Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Sao Carlos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $1,003 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Sao Carlos

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 Carlos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $1,003 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
Sao Carlos $1,003

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $1,742 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
Sao Carlos $1,742

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $2,480 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
Sao Carlos $2,480

New York, NY costs about 413% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

New York, NY sits 284% above the global median, while Sao Carlos is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$5.15 R$25.69

413.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$40.83 R$204

190.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$7.16 R$35.74

101.54%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$2.09 R$10.42

213.40%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.35 R$6.74

184.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.75 R$3.75

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$1.63 R$8.14

407.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$2.74 R$13.70

266.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.37 R$6.81

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.97 R$9.83

148.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.87 R$9.32

282.89%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$2.88 R$14.36

105.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$12.62 R$63.0

51.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$5.42 R$27.04

220.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$9.53 R$47.59

98.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.68 R$13.40

159.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.90 R$9.50

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.81 R$9.04

237.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.91 R$9.55

263.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.67 R$8.34

138.32%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.43 R$7.14

210.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.98 R$4.87

186.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.16 R$5.80

116.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$3.15 R$15.74

511.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$8.61 R$42.96

128.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.47 R$7.32

109.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.95 R$14.75

24.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.01 R$5.06

199.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$23.73 R$118

487.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.49 R$7.42

106.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.97 R$4.86

119.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$3.64 R$18.16

1032.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.22 R$6.08

-9.02%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$20.4K R$101.9K

71.50%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$31.9K R$159.2K

-20.37%

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

$217 $217

$63.2 R$316

244.08%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$13.95 R$69.7

430.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$24.86 R$124

191.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$34.12 R$170

253.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$48.34 R$241

38.37%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$5.42 R$27.07

311.81%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$297 R$1,481

1053.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$2,987 R$14.9K

1948.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$84.3 R$421

-9.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$97.3 R$486

-43.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$139 R$693

-14.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$164 R$819

-20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$268 R$1,336

1584.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$235 R$1,172

1244.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$671 R$3,349

1214.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$661 R$3,300

736.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$849 R$4,237

2183.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$750 R$3,744

800.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$693 R$3,460

663.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.75

-36.56%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Sao Carlos

$235 23.8% 92.6% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Sao Carlos

$244 24.7% 55.4% $302

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Sao Carlos

$110 11.1% 74% $313

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Sao Carlos

$102 10.3% 72% $262

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 26.9% $46

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 79.4% $131

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Sao Carlos

$45 4.6% 72.8% $120

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY versus $268 in Sao Carlos. 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 663% 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 $119 in New York, NY versus $41.00 in Sao Carlos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $244 – making Sao Carlos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

254,857

💱 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 = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Sao Carlos 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Sao Carlos

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 Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 413% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,714 per month in New York, NY and $1,505 in Sao Carlos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $3,425 per month in New York, NY and $297 in Sao Carlos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 124% more in New York, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Carlos, where all-in costs run around $1,003, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Sao Carlos 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 Carlos costs $1,003 versus $5,142 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 Carlos. 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.