Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $613 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$613

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $613 per month in Islamabad vs $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Islamabad $613
Sao Paulo $1,244

A couple spends around $951 per month in Islamabad vs $2,085 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Islamabad $951
Sao Paulo $2,085

A family of three spends $1,289 per month in Islamabad vs $2,926 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Islamabad $1,289
Sao Paulo $2,926

Islamabad is about 51% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Islamabad and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Islamabad 54% lower, Sao Paulo 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 PKR 983

$8.94 R$44.64

-60.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 PKR 6,453

$49.46 R$247

-52.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 PKR 1,522

$9.22 R$46.01

-40.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 PKR 971

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 PKR 1,950

Cappuccino

$2.72 PKR 753

$2.54 R$12.70

7.09%

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

$0.35 PKR 97.4

$1.45 R$7.25

-75.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.8

$0.91 R$4.55

-74.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 PKR 273

$1.27 R$6.32

-22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 PKR 201

$1.84 R$9.17

-60.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.41 R$7.05

-12.06%

Eggs

$1.31 PKR 363

$2.84 R$14.20

-53.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.12 PKR 1,695

$12.56 R$62.7

-51.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 PKR 893

$5.37 R$26.81

-39.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.44 PKR 1,506

$10.72 R$53.5

-49.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 PKR 375

$2.74 R$13.67

-50.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 PKR 239

$1.81 R$9.03

-52.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 PKR 298

$1.55 R$7.74

-30.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$1.98 R$9.90

-72.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 78.3

$1.47 R$7.34

-80.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 98.6

$1.24 R$6.20

-70.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 PKR 83.5

$1.27 R$6.35

-76.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 115

$0.96 R$4.79

-56.25%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.98 PKR 549

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 PKR 347

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 PKR 715

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 PKR 642

$3.04 R$15.16

-23.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 54.5

$1.04 R$5.18

-80.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.45 PKR 5,936

$48.10 R$240

-55.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 PKR 339

$1.82 R$9.07

-32.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 PKR 209

$1.02 R$5.07

-26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 PKR 454

$10.16 R$50.7

-83.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 PKR 385

$1.27 R$6.35

9.45%

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

$53.8K PKR 14.9M

$24.3K R$121.4K

121.28%

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

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

$34.0K R$169.8K

-29.45%

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

$103 PKR 28.5K

$104 R$519

-1.04%

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

$5.76 PKR 1,594

$16.16 R$80.7

-64.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.49 PKR 4,565

$22.59 R$113

-27.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.77 PKR 8,240

$36.27 R$181

-17.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.62 PKR 2,386

$47.78 R$239

-81.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 PKR 1,233

$9.85 R$49.19

-54.82%

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

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

$525 R$2,622

-85.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,023 PKR 1.4M

$16.6K R$82.8K

-69.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.55 PKR 6,793

$66.9 R$334

-63.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 PKR 9,461

$62.3 R$311

-45.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 PKR 26.6K

$101 R$505

-5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.93 PKR 11.3K

$90.9 R$454

-54.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 PKR 75.2K

$663 R$3,309

-59.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 PKR 38.0K

$423 R$2,110

-67.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 PKR 158.4K

$1,527 R$7,622

-62.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 PKR 76.0K

$1,009 R$5,035

-72.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 PKR 464.1K

$2,744 R$13.7K

-38.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 PKR 227.0K

$2,068 R$10.3K

-60.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$379 PKR 104.8K

$881 R$4,396

-56.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

11.68

11.99%

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

Last update for Islamabad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Islamabad

$137 22.9%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 208% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islamabad

$125 20.8%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 14.1% $18

Groceries & Markets

Islamabad

$105 17.5%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 132% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Islamabad

$88 14.6%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 64.1% $56

Eating Out

Islamabad

$80 13.3%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 104% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Islamabad

$39 6.4%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 44.7% $17

Getting Around

Islamabad

$27 4.5%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 117% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $272 in Islamabad versus $663 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 133% 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 $23.00 in Islamabad versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $243 – making Islamabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

23:57 11:57 PM

8 h behind Islamabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,009,832 Capital

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Islamabad Sao Paulo 14,100 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Islamabad
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

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

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $919 per month in Islamabad and $1,866 in Sao Paulo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Islamabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 132% more in Sao Paulo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Islamabad and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Sao Paulo at $1,244. In Islamabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Islamabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Islamabad. 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.