Cost of Living Comparison Between Fortaleza and Sao Paulo Cost of Living Comparison Between Fortaleza and Sao Paulo

🙂 Solo nomad: Fortaleza is 11.8% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 23.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Fortaleza is 13.3% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 24.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.29 R$29.38
$7.13 R$39.55
-25.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.85 R$188
$39.76 R$221
-14.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.88 R$38.18
$7.39 R$41
-6.90%
Cappuccino
$2.13 R$11.85
$2.04 R$11.32
4.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.1 R$6.12
$1.21 R$6.69
-9.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 R$3.48
$0.86 R$4.77
-26.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 R$10.86
$2.14 R$11.9
-8.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 R$20.55
$2.84 R$15.76
30.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 R$6.28
$1.03 R$5.7
9.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 R$10.47
$1.76 R$9.75
7.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.13 R$6.25
$1.29 R$7.19
-12.40%
Eggs
$1.8 R$10
$2.41 R$13.35
-25.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.99 R$38.81
$10.96 R$60.8
-36.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.31 R$18.37
$4.32 R$23.97
-23.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.87 R$43.71
$9.01 R$49.99
-12.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.53 R$14.06
$2.78 R$15.41
-8.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.19 R$6.63
$1.85 R$10.25
-35.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.79 R$4.36
$1.68 R$9.3
-52.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.46 R$8.09
$1.76 R$9.78
-17.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.3 R$7.23
$1.44 R$8.01
-9.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.05 R$5.83
$1.25 R$6.93
-16.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 R$5.33
$1.01 R$5.59
-4.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 R$4.31
$0.7 R$3.88
11.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.16 R$11.97
$2.49 R$13.8
-13.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.35 R$35.25
$9.12 R$50.6
-30.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 R$7.45
$1.36 R$7.52
-1.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 R$8.59
$2.29 R$12.74
-32.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 R$4.67
$0.94 R$5.2
-10.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.51 R$169
$44.21 R$245
-30.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.05 R$5.84
$1.1 R$6.12
-4.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.75 R$4.15
$0.76 R$4.21
-1.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.04 R$33.5
$8.96 R$49.72
-32.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 R$6.05
$1.1 R$6.1
-0.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.4K R$113.3K
$22K R$121.8K
-7.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K R$153.8K
$28.4K R$157.7K
-2.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$109 R$605
$53.8 R$298
102.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.68 R$87
$13.37 R$74.2
17.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.07 R$100
$20.19 R$112
-10.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.42 R$124
$29.33 R$163
-23.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.68 R$237
$35.52 R$197
20.16%
Cinema Ticket
$6.35 R$35.27
$7.89 R$43.78
-19.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$228 R$1,263
$506 R$2,806
-54.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,176 R$12.1K
$15.2K R$84.5K
-85.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.64 R$270
$52.4 R$291
-7.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.27 R$246
$41.78 R$232
5.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.1 R$500
$79.4 R$441
13.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.3 R$318
$74.5 R$414
-23.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$314 R$1,744
$678 R$3,761
-53.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$197 R$1,091
$406 R$2,252
-51.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$370 R$2,055
$1,267 R$7,033
-70.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$347 R$1,927
$759 R$4,214
-54.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,397 R$7,756
$2,965 R$16.5K
-52.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$781 R$4,335
$1,984 R$11K
-60.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fortaleza
Sao Paulo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$348 R$1,933
$713 R$3,959
-51.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
11.56
1.99%

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

Last update for Fortaleza: October 29, 2025

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.