Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth City, NC and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth City, NC
Learn more

Elizabeth City, NC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Elizabeth City, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,456

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,456 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $2,456
Sao Paulo $1,222

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $2,044 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $3,522
Sao Paulo $2,044

A family of three spends $4,588 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $2,867 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $4,588
Sao Paulo $2,867

Elizabeth City, NC costs about 101% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Elizabeth City, NC sits 81% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 $11.95

$8.71 R$44.15

37.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.93 $34.93

$48.61 R$246

-28.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 $11.60

$9.03 R$45.77

28.46%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$2.55 R$12.94

129.02%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.35 R$6.83

86.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.91 R$4.63

124.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.07 R$15.55

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.38 R$22.21

61.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.19 R$6.05

-20.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.80 R$9.14

102.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.48 R$7.51

102.70%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$2.82 R$14.31

69.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$12.61 R$63.9

-14.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 $10.01

$5.40 R$27.36

85.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.49 $17.49

$10.76 R$54.6

62.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.82 R$14.28

55.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.82 R$9.25

-29.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.60 R$8.14

174.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.03 R$10.28

123.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.46 R$7.40

47.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.25 R$6.35

76.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.25 R$6.32

60.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.98 R$4.98

127.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$3.00 R$15.18

195.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$9.71 R$49.22

51.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.84 R$9.32

15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.52 R$12.80

5.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.07 R$5.41

69.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.81 R$9.16

61.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.01 R$5.14

91.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.19 $18.19

$10.24 R$51.9

77.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.29 R$6.52

-22.48%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$23.5K R$119.3K

29.99%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-25.74%

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

$183 $183

$104 R$527

75.95%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$16.60 R$84.1

242.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 $59.6

$22.04 R$112

170.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.64 $45.64

$36.43 R$185

25.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$9.69 R$49.12

55.42%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$573 R$2,906

160.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$16.9K R$85.8K

46.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$66.3 R$336

-17.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$61.1 R$310

-34.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$98.8 R$501

-11.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$91.4 R$463

55.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$654 R$3,316

142.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 $1,279

$418 R$2,120

205.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,524 R$7,724

63.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$992 R$5,028

118.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 $2,870

$2,670 R$13.5K

7.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,355 $2,355

$2,019 R$10.2K

16.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

11.68

-43.41%

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

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elizabeth City, NC

$1.3K 52.1%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 67.3% $860

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth City, NC

$373 15.2%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 34.8% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth City, NC

$299 12.2%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 52.4% $157

Eating Out

Elizabeth City, NC

$264 10.7%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 39.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth City, NC

$146 6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 2.3% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth City, NC

$76 3.1%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 26.3% $20

Getting Around

Elizabeth City, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 195% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,584 in Elizabeth City, NC versus $654 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Groceries tell a different story – $373 in Elizabeth City, NC vs $243 in Sao Paulo – so Sao Paulo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

1 h ahead of Elizabeth City, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,683

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Elizabeth City, NC Sao Paulo 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth City, NC
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

Elizabeth City, NC vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, $1,222 in Sao Paulo – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,685 per month in Elizabeth City, NC and $1,833 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Elizabeth City, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,222, than in Elizabeth City, NC at $2,456. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elizabeth City, NC 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 $1,222 in Sao Paulo to $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC. 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, Elizabeth City, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.