Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perm and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Perm: $917 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Perm
🇷🇺 Russia
$917
/mo nomad
Sao Paulo
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,244
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $917 per month in Perm vs $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

  • Perm $917
  • Sao Paulo $1,244

A couple spends around $1,387 per month in Perm vs $2,085 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

  • Perm $1,387
  • Sao Paulo $2,085

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Perm vs $2,926 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

  • Perm $1,858
  • Sao Paulo $2,926

Perm is about 26% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Perm and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Perm 32% lower, Sao Paulo 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.05 ₽684
$8.94 R$44.87
-9.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.22 ₽2,229
$49.46 R$248
-46.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.06 ₽515
$9.22 R$46.25
-34.27%
Cappuccino
$2.18 ₽186
$2.54 R$12.77
-14.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ₽66.7
$1.45 R$7.29
-46.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ₽33.93
$0.91 R$4.57
-56.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.21 ₽103
$3.07 R$15.39
-60.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ₽131
$4.36 R$21.87
-64.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 ₽91.3
$1.27 R$6.36
-15.75%
White Bread (500g)
$0.83 ₽70.8
$1.84 R$9.22
-54.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 ₽106
$1.41 R$7.08
-11.35%
Eggs
$1.28 ₽109
$2.84 R$14.27
-54.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.83 ₽666
$12.56 R$63.0
-37.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.23 ₽445
$5.37 R$26.95
-2.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.68 ₽993
$10.72 R$53.8
8.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 ₽182
$2.74 R$13.74
-21.53%
Banana (1kg)
$2.10 ₽178
$1.81 R$9.08
16.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.09 ₽178
$1.55 R$7.78
34.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 ₽195
$1.98 R$9.95
15.66%
Potato (1kg)
$0.56 ₽47.90
$1.47 R$7.38
-61.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.44 ₽37.10
$1.24 R$6.23
-64.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 ₽73.0
$1.27 R$6.38
-32.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ₽69.4
$0.96 R$4.82
-14.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.62 ₽222
$3.04 R$15.24
-13.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.26 ₽787
$10.19 R$51.1
-9.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 ₽74.0
$1.73 R$8.69
-49.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ₽139
$2.64 R$13.26
-38.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 ₽44.51
$1.04 R$5.20
-50.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.53 ₽2,085
$48.10 R$241
-49.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.75 ₽149
$1.82 R$9.12
-3.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.45 ₽38.66
$1.02 R$5.10
-55.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.16 ₽354
$10.16 R$51.0
-59.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 ₽68.7
$1.27 R$6.38
-36.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.7K ₽3.5M
$24.3K R$122.0K
67.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K ₽3.3M
$34.0K R$170.6K
15.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$128 ₽10.8K
$104 R$522
22.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.68 ₽483
$16.16 R$81.1
-64.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.33 ₽708
$22.59 R$113
-63.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.00 ₽2,295
$36.27 R$182
-25.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.23 ₽1,125
$47.78 R$240
-72.31%
Cinema Ticket
$8.30 ₽706
$9.85 R$49.45
-15.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$233 ₽19.8K
$525 R$2,635
-55.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,398 ₽373.9K
$16.6K R$83.2K
-73.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ₽4,534
$66.9 R$336
-20.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.85 ₽2,793
$62.3 R$312
-47.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.9 ₽5,266
$101 R$507
-38.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.9 ₽5,943
$90.9 R$456
-23.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$471 ₽40.0K
$663 R$3,326
-28.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$265 ₽22.5K
$423 R$2,121
-37.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$603 ₽51.3K
$1,527 R$7,662
-60.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$479 ₽40.8K
$1,009 R$5,061
-52.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,358 ₽200.5K
$2,744 R$13.8K
-14.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,543 ₽131.2K
$2,068 R$10.4K
-25.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Perm
Sao Paulo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$973 ₽82.7K
$881 R$4,419
10.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
23.33
11.68
99.74%

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

Last update for Perm: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Perm
$265
Sao Paulo
$423 59.7% $158
Groceries & Markets
Perm
$199
Sao Paulo
$243 22.3% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Perm
$142
Sao Paulo
$143 0.8% $1.1
Eating Out
Perm
$123
Sao Paulo
$163 33.1% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Perm
$98
Sao Paulo
$145 47.3% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Perm
$44
Sao Paulo
$56 28.4% $12
Getting Around
Perm
$31
Sao Paulo
$59 93% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $471 in Perm versus $663 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 10% higher in Perm, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Perm versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $243 – making Perm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Perm
🇧🇷 Sao Paulo
🕒 Local time
12:20 12:20 PM
04:20 4:20 AM
8 h behind Perm
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,026,908
11,451,999
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Perm Sao Paulo 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Perm
  • Sao Paulo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Perm vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sao Paulo cheaper than Perm?
Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,375 per month in Perm and $1,866 in Sao Paulo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Perm, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Perm and in Sao Paulo?
Groceries cost about 22% more in Sao Paulo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Perm or in Sao Paulo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Perm and $49.00 in Sao Paulo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Perm or in Sao Paulo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perm, where all-in costs run around $917, than in Sao Paulo at $1,244. In Perm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Perm or Sao Paulo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Perm – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Perm or Sao Paulo?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Perm. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sao Paulo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Perm vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?