Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Paulo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo.

Elgin, IL $1,035
Sao Paulo $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,614 in Elgin, IL versus $2,085 in Sao Paulo.

Elgin, IL $2,614
Sao Paulo $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Elgin, IL versus $2,926 in Sao Paulo.

Elgin, IL $4,192
Sao Paulo $2,926

Living in Elgin, IL costs roughly 17% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Elgin, IL 23% lower, Sao Paulo 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 $19.93

$8.94 R$44.64

122.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$49.46 R$247

20.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$9.22 R$46.01

9.22%

Cappuccino

$3.90 $3.90

$2.54 R$12.70

53.54%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.45 R$7.25

108.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.91 R$4.55

125.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.07 R$15.31

94.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.36 R$21.75

12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.27 R$6.32

-29.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.84 R$9.17

92.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.41 R$7.05

207.80%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$2.84 R$14.20

31.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 $11.35

$12.56 R$62.7

-9.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$5.37 R$26.81

150.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$10.72 R$53.5

9.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.74 R$13.67

63.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.81 R$9.03

-29.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.55 R$7.74

65.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.98 R$9.90

113.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.47 R$7.34

35.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.24 R$6.20

67.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.27 R$6.35

44.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.96 R$4.79

146.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$3.04 R$15.16

254.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$10.19 R$50.8

52.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.73 R$8.64

51.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.64 R$13.19

32.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.82 R$9.07

123.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.02 R$5.07

98.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 $28.28

$10.16 R$50.7

178.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.27 R$6.35

-18.11%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$24.3K R$121.4K

50.19%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-26.69%

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

$99.4 $99.4

$104 R$519

-4.41%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$16.16 R$80.7

222.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.61 $49.61

$22.59 R$113

119.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$9.85 R$49.19

49.85%

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

$1,690 $1,690

$525 R$2,622

221.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$16.6K R$82.8K

39.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.27 $39.27

$66.9 R$334

-41.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$62.3 R$311

-19.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$101 R$505

-0.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$90.9 R$454

34.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,175 $2,175

$1,527 R$7,622

42.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,009 R$5,035

79.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,192 $2,192

$2,744 R$13.7K

-20.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,211 $2,211

$2,068 R$10.3K

6.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,971 $3,971

$881 R$4,396

350.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.68

-42.72%

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

Last update for Elgin, 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.

Groceries & Markets

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 34.5% $128

Eating Out

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 44.9% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 29.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 2.8% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 89.7% $26

Getting Around

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 317% $45

Accommodation & Living

Elgin, IL

- * 0%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 351% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Elgin, IL vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $243 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

2 h ahead of Elgin, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,603

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 11, 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

Elgin, IL Sao Paulo 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin, 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

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

Elgin, IL is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 351% higher in Elgin, IL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,690 in Elgin, IL versus $525 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Elgin, IL and Sao Paulo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Elgin, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.