Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Paulo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

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Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Guarulhos $964
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $1,764 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Guarulhos $1,764
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Guarulhos $2,565
Sao Paulo $2,911

Guarulhos is about 22% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guarulhos and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Guarulhos 29% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.69 R$44.06

$8.71 R$44.15

-0.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.01 R$203

$48.61 R$246

-17.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 R$45.61

$9.03 R$45.77

-0.33%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R$12.50

$2.55 R$12.94

-3.53%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$1.35 R$6.83

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$0.91 R$4.63

-5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$3.07 R$15.55

-20.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 R$19.65

$4.38 R$22.21

-11.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.19 R$6.05

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 R$9.52

$1.80 R$9.14

4.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.48 R$7.51

-10.14%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.82 R$14.31

-12.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 R$24.27

$5.40 R$27.36

-11.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.3

$10.76 R$54.6

-0.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.07

$2.82 R$14.28

-15.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.71

$1.82 R$9.25

-5.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.60 R$8.14

-4.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$2.03 R$10.28

-24.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.46 R$7.40

-13.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.00

$1.25 R$6.35

-5.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.25 R$6.32

-21.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.32

$0.98 R$4.98

-13.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.65

$3.00 R$15.18

-17.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 R$50.1

$9.71 R$49.22

1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R$7.62

$1.84 R$9.32

-18.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.52 R$12.80

-1.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 R$6.30

$1.07 R$5.41

15.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 R$532

$47.26 R$240

122.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.94

$1.81 R$9.16

-35.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.64

$1.01 R$5.14

-28.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 R$43.03

$10.24 R$51.9

-17.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.29 R$6.52

-0.78%

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

$23.6K R$119.5K

$23.5K R$119.3K

0.20%

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

$34.2K R$173.5K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-0.85%

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

$91.6 R$465

$104 R$527

-11.92%

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

$14.98 R$75.9

$16.60 R$84.1

-9.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.33 R$113

$22.04 R$112

1.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.22 R$143

$36.43 R$185

-22.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.05 R$50.9

$9.69 R$49.12

3.72%

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

$429 R$2,173

$573 R$2,906

-25.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K R$56.0K

$16.9K R$85.8K

-34.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 R$330

$66.3 R$336

-1.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 R$289

$61.1 R$310

-6.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R$467

$98.8 R$501

-6.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 R$403

$91.4 R$463

-12.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,770

$654 R$3,316

-46.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$801

$418 R$2,120

-62.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 R$5,042

$1,524 R$7,724

-34.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$3,895

$992 R$5,028

-22.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,944 R$9,855

$2,670 R$13.5K

-27.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 R$7,502

$2,019 R$10.2K

-26.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$378 R$1,914

$900 R$4,563

-58.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.68

-3.68%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarulhos

$227 23.5%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 7.2% $16

Accommodation & Living

Guarulhos

$158 16.4%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 165% $260

Eating Out

Guarulhos

$155 16.1%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 3.6% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Guarulhos

$132 13.7%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 8.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarulhos

$129 13.4%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 10.6% $14

Getting Around

Guarulhos

$115 11.9%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 49.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Guarulhos

$48 5%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 15.5% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos versus $659 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.

Salaries run about 141% higher in Sao Paulo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $244 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

Same time as Guarulhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,291,771

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Guarulhos Sao Paulo 14 km

From you

Guarulhos
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

Guarulhos vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo costs about 28% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,446 per month in Guarulhos and $1,852 in Sao Paulo. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $964 in Guarulhos and $1,235 in Sao Paulo. That's a gap of about 28%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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