Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
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New Bedford, MA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,753

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,753 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $2,753
Sao Paulo $1,222

A couple spends around $3,820 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $2,044 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $3,820
Sao Paulo $2,044

A family of three spends $4,887 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $2,867 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $4,887
Sao Paulo $2,867

New Bedford, MA costs about 125% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New Bedford, MA sits 103% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 $19.68

$8.71 R$44.15

125.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$48.61 R$246

21.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 $5.95

$9.03 R$45.77

-34.11%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$2.55 R$12.94

61.18%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$1.35 R$6.83

71.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.91 R$4.63

35.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.07 R$15.55

96.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.38 R$22.21

-6.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.19 R$6.05

-15.13%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.80 R$9.14

154.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$1.48 R$7.51

998.65%

Eggs

$6.42 $6.42

$2.82 R$14.31

127.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 $10.57

$12.61 R$63.9

-16.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 $10.74

$5.40 R$27.36

98.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$10.76 R$54.6

78.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.82 R$14.28

90.78%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.82 R$9.25

145.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.60 R$8.14

111.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.03 R$10.28

48.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.46 R$7.40

52.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.25 R$6.35

92.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.25 R$6.32

120.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.98 R$4.98

193.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.07 $13.07

$3.00 R$15.18

335.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.85 $16.85

$9.71 R$49.22

73.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.84 R$9.32

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.52 R$12.80

12.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.81 R$9.16

238.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.01 R$5.14

117.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.29 R$6.52

-15.50%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$23.5K R$119.3K

19.72%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-22.98%

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

$181 $181

$104 R$527

74.18%

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

$36.85 $36.85

$16.60 R$84.1

121.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 $58.6

$22.04 R$112

165.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 $28.95

$36.43 R$185

-20.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 $12.43

$9.69 R$49.12

28.28%

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

$2,133 $2,133

$573 R$2,906

271.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.67 $38.67

$66.3 R$336

-41.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.01 $16.01

$61.1 R$310

-73.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$98.8 R$501

0.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 $1,869

$654 R$3,316

185.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$418 R$2,120

278.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 $2,615

$1,524 R$7,724

71.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$992 R$5,028

136.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,641 $4,641

$900 R$4,563

415.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.42

11.68

-53.60%

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

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 73.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

New Bedford, MA

$478 17.4%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 49.1% $235

Eating Out

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 42.1% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 48.4% $134

Clothing & Footwear

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 106% $74

Sport & Entertainment

New Bedford, MA

$54 2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 3.7% $2

Getting Around

New Bedford, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 241% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,869 in New Bedford, MA versus $654 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 416% higher in New Bedford, MA, 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 $59.0 in New Bedford, MA versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $478 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

1 h ahead of New Bedford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,538

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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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New Bedford, MA Sao Paulo 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bedford, MA
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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

New Bedford, MA vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, $1,222 in Sao Paulo – roughly 125% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,130 per month in New Bedford, MA and $1,833 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in New Bedford, MA and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in New Bedford, MA, 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 $1,222, than in New Bedford, MA at $2,753. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bedford, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. New Bedford, MA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,222 in Sao Paulo to $2,753 in New Bedford, MA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Bedford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.