Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itajubá, MG and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajubá, MG: $867 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Itajubá, MG
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Itajubá, MG Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Itajubá, MG

🇧🇷 Brazil

$867

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $867 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Itajubá, MG $867
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,285 in Itajubá, MG versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Itajubá, MG $1,285
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,703 in Itajubá, MG versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Itajubá, MG $1,703
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Itajubá, MG costs roughly 30% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Itajubá, MG 36% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 R$23.13

$8.81 R$44.68

-48.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 R$122

$49.37 R$250

-51.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.38 R$22.20

$8.80 R$44.63

-50.23%

Cappuccino

$1.29 R$6.53

$2.49 R$12.63

-48.19%

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

$1.11 R$5.64

$1.42 R$7.19

-21.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.35

$0.85 R$4.31

-22.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 R$9.25

$2.98 R$15.11

-38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 R$14.84

$4.34 R$22.02

-32.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.24 R$6.28

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 R$8.38

$1.91 R$9.66

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.94

$1.43 R$7.25

-32.17%

Eggs

$2.38 R$12.05

$2.81 R$14.23

-15.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 R$54.3

$12.74 R$64.6

-15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 R$18.16

$5.41 R$27.44

-33.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.88 R$39.97

$10.64 R$54.0

-25.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 R$14.59

$2.75 R$13.95

4.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.03

$1.81 R$9.19

-12.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.17

$1.63 R$8.27

-37.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 R$9.46

$2.00 R$10.16

-6.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.48

$1.40 R$7.10

-22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.24

$1.27 R$6.43

-18.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.28 R$6.47

-47.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$0.95 R$4.83

-25.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.47

$2.99 R$15.15

2.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 R$41.29

$9.96 R$50.5

-18.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.85 R$9.37

-36.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.54 R$12.90

-37.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.09 R$5.50

-5.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.43 R$205

$48.78 R$247

-17.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.13

$1.85 R$9.39

-34.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.57

$0.99 R$4.99

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 R$46.95

$10.29 R$52.2

-10.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.34 R$6.78

-15.67%

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

$23.7K R$120.2K

$24.4K R$123.8K

-2.84%

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

$32.7K R$165.9K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-3.58%

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

$133 R$675

$104 R$529

27.48%

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

$12.28 R$62.3

$16.71 R$84.7

-26.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 R$94.1

$22.18 R$112

-16.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.62 R$79.2

$35.82 R$182

-56.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.34 R$128

$47.28 R$240

-46.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 R$39.62

$10.06 R$51.0

-22.27%

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

$587 R$2,977

$579 R$2,936

1.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K R$66.4K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-23.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.71 R$217

$65.7 R$333

-34.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 R$254

$61.0 R$309

-18.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 R$375

$100 R$509

-26.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 R$342

$92.1 R$467

-26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 R$1,751

$659 R$3,341

-47.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,198

$428 R$2,170

-44.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 R$2,645

$1,515 R$7,678

-65.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R$1,853

$1,026 R$5,201

-64.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,732 R$8,781

$2,773 R$14.1K

-37.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,177 R$5,969

$2,007 R$10.2K

-41.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$297 R$1,503

$909 R$4,609

-67.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.68

2.14%

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

Last update for Itajubá, MG: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itajubá, MG

$236 27.3%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 81.2% $192

Groceries & Markets

Itajubá, MG

$192 22.2%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 27.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itajubá, MG

$164 18.9%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 12.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Itajubá, MG

$105 12.2%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 36.4% $38

Eating Out

Itajubá, MG

$87 10.1%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 83% $72

Getting Around

Itajubá, MG

$50 5.8%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 19.2% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Itajubá, MG

$31 3.6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 79% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $346 in Itajubá, MG and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 207% 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: $24.00 in Itajubá, MG vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $244 per month, with Itajubá, MG cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itajubá, MG

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

Same time as Itajubá, MG

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,073

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

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Itajubá, MG Sao Paulo 170 km

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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

Itajubá, MG vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Itajubá, MG and Sao Paulo differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($867 vs $1,235 including rent). Itajubá, MG is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 207% lower in Sao Paulo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $346 in Itajubá, MG versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $587 in Itajubá, MG versus $579 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $867 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Itajubá, MG but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Itajubá, MG the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Itajubá, MG and Sao Paulo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Itajubá, MG gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.