Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Bernardo do Campo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Bernardo do Campo: $807 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Sao Bernardo do Campo
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Sao Bernardo do Campo Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Sao Bernardo do Campo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Sao Bernardo do Campo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio de Janeiro and in Sao Bernardo do Campo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $807 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Sao Bernardo do Campo $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,285 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Sao Bernardo do Campo $1,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,763 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Sao Bernardo do Campo $1,763

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 58% more expensive than in Sao Bernardo do Campo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Sao Bernardo do Campo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$6.93 R$35.11

35.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$30.15 R$153

32.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$8.92 R$45.20

-6.50%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$1.86 R$9.43

23.12%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.40 R$7.10

13.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.72 R$3.66

40.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.21 R$6.14

76.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.02 R$10.23

81.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.89 R$4.50

26.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.63 R$8.25

28.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.22 R$6.21

2.46%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.00 R$10.16

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$10.01 R$50.8

9.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.50 R$22.81

-3.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$8.85 R$44.85

8.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.60 R$13.18

9.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.39 R$7.05

30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.41 R$7.14

12.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.62 R$8.22

12.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.29 R$6.53

-6.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.00 R$5.07

6.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.91 R$4.61

-17.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.93 R$4.73

-26.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.21 R$11.19

33.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$7.59 R$38.48

5.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.27 R$6.43

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.01 R$10.17

20.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.07 R$5.42

-12.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.17 R$5.94

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.61 R$3.10

36.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$2.95 R$14.98

204.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.14 R$5.78

13.16%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$23.8K R$120.5K

-4.16%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$32.4K R$164.4K

4.73%

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

$134 R$681

$80.4 R$408

67.00%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$11.96 R$60.6

-10.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$18.64 R$94.5

22.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$24.36 R$124

23.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$33.25 R$169

-5.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$6.78 R$34.35

14.01%

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

$584 R$2,960

$205 R$1,040

184.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$6,569 R$33.3K

94.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$38.76 R$197

6.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$39.91 R$202

23.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$84.2 R$427

-12.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$52.7 R$267

25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$352 R$1,786

155.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$231 R$1,172

128.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$780 R$3,953

70.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$444 R$2,252

68.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,578 R$8,000

152.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,118 R$5,666

39.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$532 R$2,696

20.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sao Bernardo do Campo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$231 28.6% 56.2% $296

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$198 24.6% 7.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$111 13.8% 33.9% $57

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$123 15.3% 21.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$97 12% 6.3% $6.5

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$8.5 * 1.1% 85.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$38 4.7% 16.9% $7.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $352 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 20% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $30.00 in Sao Bernardo do Campo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $198 per month, with Sao Bernardo do Campo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Sao Bernardo do Campo

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

810,729

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Sao Bernardo do Campo 350 km

From you

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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

Rio de Janeiro vs Sao Bernardo do Campo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Sao Bernardo do Campo differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $807 including rent). Sao Bernardo do Campo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $352 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $205 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Bernardo do Campo – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $807 in Sao Bernardo do Campo versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Bernardo do Campo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Bernardo do Campo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Sao Bernardo do Campo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.