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 0.9% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 22% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 0.8% cheaper than Sao Carlos without rent, and 4.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.14 R$38.36

$4.58 R$24.62

55.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.32 R$190

$32.63 R$175

8.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.28 R$33.70

$6.76 R$36.28

-7.10%

Cappuccino

$1.98 R$10.63

$1.84 R$9.89

7.61%

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

$1.28 R$6.88

$1.16 R$6.20

10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.65

$0.69 R$3.71

26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 R$9.41

$1.40 R$7.51

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R$14.32

$2.98 R$16.01

-10.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.10 R$5.93

6.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 R$9.41

$1.53 R$8.22

14.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R$8.00

$2.62 R$14.06

-43.13%

Eggs

$1.95 R$10.45

$2.30 R$12.37

-15.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.10 R$43.48

$9.62 R$51.7

-15.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R$19.75

$4.19 R$22.48

-12.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 R$44.57

$7.76 R$41.70

6.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 R$12.58

$2.29 R$12.32

2.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R$8.29

$1.45 R$7.77

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 R$7.80

$1.54 R$8.27

-5.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R$8.00

$1.96 R$10.53

-23.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.64

$1.56 R$8.40

-20.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.28 R$6.85

-13.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 R$3.64

$0.95 R$5.09

-28.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$3.09

$0.71 R$3.83

-18.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 R$10.33

$2.06 R$11.06

-6.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 R$40.22

$7.86 R$42.20

-4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.72

$1.27 R$6.81

-1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 R$11.37

$2.46 R$13.23

-13.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 R$6.90

$0.94 R$5.02

37.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.81 R$214

$21.99 R$118

81.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 R$6.06

$1.33 R$7.12

-15.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 R$3.75

$0.95 R$5.13

-26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.54 R$40.50

$3.20 R$17.20

135.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.78

$0.99 R$5.32

9.09%

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

$20.3K R$109.2K

$28.7K R$154.2K

-29.15%

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

$27.2K R$146.1K

$28.9K R$155.1K

-5.86%

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

$103 R$553

$70.4 R$378

46.17%

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

$12.28 R$66.0

$14.91 R$80.1

-17.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 R$101

$18.51 R$99.4

1.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.82 R$139

$20.53 R$110

25.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.98 R$129

$40.20 R$216

-40.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 R$34.63

$4.34 R$23.28

48.62%

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

$544 R$2,921

$305 R$1,639

78.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K R$62.7K

$2,755 R$14.8K

323.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.69 R$245

$45.60 R$245

0.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.56 R$223

$37.58 R$202

10.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 R$414

$101 R$545

-23.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 R$332

$91.1 R$489

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 R$2,370

$223 R$1,195

98.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 R$1,747

$220 R$1,184

47.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 R$4,543

$445 R$2,389

90.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 R$3,064

$473 R$2,540

20.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,697 R$14.5K

$695 R$3,732

288.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,270 R$6,819

$849 R$4,559

49.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$479 R$2,571

$631 R$3,390

-24.15%

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: January 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: January 12, 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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