Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,237 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,237

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,237 in Hamilton versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo.

Hamilton $2,237
Sao Paulo $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,267 in Hamilton versus $2,085 in Sao Paulo.

Hamilton $3,267
Sao Paulo $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,297 in Hamilton versus $2,926 in Sao Paulo.

Hamilton $4,297
Sao Paulo $2,926

Living in Hamilton is roughly 80% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hamilton is 67% above, Sao Paulo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$25.16

$8.94 R$44.64

97.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 CA$86.5

$49.46 R$247

22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 CA$17.05

$9.22 R$46.01

29.72%

Cappuccino

$3.48 CA$4.96

$2.54 R$12.70

37.01%

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

$2.15 CA$3.06

$1.45 R$7.25

48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.34

$0.91 R$4.55

80.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 CA$6.95

$3.07 R$15.31

58.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 CA$8.74

$4.36 R$21.75

40.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.27 R$6.32

70.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$1.84 R$9.17

21.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 CA$3.62

$1.41 R$7.05

80.14%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.55

$2.84 R$14.20

12.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 CA$11.27

$12.56 R$62.7

-37.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.34

$5.37 R$26.81

100.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 CA$19.44

$10.72 R$53.5

27.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.45

$2.74 R$13.67

39.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.73

$1.81 R$9.03

-33.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.76

$1.55 R$7.74

160.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.42

$1.98 R$9.90

91.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.32

$1.47 R$7.34

58.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.25

$1.24 R$6.20

27.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.27 R$6.35

70.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 CA$1.85

$0.96 R$4.79

35.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.33 CA$17.58

$3.04 R$15.16

305.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 CA$18.90

$10.19 R$50.8

30.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.49

$1.73 R$8.64

41.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 CA$4.81

$2.64 R$13.19

27.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 CA$3.55

$1.04 R$5.18

139.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.6 CA$122

$48.10 R$240

77.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$1.82 R$9.07

86.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 CA$1.75

$1.02 R$5.07

20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.37 CA$33.32

$10.16 R$50.7

130.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.70

$1.27 R$6.35

-6.30%

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

$27.5K CA$39.2K

$24.3K R$121.4K

13.19%

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

$19.9K CA$28.3K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-41.53%

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

$149 CA$212

$104 R$519

43.40%

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

$41.14 CA$58.7

$16.16 R$80.7

154.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 CA$70.3

$22.59 R$113

118.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.18 CA$53.0

$36.27 R$181

2.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 CA$24.71

$47.78 R$239

-63.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.52

$9.85 R$49.19

3.45%

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

$597 CA$852

$525 R$2,622

13.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.1K

$16.6K R$82.8K

-2.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.29 CA$68.8

$66.9 R$334

-27.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.75 CA$43.83

$62.3 R$311

-50.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 CA$123

$101 R$505

-14.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 CA$163

$90.9 R$454

25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 CA$1,801

$663 R$3,309

90.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 CA$1,617

$423 R$2,110

168.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 CA$2,859

$1,527 R$7,622

31.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 CA$2,664

$1,009 R$5,035

85.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,659 CA$3,790

$2,744 R$13.7K

-3.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 CA$3,840

$2,068 R$10.3K

30.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,896 CA$4,128

$881 R$4,396

228.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

11.68

-60.62%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.1K 50.2%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 62.7% $712

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$327 14.5%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 25.6% $84

Eating Out

Hamilton

$271 12%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 39.7% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$240 10.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 40.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$126 5.6%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 14.8% $19

Getting Around

Hamilton

$105 4.7%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 43.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$58 2.6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 2.7% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,263 in Hamilton and $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 229% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Hamilton vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $243 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

1 h ahead of Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Hamilton Sao Paulo 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
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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

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

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 229% higher in Hamilton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,263 in Hamilton versus $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $597 in Hamilton versus $525 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Hamilton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,237 in Hamilton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Hamilton. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Paulo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hamilton, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Hamilton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.