Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Caetano do Sul Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Caetano do Sul

🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 19.2% cheaper than Sao Caetano do Sul without rent, and 3.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 18.9% cheaper than Sao Caetano do Sul without rent, and 15% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.31 R$38.38
$7.01 R$36.82
4.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.07 R$189
$32.93 R$173
9.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.33 R$33.25
$6.69 R$35.11
-5.38%
Cappuccino
$1.90 R$9.98
$1.74 R$9.15
9.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 R$6.99
$1.26 R$6.59
5.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 R$4.45
$0.78 R$4.09
8.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.77 R$9.29
$1.77 R$9.32
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 R$14.38
$2.75 R$14.44
-0.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 R$6.05
$1.02 R$5.37
12.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 R$9.05
$1.84 R$9.64
-6.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R$7.74
$1.37 R$7.17
7.30%
Eggs
$2.03 R$10.66
$2.27 R$11.92
-10.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.85 R$41.21
$9.88 R$51.9
-20.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.50 R$18.36
$4.36 R$22.88
-19.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.31 R$43.64
$8.54 R$44.84
-2.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 R$12.61
$2.18 R$11.43
10.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 R$8.15
$1.61 R$8.44
-3.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.50 R$7.85
$1.47 R$7.73
2.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 R$8.10
$1.76 R$9.22
-12.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.49
$1.48 R$7.75
-16.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 R$5.81
$1.29 R$6.75
-13.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 R$3.63
$1.01 R$5.30
-31.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 R$3.00
$0.63 R$3.30
-9.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.96 R$10.27
$2.21 R$11.58
-11.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.55 R$39.64
$7.87 R$41.33
-4.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 R$6.45
$1.30 R$6.83
-5.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 R$10.83
$2.32 R$12.19
-11.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.29 R$6.79
$0.89 R$4.66
44.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.76 R$204
$38.25 R$201
1.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.12 R$5.89
$1.14 R$5.99
-1.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.70 R$3.69
$0.62 R$3.27
12.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.47 R$39.22
$7.72 R$40.53
-3.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 R$5.89
$1.09 R$5.74
2.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.4K R$107.2K
$21.5K R$112.7K
-4.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K R$143.1K
$27.9K R$146.4K
-2.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$105 R$550
$54.1 R$284
93.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.03 R$63.2
$13.37 R$70.2
-10.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.56 R$97.4
$22.66 R$119
-18.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.24 R$138
$48.51 R$255
-45.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.71 R$124
$46.60 R$245
-49.12%
Cinema Ticket
$6.47 R$33.96
$7.37 R$38.70
-12.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$542 R$2,844
$323 R$1,694
67.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K R$61.3K
$8,629 R$45.3K
35.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.73 R$235
$50.8 R$266
-11.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.51 R$223
$42.62 R$224
-0.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.9 R$399
$80.1 R$421
-5.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$62.1 R$326
$74.9 R$393
-17.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$430 R$2,256
$320 R$1,681
34.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$328 R$1,721
$278 R$1,458
18.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$853 R$4,479
$631 R$3,315
35.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$585 R$3,069
$896 R$4,704
-34.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,775 R$14.6K
$1,587 R$8,331
74.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,274 R$6,691
$1,142 R$5,997
11.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Caetano do Sul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$506 R$2,657
$904 R$4,744
-43.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
11.17
1.43%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: March 1, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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