Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Sao Carlos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $912 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $37,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Sao Carlos

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in Sao Carlos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $912 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

London $4,048
Sao Carlos $912

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,586 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

London $5,903
Sao Carlos $1,586

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $2,260 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

London $7,758
Sao Carlos $2,260

London costs about 344% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Sao Carlos is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.68

$4.62 R$25.40

470.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £81.1

$36.09 R$199

200.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.00

$6.48 R$35.68

65.28%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.17

$1.92 R$10.55

191.15%

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

$3.00 £2.24

$1.24 R$6.84

141.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.66

$0.75 R$4.10

196.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.20

$1.50 R$8.24

543.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.16

$2.62 R$14.43

215.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.29 R$7.08

52.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.56

$1.85 R$10.19

12.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.94

$1.68 R$9.27

54.17%

Eggs

$5.37 £4.01

$2.60 R$14.33

106.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.79

$11.77 R$64.8

11.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.23

$4.95 R$27.26

122.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.23

$8.49 R$46.70

108.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$2.45 R$13.51

29.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.72 R$9.48

-19.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$1.65 R$9.10

70.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.51

$1.76 R$9.71

90.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.55 R$8.52

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.31 R$7.22

35.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$0.93 R$5.14

60.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.07 R$5.90

70.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.80

$2.94 R$16.16

711.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £10.03

$7.79 R$42.90

72.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.32

$1.31 R$7.21

137.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.35

$2.80 R$15.40

60.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.08

$0.88 R$4.86

369.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £199

$21.90 R$121

1114.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.46

$1.37 R$7.52

336.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.53

$0.93 R$5.12

264.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.21

$3.36 R$18.50

1583.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.65

$1.11 R$6.09

99.10%

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

$38.3K £28.6K

$18.4K R$101.3K

107.90%

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

$41.0K £30.6K

$29.3K R$161.2K

40.04%

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

$372 £278

$59.0 R$325

531.33%

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

$18.66 £13.93

$12.99 R$71.5

43.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.26

$22.93 R$126

76.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.82

$32.02 R$176

74.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.76

$45.93 R$253

-62.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.40

$5.00 R$27.53

259.00%

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

$2,946 £2,199

$271 R$1,492

986.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.5K

$2,733 R$15.0K

1642.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.8

$76.8 R$423

51.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.47

$89.5 R$493

-36.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.5

$131 R$722

-2.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £115

$148 R$816

3.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,191

$244 R$1,342

1104.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,686

$220 R$1,209

928.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,919

$626 R$3,444

738.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,881

$620 R$3,411

522.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$784 R$4,315

2091.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,179

$677 R$3,726

1122.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,196

$619 R$3,405

808.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

10.75

-55.53%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Sao Carlos

$220 24.1% 90.3% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Sao Carlos

$95 10.4% 78% $337

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Sao Carlos

$100 11% 74.7% $296

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Sao Carlos

$224 24.5% 37.9% $137

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Sao Carlos

$31 3.5% 89.7% $274

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Sao Carlos

$201 22% 2% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Sao Carlos

$42 4.6% 54.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $244 in Sao Carlos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 9.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $36 in Sao Carlos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $224 – making Sao Carlos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

12:48 12:48 PM

3 h behind London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

254,857

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Sao Carlos 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Sao Carlos

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

London vs Sao Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $912 in Sao Carlos – Sao Carlos comes out roughly 77% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,369 in Sao Carlos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Carlos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $2,935 in London.

Groceries cost about 61% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $36 in Sao Carlos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,048 in London and $912 in Sao Carlos. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Carlos – 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 Sao Carlos. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.