Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imbituba and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbituba: $852 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Imbituba
Learn more

Imbituba Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Imbituba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$852

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Imbituba versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo.

Imbituba $852
Sao Paulo $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,353 in Imbituba versus $2,044 in Sao Paulo.

Imbituba $1,353
Sao Paulo $2,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,854 in Imbituba versus $2,867 in Sao Paulo.

Imbituba $1,854
Sao Paulo $2,867

Living in Imbituba costs roughly 30% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Imbituba 37% lower, Sao Paulo 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.96 R$25.13

$8.71 R$44.15

-43.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.58 R$155

$48.61 R$246

-37.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 R$35.11

$9.03 R$45.77

-23.26%

Cappuccino

$2.01 R$10.18

$2.55 R$12.94

-21.18%

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

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.35 R$6.83

-16.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.48

$0.91 R$4.63

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$3.07 R$15.55

-20.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.07

$4.38 R$22.21

-45.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.86

$1.19 R$6.05

-19.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 R$6.26

$1.80 R$9.14

-31.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.37

$1.48 R$7.51

-41.89%

Eggs

$2.23 R$11.33

$2.82 R$14.31

-20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R$42.95

$12.61 R$63.9

-32.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 R$16.00

$5.40 R$27.36

-41.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R$33.47

$10.76 R$54.6

-38.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.22

$2.82 R$14.28

-42.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 R$4.00

$1.82 R$9.25

-56.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.60 R$8.14

-23.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 R$3.96

$2.03 R$10.28

-61.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.15

$1.46 R$7.40

-43.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.16

$1.25 R$6.35

-2.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R$7.77

$1.25 R$6.32

22.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$4.79

$0.98 R$4.98

-4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R$15.82

$3.00 R$15.18

4.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 R$49.48

$9.71 R$49.22

0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.96

$1.84 R$9.32

-35.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 R$16.10

$2.52 R$12.80

26.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.07 R$5.41

-2.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.00 R$223

$47.26 R$240

-6.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 R$10.26

$1.81 R$9.16

11.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 R$8.23

$1.01 R$5.14

60.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 R$51.3

$10.24 R$51.9

-1.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.42

$1.29 R$6.52

-1.55%

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

$25.3K R$128.4K

$23.5K R$119.3K

7.61%

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

$34.1K R$173.0K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-1.11%

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

$61.5 R$312

$104 R$527

-40.87%

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

$11.31 R$57.4

$16.60 R$84.1

-31.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.89 R$106

$22.04 R$112

-5.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.13 R$132

$36.43 R$185

-28.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.12 R$143

$47.29 R$240

-40.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 R$43.98

$9.69 R$49.12

-10.42%

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

$318 R$1,614

$573 R$2,906

-44.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,577 R$33.3K

$16.9K R$85.8K

-61.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.74 R$232

$66.3 R$336

-30.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.3 R$483

$61.1 R$310

55.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 R$456

$98.8 R$501

-8.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 R$355

$91.4 R$463

-23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 R$1,830

$654 R$3,316

-44.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,225

$418 R$2,120

-42.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 R$3,431

$1,524 R$7,724

-55.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 R$2,363

$992 R$5,028

-53.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,704 R$8,639

$2,670 R$13.5K

-36.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 R$6,089

$2,019 R$10.2K

-40.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

11.68

-10.10%

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

Last update for Imbituba: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Imbituba

$242 28.4%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 73.1% $177

Groceries & Markets

Imbituba

$171 20.1%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 42.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Imbituba

$135 15.9%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 5.5% $7.4

Eating Out

Imbituba

$108 12.7%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 48.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imbituba

$94 11%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 52.2% $49

Getting Around

Imbituba

$58 6.8%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 0.2% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Imbituba

$43 5.1%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 28.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $361 in Imbituba and $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Imbituba vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $243 per month, with Imbituba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Imbituba

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

Same time as Imbituba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,579

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Imbituba Sao Paulo 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Imbituba
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

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

Imbituba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,278 in Imbituba and $1,833 in Sao Paulo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $361 in Imbituba versus $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imbituba – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $852 in Imbituba versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Imbituba but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Imbituba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Imbituba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.