Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
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Rock Island, IL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,664

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rock Island, IL and in Sao Paulo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rock Island, IL and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,664 in Rock Island, IL versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo.

Rock Island, IL $2,664
Sao Paulo $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,843 in Rock Island, IL versus $2,044 in Sao Paulo.

Rock Island, IL $3,843
Sao Paulo $2,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,023 in Rock Island, IL versus $2,867 in Sao Paulo.

Rock Island, IL $5,023
Sao Paulo $2,867

Living in Rock Island, IL is roughly 118% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rock Island, IL is 97% above, Sao Paulo is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$8.71 R$44.15

130.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 $67.2

$48.61 R$246

38.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$9.03 R$45.77

42.19%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$2.55 R$12.94

131.37%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$1.35 R$6.83

132.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.91 R$4.63

163.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.07 R$15.55

130.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.38 R$22.21

81.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.19 R$6.05

-21.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.80 R$9.14

95.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.48 R$7.51

185.81%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.82 R$14.31

31.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$12.61 R$63.9

19.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$5.40 R$27.36

143.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 $20.09

$10.76 R$54.6

86.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.82 R$14.28

67.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.82 R$9.25

-10.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.60 R$8.14

221.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.03 R$10.28

135.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.46 R$7.40

91.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.25 R$6.35

150.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.25 R$6.32

72.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.98 R$4.98

146.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 $10.72

$3.00 R$15.18

257.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$9.71 R$49.22

59.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.84 R$9.32

44.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.52 R$12.80

73.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.07 R$5.41

70.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.81 R$9.16

118.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.01 R$5.14

97.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.24 $44.24

$10.24 R$51.9

332.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.29 R$6.52

-22.48%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$23.5K R$119.3K

32.48%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-25.72%

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

$267 $267

$104 R$527

156.56%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$16.60 R$84.1

214.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.6 $80.6

$22.04 R$112

265.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 $45.16

$36.43 R$185

23.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$9.69 R$49.12

56.04%

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

$1,719 $1,719

$573 R$2,906

199.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.9K R$85.8K

40.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$66.3 R$336

-2.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$61.1 R$310

-16.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$98.8 R$501

8.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$91.4 R$463

31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 $1,812

$654 R$3,316

177.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 $1,239

$418 R$2,120

196.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 $2,614

$1,524 R$7,724

71.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 $2,021

$992 R$5,028

103.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 $2,912

$2,670 R$13.5K

9.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 $2,284

$2,019 R$10.2K

13.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.68

-42.72%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rock Island, IL

$1.2K 46.5%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 66.2% $820

Groceries & Markets

Rock Island, IL

$431 16.2%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 43.6% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rock Island, IL

$400 15%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 64.3% $257

Eating Out

Rock Island, IL

$343 12.9%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 53.3% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.8%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 7.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Rock Island, IL

$75 2.8%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 26% $20

Getting Around

Rock Island, IL

$21 * 0.8%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 176% $37

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 $1,812 in Rock Island, IL and $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Rock Island, IL vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $243 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

2 h ahead of Rock Island, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,108

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rock Island, IL Sao Paulo 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rock Island, IL
Sao Paulo

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

Rock Island, IL vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 118% lower than in Rock Island, IL. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Rock Island, IL and $1,833 in Sao Paulo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,812 in Rock Island, IL versus $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Rock Island, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,664 per month in Rock Island, IL versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Rock Island, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Paulo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,222 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Rock Island, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.