Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,224 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,224

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,224 per month in Kingston vs $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Kingston $2,224
Sao Paulo $1,244

A couple spends around $3,051 per month in Kingston vs $2,085 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Kingston $3,051
Sao Paulo $2,085

A family of three spends $3,879 per month in Kingston vs $2,926 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Kingston $3,879
Sao Paulo $2,926

Kingston costs about 79% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kingston sits 66% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.71 CA$20.97

$8.94 R$44.64

64.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 CA$89.3

$49.46 R$247

26.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 CA$15.92

$9.22 R$46.01

21.15%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$5.00

$2.54 R$12.70

38.19%

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

$2.01 CA$2.87

$1.45 R$7.25

38.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$0.91 R$4.55

43.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 CA$8.37

$3.07 R$15.31

91.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 CA$8.93

$4.36 R$21.75

43.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 CA$2.90

$1.27 R$6.32

60.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$1.84 R$9.17

32.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.69

$1.41 R$7.05

133.33%

Eggs

$2.90 CA$4.14

$2.84 R$14.20

2.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 CA$14.64

$12.56 R$62.7

-18.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 CA$16.12

$5.37 R$26.81

110.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.99 CA$14.24

$10.72 R$53.5

-6.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.74 R$13.67

5.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$1.81 R$9.03

-37.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 CA$5.00

$1.55 R$7.74

126.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$1.98 R$9.90

79.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.71

$1.47 R$7.34

124.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.19

$1.24 R$6.20

80.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.72

$1.27 R$6.35

105.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.26

$0.96 R$4.79

64.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 CA$19.10

$3.04 R$15.16

340.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CA$17.33

$10.19 R$50.8

19.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.73 R$8.64

25.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 CA$4.68

$2.64 R$13.19

24.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.54

$1.04 R$5.18

138.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.2 CA$80.0

$48.10 R$240

16.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.82 R$9.07

68.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.14

$1.02 R$5.07

47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.06 CA$44.27

$10.16 R$50.7

205.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$1.27 R$6.35

-10.24%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$24.3K R$121.4K

13.32%

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

$18.7K CA$26.7K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-44.98%

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

$120 CA$171

$104 R$519

15.53%

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

$38.49 CA$54.9

$16.16 R$80.7

138.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CA$90.1

$22.59 R$113

179.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.06 CA$40.00

$36.27 R$181

-22.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.84 CA$12.60

$47.78 R$239

-81.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 CA$14.84

$9.85 R$49.19

5.69%

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

$514 CA$733

$525 R$2,622

-2.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 CA$73.7

$66.9 R$334

-22.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.55 CA$46.39

$62.3 R$311

-47.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 CA$114

$101 R$505

-21.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 CA$122

$90.9 R$454

-6.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 CA$2,188

$663 R$3,309

131.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 CA$1,684

$423 R$2,110

179.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 CA$3,260

$1,527 R$7,622

49.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 CA$2,201

$1,009 R$5,035

53.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,384 CA$4,824

$2,744 R$13.7K

23.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,449 CA$3,491

$2,068 R$10.3K

18.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 CA$4,246

$881 R$4,396

238.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

11.68

-60.53%

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

Last update for Kingston: 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

Kingston

$1.2K 53.3%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 64.2% $759

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$326 14.7%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 25.3% $82

Eating Out

Kingston

$248 11.2%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 34.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$222 10%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 35.7% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$112 5.1%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 28.8% $32

Getting Around

Kingston

$77 3.5%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 22.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$49 2.2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 14.5% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,535 in Kingston 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 238% higher in Kingston, 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 $63.0 in Kingston versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kingston

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

1 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,363

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 = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Sao Paulo 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,224 in Kingston, $1,244 in Sao Paulo – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,336 per month in Kingston 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 Sao Paulo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,224 in Kingston and $1,244 in Sao Paulo. That's a gap of about 79%.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Sao Paulo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Kingston at $2,224. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kingston has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,244 in Sao Paulo to $2,224 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.