Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,058 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $46,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Sao Caetano do Sul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in New York, NY and in Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,950 per month in New York, NY vs $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

New York, NY $4,950
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058

A couple spends around $7,265 per month in New York, NY vs $1,822 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

New York, NY $7,265
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822

A family of three spends $9,581 per month in New York, NY vs $2,586 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

New York, NY $9,581
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586

New York, NY costs about 368% more than Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 267% above the global median, while Sao Caetano do Sul is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$8.89 R$44.60

177.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$40.00 R$201

203.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$8.77 R$44.01

58.61%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$2.38 R$11.96

176.89%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.33 R$6.66

188.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.93 R$4.66

208.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$2.36 R$11.82

230.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.00 R$20.06

146.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.19 R$5.95

15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.05 R$10.30

128.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.44 R$7.23

423.61%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$2.48 R$12.43

139.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$10.70 R$53.7

75.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$5.43 R$27.26

219.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$10.91 R$54.8

69.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.39 R$11.98

182.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.72 R$8.65

21.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$1.55 R$7.76

291.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.08 R$10.43

224.04%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.40 R$7.02

189.29%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.26 R$6.34

246.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$0.92 R$4.62

214.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$0.81 R$4.08

220.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$2.49 R$12.49

651.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$8.97 R$44.99

123.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.75 R$8.79

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.58 R$12.92

44.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$0.68 R$3.43

350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.32 R$6.64

130.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.02 R$5.13

110.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

$8.86 R$44.47

372.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.34 R$6.72

-16.42%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$24.5K R$123.1K

44.48%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$32.6K R$163.4K

-20.07%

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

$219 $219

$103 R$517

112.71%

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

$73.2 $73.2

$14.91 R$74.8

390.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$22.99 R$115

213.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$50.3 R$253

143.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

$46.01 R$231

47.08%

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$10.14 R$50.9

125.35%

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

$3,333 $3,333

$437 R$2,192

662.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$11.2K R$56.1K

436.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$65.3 R$328

15.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$57.3 R$288

-8.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$98.3 R$493

23.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$93.2 R$467

42.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$419 R$2,104

946.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$311 R$1,559

907.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$867 R$4,349

928.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$868 R$4,353

517.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$1,890 R$9,483

926.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

$1,435 R$7,201

374.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

$951 R$4,773

461.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.81

-36.91%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4% 90.1% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8% 57.6% $314

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6% 61.6% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3% 61.3% $223

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4% 17.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7% 58.1% $98

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9% 94.5% $157

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,389 in New York, NY versus $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul. 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 462% higher in New York, 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 $122 in New York, NY versus $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $545 vs $231 – making Sao Caetano do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

165,655

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Sao Caetano do Sul 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Sao Caetano do Sul

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 York, NY vs Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 368% more than Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,424 per month in New York, NY and $1,588 in Sao Caetano do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,950 in New York, NY and $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul. That's a gap of about 368%.

Kindergarten costs $3,333 per month in New York, NY and $437 in Sao Caetano do Sul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Caetano do Sul, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Sao Caetano do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Caetano do Sul costs $1,058 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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