Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montgomery, AL and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,354 in Montgomery, AL, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Montgomery, AL
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Montgomery, AL Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Montgomery, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,354

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,354 in Montgomery, AL versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Montgomery, AL $2,354
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,197 in Montgomery, AL versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Montgomery, AL $3,197
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,039 in Montgomery, AL versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Montgomery, AL $4,039
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Montgomery, AL is roughly 91% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montgomery, AL is 74% above, Sao Paulo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.11 $16.11

$8.81 R$44.68

82.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$49.37 R$250

12.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 $10.30

$8.80 R$44.63

17.05%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$2.49 R$12.63

115.26%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.42 R$7.19

84.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.85 R$4.31

143.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.98 R$15.11

46.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.34 R$22.02

12.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.24 R$6.28

-31.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.91 R$9.66

87.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.43 R$7.25

43.36%

Eggs

$3.14 $3.14

$2.81 R$14.23

11.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 $7.96

$12.74 R$64.6

-37.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.39 $7.39

$5.41 R$27.44

36.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 $14.27

$10.64 R$54.0

34.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.75 R$13.95

44.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.81 R$9.19

-29.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.63 R$8.27

20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.00 R$10.16

108.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.40 R$7.10

122.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.27 R$6.43

109.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.28 R$6.47

63.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.95 R$4.83

129.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 $8.89

$2.99 R$15.15

197.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$9.96 R$50.5

51.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.85 R$9.37

4.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.54 R$12.90

51.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.09 R$5.50

87.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 $45.02

$48.78 R$247

-7.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.85 R$9.39

36.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.99 R$4.99

61.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.54 $25.54

$10.29 R$52.2

148.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.34 R$6.78

-32.84%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$24.4K R$123.8K

29.97%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-23.57%

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

$309 $309

$104 R$529

196.03%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$16.71 R$84.7

203.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$22.18 R$112

227.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.83 $37.83

$35.82 R$182

5.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.52 $28.52

$47.28 R$240

-39.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 $9.81

$10.06 R$51.0

-2.49%

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

$1,380 $1,380

$579 R$2,936

138.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K $13.7K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-19.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.94 $48.94

$65.7 R$333

-25.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.52 $35.52

$61.0 R$309

-41.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 $86.2

$100 R$509

-14.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 $96.5

$92.1 R$467

4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$659 R$3,341

95.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 $1,084

$428 R$2,170

153.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$1,515 R$7,678

4.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 $1,455

$1,026 R$5,201

41.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,368 $1,368

$2,773 R$14.1K

-50.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,309 $1,309

$2,007 R$10.2K

-34.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 $3,632

$909 R$4,609

299.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

11.68

-44.01%

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

Last update for Montgomery, AL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montgomery, AL

$1.1K 46%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 60.5% $656

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montgomery, AL

$432 18.4%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 66.9% $289

Groceries & Markets

Montgomery, AL

$322 13.7%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 24.1% $77

Eating Out

Montgomery, AL

$274 11.7%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 41.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Montgomery, AL

$120 5.1%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 19.5% $23

Getting Around

Montgomery, AL

$64 2.7%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 6% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Montgomery, AL

$57 2.4%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 2.6% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,287 in Montgomery, AL and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montgomery, AL pays 299% 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: $56.0 in Montgomery, AL vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $244 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montgomery, AL

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

2 h ahead of Montgomery, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,603

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Montgomery, AL Sao Paulo 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montgomery, AL
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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

Montgomery, AL vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montgomery, AL and Sao Paulo differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($2,354 vs $1,235 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 299% higher in Montgomery, AL, 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: $1,287 in Montgomery, AL 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 Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $56.0 in Montgomery, AL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,354 per month in Montgomery, AL versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $2,354 in Montgomery, AL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Montgomery, AL. 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.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Montgomery, AL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.