Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Velho and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Velho: $851 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Porto Velho
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Porto Velho Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

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Porto Velho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $851 in Porto Velho versus $1,183 in Sao Paulo.

Porto Velho $851
Sao Paulo $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,347 in Porto Velho versus $1,948 in Sao Paulo.

Porto Velho $1,347
Sao Paulo $1,948

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,844 in Porto Velho versus $2,713 in Sao Paulo.

Porto Velho $1,844
Sao Paulo $2,713

Living in Porto Velho costs roughly 28% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Porto Velho 38% lower, Sao Paulo 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 R$29.23

$8.15 R$43.60

-32.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.80 R$202

$46.78 R$250

-19.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R$32.86

$8.24 R$44.07

-25.36%

Cappuccino

$1.78 R$9.53

$2.41 R$12.90

-26.14%

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

$1.52 R$8.13

$1.32 R$7.06

15.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.60

$0.85 R$4.52

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$9.87

$2.78 R$14.85

-33.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R$11.03

$4.16 R$22.22

-50.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.29

$1.15 R$6.13

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 R$7.51

$1.69 R$9.02

-16.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.78

$1.35 R$7.21

-20.00%

Eggs

$1.97 R$10.53

$2.69 R$14.39

-26.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 R$46.51

$11.78 R$63.0

-26.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 R$21.82

$4.97 R$26.56

-17.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.61 R$46.03

$10.10 R$54.0

-14.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.87

$2.56 R$13.69

-20.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.65

$1.74 R$9.32

-28.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.50

$1.44 R$7.71

-28.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$8.29

$1.83 R$9.76

-15.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.80

$1.29 R$6.90

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.89

$1.17 R$6.24

-5.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 R$3.39

$1.22 R$6.53

-48.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.39

$0.89 R$4.75

-7.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 R$11.61

$2.75 R$14.71

-21.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 R$33.89

$9.27 R$49.56

-31.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.58

$1.73 R$9.23

-28.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.06

$2.38 R$12.71

-21.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$4.93

$1.02 R$5.48

-9.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.03 R$219

$45.02 R$241

-8.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 R$6.89

$1.72 R$9.17

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.80

$0.89 R$4.78

1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 R$40.09

$9.52 R$50.9

-21.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.52

$1.23 R$6.57

-0.81%

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

$20.8K R$111.4K

$22.3K R$119.3K

-6.66%

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

$33.7K R$180.1K

$32.5K R$173.7K

3.67%

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

$79.3 R$424

$98.2 R$525

-19.20%

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

$12.36 R$66.1

$15.47 R$82.7

-20.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.71 R$105

$20.73 R$111

-4.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.42 R$131

$31.85 R$170

-23.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.57 R$137

$44.21 R$236

-42.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 R$35.77

$9.07 R$48.51

-26.24%

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

$227 R$1,215

$512 R$2,740

-55.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,657 R$40.9K

$15.8K R$84.6K

-51.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.37 R$248

$60.2 R$322

-22.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 R$248

$57.2 R$306

-19.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 R$450

$92.8 R$496

-9.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.5 R$356

$86.0 R$460

-22.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 R$1,901

$632 R$3,377

-43.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 R$1,376

$433 R$2,318

-40.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 R$3,366

$1,354 R$7,239

-53.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 R$2,477

$957 R$5,119

-51.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,810 R$9,676

$2,480 R$13.3K

-27.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,256 R$6,718

$1,909 R$10.2K

-34.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$388 R$2,075

$818 R$4,373

-52.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

-5.82%

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

Last update for Porto Velho: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto Velho

$257 30.3%

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6% 68.4% $176

Groceries & Markets

Porto Velho

$179 21%

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2% 26.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto Velho

$111 13.1%

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4% 20.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Porto Velho

$110 12.9%

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3% 21.7% $24

Eating Out

Porto Velho

$105 12.3%

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7% 42.7% $45

Getting Around

Porto Velho

$51 5.9%

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7% 9.5% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Porto Velho

$38 4.4%

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2% 32.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $355 in Porto Velho and $632 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Porto Velho vs $47 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $227 per month, with Porto Velho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Porto Velho

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h ahead of Porto Velho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

460,434

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Porto Velho Sao Paulo 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Porto Velho
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

Porto Velho vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto Velho wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Porto Velho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Porto Velho. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $355 in Porto Velho versus $632 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Porto Velho – a meal for two runs $38 versus $47 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $851 per month in Porto Velho versus $1,183 in Sao Paulo – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Porto Velho is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Porto Velho gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.