Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itu and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $719 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$719

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Itu vs $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Itu $719
Sao Paulo $1,183

A couple spends around $1,300 per month in Itu vs $1,948 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Itu $1,300
Sao Paulo $1,948

A family of three spends $1,882 per month in Itu vs $2,713 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Itu $1,882
Sao Paulo $2,713

Itu is about 39% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Itu and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Itu 47% lower, Sao Paulo 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 R$28.67

$8.15 R$43.60

-34.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.63 R$207

$46.78 R$250

-17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.99 R$32.04

$8.24 R$44.07

-27.31%

Cappuccino

$1.63 R$8.70

$2.41 R$12.90

-32.37%

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

$0.72 R$3.85

$1.32 R$7.06

-45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.62

$0.85 R$4.52

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 R$6.09

$2.78 R$14.85

-58.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.03

$4.16 R$22.22

-54.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 R$4.55

$1.15 R$6.13

-26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 R$7.69

$1.69 R$9.02

-14.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.29

$1.35 R$7.21

-12.59%

Eggs

$2.16 R$11.55

$2.69 R$14.39

-19.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 R$49.88

$11.78 R$63.0

-20.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 R$19.46

$4.97 R$26.56

-26.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.62 R$30.04

$10.10 R$54.0

-44.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.68

$2.56 R$13.69

-36.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.73

$1.74 R$9.32

-27.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.08

$1.44 R$7.71

-47.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 R$10.45

$1.83 R$9.76

6.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 R$5.21

$1.29 R$6.90

-24.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.27

$1.17 R$6.24

-15.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 R$3.90

$1.22 R$6.53

-40.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.40

$0.89 R$4.75

-49.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 R$12.43

$2.75 R$14.71

-15.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 R$29.40

$9.27 R$49.56

-40.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.34

$1.73 R$9.23

-31.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.07

$2.38 R$12.71

-21.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.38

$1.02 R$5.48

-0.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.39 R$227

$45.02 R$241

-5.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 R$4.82

$1.72 R$9.17

-47.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.80

$0.89 R$4.78

1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 R$38.69

$9.52 R$50.9

-23.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.85

$1.23 R$6.57

-26.02%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$22.3K R$119.3K

-1.60%

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

$26.5K R$141.9K

$32.5K R$173.7K

-18.34%

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

$78.1 R$418

$98.2 R$525

-20.46%

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

$11.00 R$58.8

$15.47 R$82.7

-28.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.94 R$85.2

$20.73 R$111

-23.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.10 R$129

$31.85 R$170

-24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.43 R$141

$44.21 R$236

-40.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 R$24.18

$9.07 R$48.51

-50.17%

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

$198 R$1,060

$512 R$2,740

-61.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,502 R$40.1K

$15.8K R$84.6K

-52.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.56 R$249

$60.2 R$322

-22.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.52 R$195

$57.2 R$306

-36.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.2 R$343

$92.8 R$496

-30.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.18 R$252

$86.0 R$460

-45.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,609

$632 R$3,377

-52.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 R$991

$433 R$2,318

-57.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R$3,931

$1,354 R$7,239

-45.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 R$3,299

$957 R$5,119

-35.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,600 R$8,554

$2,480 R$13.3K

-35.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 R$6,068

$1,909 R$10.2K

-40.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$275 R$1,469

$818 R$4,373

-66.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.38

11.68

5.99%

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

Last update for Itu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itu

$185 25.8%

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6% 134% $248

Groceries & Markets

Itu

$162 22.5%

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2% 40.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itu

$105 14.6%

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4% 27.9% $29

Eating Out

Itu

$95 13.2%

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7% 58.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Itu

$88 12.2%

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3% 52.3% $46

Getting Around

Itu

$52 7.2%

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7% 6.8% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Itu

$33 4.6%

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2% 50.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $301 in Itu versus $632 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 in Sao Paulo are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Itu versus $47 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $227 – making Itu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itu

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

Same time as Itu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,240

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Itu Sao Paulo 75 km

From you

Itu
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $719 in Itu, $1,183 in Sao Paulo – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,079 per month in Itu and $1,775 in Sao Paulo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $632 in Sao Paulo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Itu and $47 in Sao Paulo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $719 in Itu and $1,183 in Sao Paulo. That’s a gap of about 65%.

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

If budget matters most, go with Itu. 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.