Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima, OH and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,594 in Lima, OH, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lima, OH
Learn more

Lima, OH Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,594

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Lima, OH versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo.

Lima, OH $2,594
Sao Paulo $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,690 in Lima, OH versus $2,044 in Sao Paulo.

Lima, OH $3,690
Sao Paulo $2,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,785 in Lima, OH versus $2,867 in Sao Paulo.

Lima, OH $4,785
Sao Paulo $2,867

Living in Lima, OH is roughly 112% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima, OH is 91% above, Sao Paulo is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$8.71 R$44.15

156.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 $77.3

$48.61 R$246

59.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$9.03 R$45.77

34.77%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$2.55 R$12.94

116.86%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$1.35 R$6.83

88.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.91 R$4.63

123.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.07 R$15.55

94.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.38 R$22.21

58.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.19 R$6.05

-53.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.80 R$9.14

76.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.48 R$7.51

262.16%

Eggs

$3.02 $3.02

$2.82 R$14.31

7.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$12.61 R$63.9

-30.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$5.40 R$27.36

170.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$10.76 R$54.6

47.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.82 R$14.28

53.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.82 R$9.25

-37.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.60 R$8.14

183.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.03 R$10.28

116.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.46 R$7.40

54.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.25 R$6.35

77.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.25 R$6.32

56.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.98 R$4.98

107.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.99 $9.99

$3.00 R$15.18

233.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 $16.61

$9.71 R$49.22

71.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.84 R$9.32

17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.52 R$12.80

-18.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.07 R$5.41

84.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.37 $42.37

$47.26 R$240

-10.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.81 R$9.16

63.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.01 R$5.14

22.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.59 $26.59

$10.24 R$51.9

159.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.29 R$6.52

-34.11%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$23.5K R$119.3K

30.55%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-31.30%

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

$225 $225

$104 R$527

116.52%

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

$67.9 $67.9

$16.60 R$84.1

309.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$22.04 R$112

203.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.23 $42.23

$36.43 R$185

15.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.94 $47.94

$47.29 R$240

1.37%

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 $13.05

$9.69 R$49.12

34.67%

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

$1,615 $1,615

$573 R$2,906

181.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$16.9K R$85.8K

102.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$66.3 R$336

-23.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 $40.69

$61.1 R$310

-33.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$98.8 R$501

-16.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$91.4 R$463

20.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 $1,278

$654 R$3,316

95.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 $1,257

$418 R$2,120

200.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 $2,211

$1,524 R$7,724

45.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$992 R$5,028

84.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,393 $1,393

$2,670 R$13.5K

-47.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,402 $1,402

$2,019 R$10.2K

-30.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,089 $5,089

$900 R$4,563

465.37%

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 Lima, OH: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima, OH

$1.3K 48.5%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 66.7% $839

Groceries & Markets

Lima, OH

$378 14.6%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 35.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima, OH

$360 13.9%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 60.4% $217

Eating Out

Lima, OH

$343 13.2%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 53.3% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Lima, OH

$128 4.9%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 11.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lima, OH

$68 2.6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 18.3% $13

Getting Around

Lima, OH

$59 2.3%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 1.7% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,278 in Lima, OH and $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima, OH pays 465% 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: $77.0 in Lima, OH vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $243 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lima, OH

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

1 h ahead of Lima, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,868

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima, OH Sao Paulo 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima, OH
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

Lima, OH vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima, OH and Sao Paulo differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($2,594 vs $1,222 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 465% higher in Lima, OH, 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: $1,278 in Lima, OH versus $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Lima, OH. 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 $77.0 in Lima, OH. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,594 in Lima, OH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Lima, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo 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, Lima, OH 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 Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Lima, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.