Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lawrence, KS and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,242 in Lawrence, KS, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lawrence, KS
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Lawrence, KS Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Lawrence, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,242

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,242 per month in Lawrence, KS vs $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Lawrence, KS $2,242
Sao Paulo $1,244

A couple spends around $3,313 per month in Lawrence, KS vs $2,085 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Lawrence, KS $3,313
Sao Paulo $2,085

A family of three spends $4,383 per month in Lawrence, KS vs $2,926 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Lawrence, KS $4,383
Sao Paulo $2,926

Lawrence, KS costs about 80% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lawrence, KS sits 67% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.03 $15.03

$8.94 R$44.51

68.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 $75.6

$49.46 R$246

52.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 $10.97

$9.22 R$45.87

18.98%

Cappuccino

$5.08 $5.08

$2.54 R$12.67

100.00%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$1.45 R$7.23

72.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.91 R$4.54

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.07 R$15.26

91.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$4.36 R$21.69

69.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.27 R$6.31

-34.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.84 R$9.14

70.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.41 R$7.03

205.67%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.84 R$14.16

37.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$12.56 R$62.5

-11.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.67 $12.67

$5.37 R$26.73

135.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 $16.68

$10.72 R$53.4

55.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.74 R$13.63

97.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.81 R$9.00

16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.55 R$7.72

217.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.98 R$9.87

108.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.47 R$7.32

22.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.24 R$6.18

138.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.27 R$6.33

33.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.96 R$4.78

193.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 $7.06

$3.04 R$15.12

132.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.19 R$50.7

38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.73 R$8.62

1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.64 R$13.16

-37.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.16

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$239

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.82 R$9.05

62.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.02 R$5.06

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.50 $25.50

$10.16 R$50.6

150.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.27 R$6.33

-25.98%

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

$22.6K $22.6K

$24.3K R$121.1K

-6.96%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$34.0K R$169.3K

-29.22%

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

$279 $279

$104 R$517

167.96%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$16.16 R$80.4

294.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 $64.5

$22.59 R$112

185.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.86 $44.86

$36.27 R$181

23.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.06 $12.06

$47.78 R$238

-74.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 $12.24

$9.85 R$49.04

24.26%

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

$992 $992

$525 R$2,614

88.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$16.6K R$82.5K

17.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 $51.8

$66.9 R$333

-22.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.24 $39.24

$62.3 R$310

-36.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$101 R$503

-21.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$90.9 R$452

12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 $1,191

$663 R$3,299

79.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$907 $907

$423 R$2,104

114.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 $1,944

$1,527 R$7,600

27.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 $1,665

$1,009 R$5,020

65.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,365 $2,365

$2,744 R$13.7K

-13.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,112 $2,112

$2,068 R$10.3K

2.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,805 $3,805

$881 R$4,383

332.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.68

-43.75%

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

Last update for Lawrence, KS: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lawrence, KS

$907 41.6%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 53.4% $484

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lawrence, KS

$407 18.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 64.9% $264

Groceries & Markets

Lawrence, KS

$391 17.9%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 37.8% $148

Eating Out

Lawrence, KS

$275 12.6%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 40.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Lawrence, KS

$123 5.6%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 17.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lawrence, KS

$69 3.2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 19.3% $13

Getting Around

Lawrence, KS

$9.7 * 0.5%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 508% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,191 in Lawrence, KS 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 332% higher in Lawrence, KS, 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 $76.0 in Lawrence, KS versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $391 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lawrence, KS

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

2 h ahead of Lawrence, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,358

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.201 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Lawrence, KS Sao Paulo 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lawrence, KS
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

Lawrence, KS vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lawrence, KS costs about 80% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,363 per month in Lawrence, KS 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Lawrence, KS and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Lawrence, KS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Lawrence, KS at $2,242. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lawrence, KS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,244 versus $2,242 in Lawrence, KS. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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