Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knoxville, TN and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,566 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
Learn more

Knoxville, TN Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,566

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,566 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo.

Knoxville, TN $2,566
Sao Paulo $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,815 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,085 in Sao Paulo.

Knoxville, TN $3,815
Sao Paulo $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,064 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,926 in Sao Paulo.

Knoxville, TN $5,064
Sao Paulo $2,926

Living in Knoxville, TN is roughly 106% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Knoxville, TN is 92% above, Sao Paulo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 $17.48

$8.94 R$44.64

95.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$49.46 R$247

54.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 $10.14

$9.22 R$46.01

9.98%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$2.54 R$12.70

110.63%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$1.45 R$7.25

85.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.91 R$4.55

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 $6.31

$3.07 R$15.31

105.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 $6.65

$4.36 R$21.75

52.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.27 R$6.32

-14.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.84 R$9.17

89.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.41 R$7.05

237.59%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$2.84 R$14.20

50.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 $9.93

$12.56 R$62.7

-20.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 $9.34

$5.37 R$26.81

73.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.20 $15.20

$10.72 R$53.5

41.79%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$2.74 R$13.67

146.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.81 R$9.03

-17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.55 R$7.74

75.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.98 R$9.90

176.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.47 R$7.34

51.02%

Onion (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$1.24 R$6.20

233.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.27 R$6.35

83.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.96 R$4.79

128.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$3.04 R$15.16

223.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$10.19 R$50.8

44.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.73 R$8.64

11.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.64 R$13.19

17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.04 R$5.18

-2.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.07 $30.07

$48.10 R$240

-37.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.82 R$9.07

172.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.02 R$5.07

54.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.43 $30.43

$10.16 R$50.7

199.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.27 R$6.35

-25.98%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$24.3K R$121.4K

54.89%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-19.65%

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

$219 $219

$104 R$519

110.45%

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

$73.9 $73.9

$16.16 R$80.7

356.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 $53.3

$22.59 R$113

136.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.46 $29.46

$36.27 R$181

-18.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.85 $21.85

$47.78 R$239

-54.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.40 $15.40

$9.85 R$49.19

56.35%

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

$1,230 $1,230

$525 R$2,622

134.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$16.6K R$82.8K

44.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.76 $49.76

$66.9 R$334

-25.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.35 $45.35

$62.3 R$311

-27.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$101 R$505

7.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$90.9 R$454

34.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,767 $1,767

$663 R$3,309

166.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 $1,264

$423 R$2,110

199.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,902 $2,902

$1,527 R$7,622

90.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 $2,166

$1,009 R$5,035

114.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,689 $4,689

$2,744 R$13.7K

70.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,267 $2,267

$2,068 R$10.3K

9.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,623 $3,623

$881 R$4,396

311.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.68

-43.15%

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

Last update for Knoxville, TN: 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

Knoxville, TN

$1.3K 49.7%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 66.6% $842

Groceries & Markets

Knoxville, TN

$381 15%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 36.1% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knoxville, TN

$346 13.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 58.8% $203

Eating Out

Knoxville, TN

$301 11.8%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 45.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Knoxville, TN

$147 5.8%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 1.4% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Knoxville, TN

$60 2.4%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 7.1% $4.3

Getting Around

Knoxville, TN

$47 1.8%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 26% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,767 in Knoxville, TN and $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays 311% 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: $76.0 in Knoxville, TN vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $381 vs $243 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

1 h ahead of Knoxville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,740

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Knoxville, TN Sao Paulo 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Knoxville, TN
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

Knoxville, TN vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 106% lower than in Knoxville, TN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 311% higher in Knoxville, TN, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,767 in Knoxville, TN versus $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $76.0 in Knoxville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,566 in Knoxville, TN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Knoxville, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Paulo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,244 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Knoxville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.