Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa, IL and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,633 in Ottawa, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa, IL
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Ottawa, IL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Ottawa, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,633

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,633 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $2,633
Sao Paulo $1,222

A couple spends around $3,645 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $2,044 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $3,645
Sao Paulo $2,044

A family of three spends $4,657 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $2,867 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $4,657
Sao Paulo $2,867

Ottawa, IL costs about 116% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ottawa, IL sits 94% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 $14.83

$8.71 R$44.15

70.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$48.61 R$246

25.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$9.03 R$45.77

12.74%

Cappuccino

$4.76 $4.76

$2.55 R$12.94

86.67%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$1.35 R$6.83

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.91 R$4.63

86.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.07 R$15.55

75.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 $5.61

$4.38 R$22.21

28.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.19 R$6.05

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.80 R$9.14

68.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.48 R$7.51

103.38%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.82 R$14.31

38.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 $12.23

$12.61 R$63.9

-3.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$5.40 R$27.36

14.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$10.76 R$54.6

16.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.82 R$14.28

19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.82 R$9.25

-21.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.60 R$8.14

93.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.03 R$10.28

113.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.46 R$7.40

44.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.25 R$6.35

84.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.25 R$6.32

76.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.98 R$4.98

29.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 $12.60

$3.00 R$15.18

320.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$9.71 R$49.22

51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.84 R$9.32

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.52 R$12.80

61.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.07 R$5.41

92.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.81 R$9.16

41.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.01 R$5.14

51.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.12 $33.12

$10.24 R$51.9

223.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.29 R$6.52

-9.30%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$23.5K R$119.3K

16.62%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-21.32%

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

$234 $234

$104 R$527

125.31%

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

$45.76 $45.76

$16.60 R$84.1

175.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$22.04 R$112

204.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.21 $39.21

$36.43 R$185

7.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.53 $26.53

$47.29 R$240

-43.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 $11.26

$9.69 R$49.12

16.20%

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

$1,001 $1,001

$573 R$2,906

74.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$16.9K R$85.8K

15.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.96 $47.96

$66.3 R$336

-27.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.88 $46.88

$61.1 R$310

-23.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$98.8 R$501

16.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$91.4 R$463

32.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 $1,641

$654 R$3,316

150.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 $1,483

$418 R$2,120

254.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,846 $2,846

$1,524 R$7,724

86.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$992 R$5,028

122.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 $2,779

$2,670 R$13.5K

4.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,237 $2,237

$2,019 R$10.2K

10.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,448 $2,448

$900 R$4,563

171.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.68

-41.61%

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

Last update for Ottawa, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa, IL

$1.5K 56.3%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 71.8% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa, IL

$347 13.2%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 58.9% $205

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa, IL

$314 11.9%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 22.6% $71

Eating Out

Ottawa, IL

$260 9.9%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 38.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa, IL

$149 5.7%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 4% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa, IL

$62 2.3%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 9.6% $5.9

Getting Around

Ottawa, IL

$18 * 0.7%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 216% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Ottawa, IL 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 172% higher in Ottawa, IL, 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 $61.0 in Ottawa, IL versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ottawa, IL

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

00:14 12:14 AM

2 h ahead of Ottawa, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,342

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 →

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Between locations

Ottawa, IL Sao Paulo 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa, IL
Sao Paulo

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

Ottawa, IL vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ottawa, IL is pricier by about 116%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,950 per month in Ottawa, IL 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,633 in Ottawa, IL and $1,222 in Sao Paulo. That's a gap of about 116%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in Ottawa, IL and $573 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 $1,222, than in Ottawa, IL at $2,633. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Paulo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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