Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,994 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Madison, WI $2,994
Sao Paulo $1,244

A couple spends around $4,424 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,085 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Madison, WI $4,424
Sao Paulo $2,085

A family of three spends $5,854 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,926 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Madison, WI $5,854
Sao Paulo $2,926

Madison, WI costs about 141% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Madison, WI sits 123% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$8.94 R$44.64

119.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 $68.0

$49.46 R$247

37.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$9.22 R$46.01

41.76%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.54 R$12.70

121.65%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.45 R$7.25

117.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.91 R$4.55

178.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.07 R$15.31

130.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.36 R$21.75

88.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.27 R$6.32

-22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.84 R$9.17

86.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.41 R$7.05

192.91%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$2.84 R$14.20

27.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 $14.92

$12.56 R$62.7

18.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$5.37 R$26.81

147.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 $20.06

$10.72 R$53.5

87.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.74 R$13.67

73.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.81 R$9.03

-10.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.55 R$7.74

242.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.98 R$9.90

151.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.47 R$7.34

89.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.24 R$6.20

151.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.27 R$6.35

72.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.96 R$4.79

152.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 $10.77

$3.04 R$15.16

254.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$10.19 R$50.8

54.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.73 R$8.64

56.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.64 R$13.19

67.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.04 R$5.18

98.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$48.10 R$240

36.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.82 R$9.07

118.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.02 R$5.07

98.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.09 $43.09

$10.16 R$50.7

324.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.27 R$6.35

-20.47%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.3K R$121.4K

48.00%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.0K R$169.8K

-24.65%

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

$269 $269

$104 R$519

158.93%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$16.16 R$80.7

225.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$22.59 R$113

270.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 $58.4

$36.27 R$181

61.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 $10.54

$47.78 R$239

-77.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$9.85 R$49.19

55.03%

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

$1,705 $1,705

$525 R$2,622

224.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$16.6K R$82.8K

38.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$66.9 R$334

-5.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 $50.0

$62.3 R$311

-19.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$101 R$505

6.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$90.9 R$454

33.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 $1,789

$663 R$3,309

169.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 $1,572

$423 R$2,110

271.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,177 $3,177

$1,527 R$7,622

108.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,009 R$5,035

154.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,524 $4,524

$2,744 R$13.7K

64.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 $2,489

$2,068 R$10.3K

20.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 $4,383

$881 R$4,396

397.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.68

-42.72%

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

Last update for Madison, WI: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madison, WI

$1.6K 51.1%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 73.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$432 14%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 43.7% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$405 13.2%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 64.8% $263

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$338 11%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 51.8% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$154 5%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 6.1% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$89 2.9%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 37.1% $33

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$88 2.9%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 32.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Madison, WI 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 398% higher in Madison, WI, 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 $68.0 in Madison, WI versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $432 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

2 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Madison, WI Sao Paulo 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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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

Madison, WI vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,994 in Madison, WI, $1,244 in Sao Paulo – roughly 141% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,491 per month in Madison, WI 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.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Sao Paulo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,705 per month in Madison, WI and $525 in Sao Paulo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Madison, WI at $2,994. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madison, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madison, WI has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,244 in Sao Paulo to $2,994 in Madison, WI. 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, Madison, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.