Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Carlos Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Carlos

😐 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 3.6% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 19.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 12.6% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 8.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.1 R$39.4

$4.6 R$25.55

54.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.72 R$198

$32.65 R$181

9.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 R$35.9

$6.78 R$37.65

-4.57%

Cappuccino

$1.98 R$10.97

$1.74 R$9.68

13.79%

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

$1.31 R$7.28

$1.16 R$6.42

12.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.9 R$4.97

$0.63 R$3.5

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 R$10.08

$1.47 R$8.16

23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 R$15.11

$3.02 R$16.78

-9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R$6.19

$1.09 R$6.04

2.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$9.48

$1.52 R$8.42

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.82

$2.57 R$14.24

-45.14%

Eggs

$2.04 R$11.32

$2.23 R$12.37

-8.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R$43.53

$9.55 R$53

-17.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 R$20.17

$4.17 R$23.13

-12.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.25 R$45.78

$7.74 R$42.96

6.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$13.25

$2.33 R$12.94

2.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R$8.58

$1.51 R$8.38

2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.15

$1.53 R$8.47

-3.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.43

$1.99 R$11.04

-23.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$7.17

$1.53 R$8.47

-15.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.45

$1.24 R$6.87

-6.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 R$3.5

$0.9 R$4.98

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.41

$0.78 R$4.32

-21.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 R$10.8

$2.1 R$11.63

-7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 R$40.77

$7.24 R$40.17

1.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R$7

$1.27 R$7.07

-0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.1 R$11.67

$2.52 R$14.01

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.3 R$7.2

$0.93 R$5.17

39.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.57 R$214

$21.89 R$121

76.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 R$6.28

$1.31 R$7.29

-13.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 R$3.85

$0.96 R$5.34

-28.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.8 R$43.29

$3.31 R$18.39

135.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.87

$1.04 R$5.76

1.92%

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

$20.5K R$113.5K

$29.1K R$161.3K

-29.63%

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

$27.6K R$153.4K

$29.2K R$162.2K

-5.43%

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

$103 R$574

$71.1 R$395

45.46%

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

$11.89 R$66

$14.76 R$81.9

-19.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.63 R$103

$18.57 R$103

0.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.89 R$144

$20.55 R$114

25.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.74 R$132

$39.92 R$222

-40.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 R$36.47

$4.22 R$23.42

55.69%

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

$540 R$2,995

$308 R$1,707

75.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K R$65.3K

$2,678 R$14.9K

339.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.33 R$252

$46.58 R$259

-2.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.71 R$231

$36.53 R$203

14.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 R$415

$101 R$560

-25.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 R$334

$90.6 R$503

-33.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 R$2,475

$219 R$1,218

103.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 R$1,846

$216 R$1,202

53.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 R$4,780

$439 R$2,437

96.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 R$3,182

$486 R$2,696

18.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,021 R$11.2K

$693 R$3,845

191.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,183 R$6,568

$850 R$4,718

39.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$452 R$2,509

$828 R$4,594

-45.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

10.67

6.19%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 29, 2025

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 29, 2025

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