Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Island, NY and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $3,867 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Long Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,867

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,867 per month in Long Island, NY vs $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Long Island, NY $3,867
Sao Paulo $1,235

A couple spends around $5,541 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,073 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Long Island, NY $5,541
Sao Paulo $2,073

A family of three spends $7,215 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,911 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Long Island, NY $7,215
Sao Paulo $2,911

Long Island, NY costs about 213% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Long Island, NY sits 186% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.36 $25.36

$8.81 R$44.68

187.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$49.37 R$250

105.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 $10.94

$8.80 R$44.63

24.32%

Cappuccino

$5.07 $5.07

$2.49 R$12.63

103.61%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.42 R$7.19

50.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.85 R$4.31

87.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.98 R$15.11

170.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.34 R$22.02

81.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.24 R$6.28

2.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.91 R$9.66

121.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.43 R$7.25

33.57%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$2.81 R$14.23

80.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$12.74 R$64.6

-43.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$5.41 R$27.44

115.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.63 $16.63

$10.64 R$54.0

56.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.75 R$13.95

49.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.81 R$9.19

-30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.63 R$8.27

31.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$2.00 R$10.16

203.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.40 R$7.10

-22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.27 R$6.43

77.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.28 R$6.47

15.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.95 R$4.83

197.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.27 $11.27

$2.99 R$15.15

276.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 $17.38

$9.96 R$50.5

74.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.85 R$9.37

-8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.54 R$12.90

59.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.09 R$5.50

153.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$48.78 R$247

168.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.85 R$9.39

64.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.99 R$4.99

110.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 $24.16

$10.29 R$52.2

134.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.34 R$6.78

-16.42%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$24.4K R$123.8K

50.24%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-25.00%

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

$190 $190

$104 R$529

82.34%

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

$48.53 $48.53

$16.71 R$84.7

190.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$22.18 R$112

145.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.55 $31.55

$35.82 R$182

-11.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$102 $102

$47.28 R$240

116.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 $14.23

$10.06 R$51.0

41.45%

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

$2,219 $2,219

$579 R$2,936

283.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$17.1K R$86.6K

40.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.01 $40.01

$65.7 R$333

-39.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$61.0 R$309

-7.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$100 R$509

-24.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$92.1 R$467

71.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,715 $2,715

$659 R$3,341

311.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 $2,463

$428 R$2,170

475.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,300 $5,300

$1,515 R$7,678

249.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,883 $3,883

$1,026 R$5,201

278.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,360 $4,360

$2,773 R$14.1K

57.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,364 $4,364

$2,007 R$10.2K

117.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,983 $4,983

$909 R$4,609

448.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.68

-43.24%

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

Last update for Long Island, NY: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Island, NY

$2.5K 63.7%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 82.6% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Long Island, NY

$378 9.8%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 35.4% $134

Eating Out

Long Island, NY

$368 9.5%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 56.6% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Island, NY

$293 7.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 51.1% $150

Getting Around

Long Island, NY

$155 4%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 61.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Long Island, NY

$149 3.8%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 3.4% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Long Island, NY

$60 1.6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 6.8% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,715 in Long Island, NY versus $659 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 448% higher in Long Island, NY, 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 $101 in Long Island, NY versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $244 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

13:02 1:02 PM

1 h ahead of Long Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,804,968

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 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

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Between locations

Long Island, NY Sao Paulo 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Island, NY
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

Long Island, NY vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,867 in Long Island, NY, $1,235 in Sao Paulo – roughly 213% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,800 per month in Long Island, NY and $1,852 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.

Kindergarten costs $2,219 per month in Long Island, NY and $579 in Sao Paulo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Long Island, NY, 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 $1,235, than in Long Island, NY at $3,867. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Island, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Long Island, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,235 in Sao Paulo to $3,867 in Long Island, NY. 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, Long Island, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.