Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Macaé versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Macaé $887
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,495 in Macaé versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Macaé $1,495
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,102 in Macaé versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Macaé $2,102
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Macaé costs roughly 28% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Macaé 35% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.43 R$27.54

$8.71 R$44.15

-37.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.78 R$151

$48.61 R$246

-38.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$35.00

$9.03 R$45.77

-23.48%

Cappuccino

$1.72 R$8.73

$2.55 R$12.94

-32.55%

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

$1.39 R$7.04

$1.35 R$6.83

2.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$0.91 R$4.63

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 R$6.16

$3.07 R$15.55

-60.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R$14.16

$4.38 R$22.21

-36.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.19 R$6.05

-19.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 R$7.91

$1.80 R$9.14

-13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$1.48 R$7.51

-6.76%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.85

$2.82 R$14.31

-31.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 R$46.21

$12.61 R$63.9

-27.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 R$16.92

$5.40 R$27.36

-38.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 R$49.10

$10.76 R$54.6

-9.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R$9.40

$2.82 R$14.28

-34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.11

$1.82 R$9.25

-34.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.60 R$8.14

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$2.03 R$10.28

-39.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.23

$1.46 R$7.40

-56.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$1.25 R$6.35

-35.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.73

$1.25 R$6.32

-56.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.64

$0.98 R$4.98

-46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 R$7.88

$3.00 R$15.18

-48.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.86

$9.71 R$49.22

-37.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.82

$1.84 R$9.32

-48.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.52 R$12.80

-50.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 R$8.16

$1.07 R$5.41

50.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.9 R$425

$47.26 R$240

77.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 R$7.14

$1.81 R$9.16

-22.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.03

$1.01 R$5.14

-21.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 R$40.16

$10.24 R$51.9

-22.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.29 R$6.52

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

$21.5K R$109.0K

$23.5K R$119.3K

-8.63%

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

$31.2K R$158.2K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-9.59%

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

$100.0 R$507

$104 R$527

-3.93%

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

$10.21 R$51.7

$16.60 R$84.1

-38.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 R$95.1

$22.04 R$112

-14.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 R$202

$36.43 R$185

9.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.04 R$173

$47.29 R$240

-28.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.79 R$34.44

$9.69 R$49.12

-29.93%

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

$648 R$3,283

$573 R$2,906

12.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,012 R$35.5K

$16.9K R$85.8K

-58.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 R$320

$66.3 R$336

-4.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R$162

$61.1 R$310

-47.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 R$339

$98.8 R$501

-32.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.66 R$237

$91.4 R$463

-48.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,873

$654 R$3,316

-43.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,221

$418 R$2,120

-42.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 R$4,490

$1,524 R$7,724

-41.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R$3,392

$992 R$5,028

-32.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,270 R$6,436

$2,670 R$13.5K

-52.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 R$4,054

$2,019 R$10.2K

-60.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$799 R$4,049

$900 R$4,563

-11.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.68

-8.65%

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

Last update for Macaé: 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

Macaé

$241 27.2%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 73.6% $177

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$169 19.1%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 43.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 10.7% $14

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.8%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 53.5% $56

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 39% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$94 10.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 52.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$53 6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 4.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Macaé and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 14% 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: $30.00 in Macaé vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $244 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

Same time as Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Macaé Sao Paulo 500 km

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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

Macaé vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Sao Paulo differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($887 vs $1,235 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Sao Paulo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $370 in Macaé versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $887 per month in Macaé versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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.

Expats usually find Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.