Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $985 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $985 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Sao Caetano do Sul $985

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,686 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,388 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,388

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 20% more expensive than in Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Sao Caetano do Sul 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.86

$8.42 R$45.32

7.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$200

$37.05 R$199

0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.15

$8.57 R$46.11

-6.42%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.78

$2.15 R$11.55

1.86%

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

$1.46 R$7.87

$1.25 R$6.75

16.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.31

$0.89 R$4.77

11.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.91

$2.28 R$12.25

-10.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.55

$3.61 R$19.45

-4.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.70

$1.12 R$6.02

-5.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.68

$1.91 R$10.28

3.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.32

$1.35 R$7.27

-13.33%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.88

$2.39 R$12.84

-7.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.4

$10.08 R$54.3

0.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.15

$4.95 R$26.65

-16.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.36

$9.88 R$53.2

-7.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.63

$2.25 R$12.10

20.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.21

$1.59 R$8.55

7.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.23

$1.51 R$8.13

1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.94

$1.86 R$9.99

-10.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.13

$1.31 R$7.06

-12.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.35

$1.17 R$6.28

-15.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.48

$0.88 R$4.73

-26.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.22

$0.74 R$3.99

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.04

$2.39 R$12.88

16.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.25

$8.51 R$45.82

-12.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.87

$1.72 R$9.23

-36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.56

$2.33 R$12.54

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.82

$0.63 R$3.39

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$285

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.22 R$6.59

-4.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.20

$0.90 R$4.85

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.05

$8.08 R$43.48

3.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.53

$1.24 R$6.68

-2.42%

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

$21.5K R$115.5K

$21.9K R$117.7K

-1.85%

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

$31.1K R$167.6K

$31.5K R$169.8K

-1.30%

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

$124 R$670

$98.0 R$527

27.00%

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

$10.03 R$54.0

$13.73 R$73.9

-26.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$21.02 R$113

-0.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$153

$46.43 R$250

-38.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$158

$42.29 R$228

-30.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.99

$9.04 R$48.63

-15.71%

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

$563 R$3,029

$418 R$2,247

34.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.8K

$10.3K R$55.3K

17.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$211

$61.3 R$330

-35.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$250

$52.4 R$282

-11.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$368

$93.0 R$500

-26.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$341

$86.5 R$466

-26.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,177

$393 R$2,114

97.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,547

$287 R$1,543

65.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,485

$796 R$4,282

74.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,977

$788 R$4,242

-6.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.3K

$1,689 R$9,091

100.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,450

$1,367 R$7,359

14.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,212

$877 R$4,720

-31.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.81

10.36%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$287 29.1% 39.4% $187

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$215 21.8% 7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$133 13.5% 14.6% $23

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$146 14.8% 2.6% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$132 13.4% 34.8% $34

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$8.2 * 0.8% 86.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$65 6.6% 48% $21

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 $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $393 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Caetano do Sul pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $37 in Sao Caetano do Sul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

165,655

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Sao Caetano do Sul 350 km

From you

Rio de Janeiro
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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 Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $985 in Sao Caetano do Sul, so Sao Caetano do Sul is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $393 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $563 in Rio de Janeiro versus $418 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $985 in Sao Caetano do Sul – Sao Caetano do Sul is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sao Caetano do Sul 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.