Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Springs

For one person, living costs are similar in Guarulhos and in Springs: $964 and $989 a month, rent and utilities included.

Guarulhos
🇧🇷 Brazil
$964
/mo nomad
Springs
🇿🇦 South Africa
$989
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guarulhos and in Springs

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 Springs actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $964 per month in Guarulhos vs $989 in Springs, rent included.

  • Guarulhos $964
  • Springs $989

A couple spends around $1,764 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,605 in Springs, rent included.

  • Guarulhos $1,764
  • Springs $1,605

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,222 in Springs, rent included.

  • Guarulhos $2,565
  • Springs $2,222

Guarulhos is about 2% cheaper than Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guarulhos and Springs are more affordable than the global median – Guarulhos 29% lower, Springs 27% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.69 R$44.06
$8.96 R 148
-3.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.01 R$203
$37.11 R 611
7.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.00 R$45.61
$5.13 R 84.5
75.44%
Cappuccino
$2.46 R$12.50
$2.32 R 38.18
6.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 R$6.82
$0.89 R 14.58
51.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 R$4.37
$0.69 R 11.42
24.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 R$12.39
$1.85 R 30.52
31.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 R$19.65
$2.07 R 34.09
87.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 R$5.32
$1.22 R 20.02
-13.93%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 R$9.52
$1.07 R 17.65
75.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 R$6.76
$1.79 R 29.57
-25.70%
Eggs
$2.46 R$12.47
$2.57 R 42.29
-4.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.61 R$63.9
$8.52 R 140
48.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.79 R$24.27
$4.89 R 80.6
-2.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.70 R$54.3
$7.37 R 121
45.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.38 R$12.07
$1.32 R 21.72
80.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 R$8.71
$1.11 R 18.33
54.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R$7.74
$1.74 R 28.70
-12.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 R$7.76
$1.21 R 19.90
26.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R$6.40
$1.12 R 18.49
12.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R$6.00
$1.24 R 20.38
-4.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 R$4.97
$1.19 R 19.59
-17.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 R$4.32
$0.79 R 13.05
7.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.49 R$12.65
$3.19 R 52.6
-21.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.88 R$50.1
$3.91 R 64.4
152.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 R$7.62
$1.14 R 18.78
31.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 R$12.64
$1.75 R 28.79
42.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 R$6.30
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 R$532
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 R$5.94
$0.31 R 5.18
277.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.72 R$3.64
$0.80 R 13.23
-10.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.49 R$43.03
$14.52 R 239
-41.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R$6.50
$1.47 R 24.16
-12.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.6K R$119.5K
$35.9K R 591.3K
-34.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.2K R$173.5K
$33.7K R 556.0K
1.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.6 R$465
$151 R 2,489
-39.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.98 R$75.9
$37.57 R 619
-60.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.33 R$113
$35.55 R 586
-37.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.22 R$143
$39.64 R 653
-28.81%
Cinema Ticket
$10.05 R$50.9
$7.45 R 123
34.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$429 R$2,173
$92.7 R 1,527
362.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K R$56.0K
$1,821 R 30.0K
506.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.1 R$330
$53.2 R 877
22.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 R$289
$33.07 R 545
72.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.2 R$467
$93.7 R 1,544
-1.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.5 R$403
$85.6 R 1,410
-7.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$349 R$1,770
$289 R 4,767
20.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$158 R$801
$276 R 4,539
-42.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 R$5,042
$732 R 12.1K
35.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$768 R$3,895
$706 R 11.6K
8.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,944 R$9,855
$1,499 R 24.7K
29.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,480 R$7,502
$694 R 11.4K
113.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guarulhos
Springs
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$378 R$1,914
$1,171 R 19.3K
-67.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.25
10.75
4.65%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Springs: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Guarulhos
$227
Springs
$176 22.5% $51
Accommodation & Living
Guarulhos
$158
Springs
$276 74.4% $118
Eating Out
Guarulhos
$155
Springs
$135 13.1% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Guarulhos
$132
Springs
$120 9.6% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guarulhos
$129
Springs
$224 73.9% $95
Getting Around
Guarulhos
$115
Springs
$4.3 * 96.2% $110
Sport & Entertainment
Guarulhos
$48
Springs
$55 12.9% $6.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos versus $289 in Springs. 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 210% higher in Springs, 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 $37.00 in Springs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $176 – making Springs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Guarulhos
🇿🇦 Springs
🕒 Local time
11:24 11:24 AM
16:24 4:24 PM
5 h ahead of Guarulhos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,291,771
2,996
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guarulhos Springs 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Guarulhos
  • Springs

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 Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Guarulhos or Springs?
Springs costs about 3% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Guarulhos and in Springs?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,446 per month in Guarulhos and $1,483 in Springs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Guarulhos or Springs?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Guarulhos and in Springs?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos and $37.00 in Springs. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Guarulhos or in Springs?
Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Springs – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Guarulhos or in Springs?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Springs at $989. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Springs it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Guarulhos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Guarulhos or to Springs?
If budget matters most, go with Guarulhos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Springs makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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