Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $897 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$897

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guarulhos and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guarulhos and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $897 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Guarulhos $897
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,643 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Guarulhos $1,643
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,388 per month in Guarulhos vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Guarulhos $2,388
Cape Town $3,306

Guarulhos is about 41% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Guarulhos sits 34% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.17 R$50.3

$12.01 R 198

-23.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.76 R$202

$42.92 R 707

-14.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.40 R$46.12

$6.15 R 101

36.59%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R$12.68

$2.37 R 39.04

-2.53%

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

$1.30 R$7.14

$1.27 R 20.96

2.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$4.28

$0.94 R 15.46

-17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 R$12.49

$2.96 R 48.77

-22.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 R$20.50

$3.69 R 60.8

1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$5.09

$1.32 R 21.73

-29.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$9.20

$1.21 R 19.87

38.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.67

$2.20 R 36.26

-44.55%

Eggs

$2.35 R$12.88

$3.10 R 51.1

-24.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 R$62.5

$8.73 R 144

30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$24.88

$6.89 R 114

-34.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.98 R$54.8

$9.26 R 153

7.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 R$12.05

$1.83 R 30.08

20.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R$8.20

$1.95 R 32.12

-23.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.76

$1.66 R 27.32

-15.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.51

$2.14 R 35.19

-35.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.35

$1.58 R 26.01

-26.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.26

$1.47 R 24.29

-22.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R$4.75

$1.35 R 22.18

-35.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 R$4.08

$1.14 R 18.85

-35.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.95

$3.58 R 59.0

-34.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 R$50.1

$6.05 R 99.7

50.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.80

$1.39 R 22.95

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 R$12.54

$2.18 R 35.90

5.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 R$6.18

$1.40 R 23.02

-19.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 R$522

$60.8 R 1,001

56.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 R$5.64

$0.93 R 15.26

10.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 R$3.77

$0.90 R 14.83

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 R$47.73

$4.96 R 81.7

75.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.45

$1.54 R 25.37

-23.38%

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

$21.9K R$120.1K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-38.13%

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

$31.8K R$174.7K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-4.57%

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

$87.0 R$477

$117 R 1,929

-25.72%

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

$13.57 R$74.5

$25.71 R 424

-47.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.11 R$116

$39.41 R 649

-46.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.22 R$133

$51.6 R 850

-53.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 R$49.59

$8.89 R 146

1.69%

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

$404 R$2,218

$308 R 5,069

31.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$55.9K

$8,141 R 134.2K

25.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 R$322

$57.4 R 946

2.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.7 R$289

$31.75 R 523

65.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 R$463

$116 R 1,911

-27.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 R$398

$101 R 1,660

-28.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$320 R$1,754

$1,047 R 17.2K

-69.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 R$806

$669 R 11.0K

-78.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$925 R$5,074

$1,861 R 30.7K

-50.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R$3,953

$1,407 R 23.2K

-48.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,800 R$9,875

$2,410 R 39.7K

-25.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,379 R$7,569

$1,570 R 25.9K

-12.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$352 R$1,932

$1,630 R 26.9K

-78.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

10.89

3.31%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarulhos

$208 23.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 7.5% $16

Eating Out

Guarulhos

$154 17.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 13.4% $21

Accommodation & Living

Guarulhos

$147 16.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 356% $522

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarulhos

$122 13.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 49.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Guarulhos

$121 13.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 14.1% $17

Getting Around

Guarulhos

$104 11.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 31.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Guarulhos

$42 4.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 64% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $320 in Guarulhos versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Guarulhos versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $223 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

5 h ahead of Guarulhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,291,771

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.13 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.42 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guarulhos Cape Town 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarulhos
Cape Town

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

Guarulhos vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 70% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,345 per month in Guarulhos and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $320 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $897 in Guarulhos and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Guarulhos about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $897 in Guarulhos and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $897 in Guarulhos to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Guarulhos. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.