.67 $14.67

$12.56 R$62.7

16.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$5.37 R$26.81

142.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.95 $18.95

$10.72 R$53.5

76.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.74 R$13.67

73.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.81 R$9.03

-9.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.55 R$7.74

168.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.98 R$9.90

143.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.47 R$7.34

80.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.24 R$6.20

120.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.27 R$6.35

69.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.96 R$4.79

151.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$3.04 R$15.16

250.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$10.19 R$50.8

45.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.73 R$8.64

47.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.64 R$13.19

33.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.04 R$5.18

94.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 $60.8

$48.10 R$240

26.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.82 R$9.07

74.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.02 R$5.07

34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 $24.93

$10.16 R$50.7

145.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.27 R$6.35

-17.32%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$24.3K R$121.4K

47.70%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-27.00%

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

$195 $195

$104 R$519

87.54%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$16.16 R$80.7

274.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$22.59 R$113

241.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 $125

$36.27 R$181

243.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 $40.72

$47.78 R$239

-14.78%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$9.85 R$49.19

53.91%

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

$1,545 $1,545

$525 R$2,622

194.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$16.6K R$82.8K

41.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$66.9 R$334

-2.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$62.3 R$311

-18.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$101 R$505

-0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$90.9 R$454

34.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 $2,093

$663 R$3,309

215.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$423 R$2,110

259.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,861 $3,861

$1,527 R$7,622

152.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$1,009 R$5,035

151.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,174 $3,174

$2,744 R$13.7K

15.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,521 $2,521

$2,068 R$10.3K

21.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,220 $6,220

$881 R$4,396

606.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

11.68

-42.04%

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

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 72.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 41.9% $176

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 52.5% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 57.1% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 63.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 5.4% $8.3

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 25% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL and $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 606% 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: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $243 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

2 h ahead of Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Des Plaines, IL Sao Paulo 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, 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

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

Des Plaines, IL and Sao Paulo differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($3,073 vs $1,244 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 606% higher in Des Plaines, IL, 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: $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL versus $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo 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.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.