Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edison, NJ and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $3,191 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
Learn more

Edison, NJ Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,191

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,191 in Edison, NJ versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Edison, NJ $3,191
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,474 in Edison, NJ versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Edison, NJ $4,474
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,758 in Edison, NJ versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Edison, NJ $5,758
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Edison, NJ is roughly 158% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Edison, NJ is 136% above, Sao Paulo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.28 $18.28

$8.81 R$44.68

107.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$49.37 R$250

21.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 $9.11

$8.80 R$44.63

3.52%

Cappuccino

$4.10 $4.10

$2.49 R$12.63

64.66%

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

$1.02 $1.02

$1.42 R$7.19

-28.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.85 R$4.31

15.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.98 R$15.11

18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.34 R$22.02

60.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.24 R$6.28

-20.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.91 R$9.66

68.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.43 R$7.25

311.19%

Eggs

$2.57 $2.57

$2.81 R$14.23

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$12.74 R$64.6

5.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$5.41 R$27.44

89.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.57 $19.57

$10.64 R$54.0

83.93%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$2.75 R$13.95

126.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.81 R$9.19

-14.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.63 R$8.27

158.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.00 R$10.16

171.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.40 R$7.10

112.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.27 R$6.43

140.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.28 R$6.47

137.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.95 R$4.83

113.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 $9.94

$2.99 R$15.15

232.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$9.96 R$50.5

49.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.85 R$9.37

-2.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.54 R$12.90

38.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.02 $6.02

$1.09 R$5.50

452.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$203 $203

$48.78 R$247

316.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.85 R$9.39

67.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.99 R$4.99

-4.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.80 $41.80

$10.29 R$52.2

306.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.34 R$6.78

-28.36%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.4K R$123.8K

47.61%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-25.19%

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

$172 $172

$104 R$529

64.83%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$16.71 R$84.7

207.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 $49.68

$22.18 R$112

123.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.66 $21.66

$35.82 R$182

-39.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$10.06 R$51.0

50.20%

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

$2,005 $2,005

$579 R$2,936

246.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-6.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$65.7 R$333

-22.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.7 $79.7

$61.0 R$309

30.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 $59.5

$100 R$509

-40.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 $89.2

$92.1 R$467

-3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$659 R$3,341

218.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 $1,835

$428 R$2,170

328.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 $3,113

$1,515 R$7,678

105.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 $2,796

$1,026 R$5,201

172.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,924 $6,924

$909 R$4,609

661.57%

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 Edison, NJ: 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

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 57.5%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 76.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Edison, NJ

$408 12.8%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 40.1% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edison, NJ

$273 8.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 47.5% $130

Eating Out

Edison, NJ

$262 8.2%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 39.2% $103

Getting Around

Edison, NJ

$235 7.4%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 74.5% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Edison, NJ

$126 3.9%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 14.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Edison, NJ

$52 1.6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 7.8% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,096 in Edison, NJ and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays 662% 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: $60.0 in Edison, NJ vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $408 vs $244 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

1 h ahead of Edison, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,588

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edison, NJ Sao Paulo 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Edison, NJ
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

Edison, NJ vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edison, NJ and Sao Paulo differ by about 158% in total monthly costs ($3,191 vs $1,235 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 662% higher in Edison, NJ, 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: $2,096 in Edison, NJ versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Paulo runs roughly 316% less than in Edison, NJ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,005 in Edison, NJ versus $579 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $3,191 in Edison, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Edison, NJ. 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 158% less than in Edison, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.