Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,137 a month against $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,977

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 Saint John, New Brunswick and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,137 in Sao Paulo.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,977
Sao Paulo $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,872 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,898 in Sao Paulo.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,872
Sao Paulo $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,767 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,660 in Sao Paulo.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,767
Sao Paulo $2,660

Living in Saint John, New Brunswick is roughly 74% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint John, New Brunswick is 46% above, Sao Paulo is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.03 CA$26.77

$8.09 R$44.53

135.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 CA$85.5

$46.75 R$257

29.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 CA$14.98

$8.19 R$45.10

30.04%

Cappuccino

$3.05 CA$4.29

$2.34 R$12.90

30.34%

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

$1.73 CA$2.44

$1.35 R$7.42

28.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 CA$1.58

$0.81 R$4.45

38.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.55 CA$6.40

$2.83 R$15.56

60.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 CA$7.21

$4.08 R$22.46

25.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.55

$1.10 R$6.08

130.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.82

$1.73 R$9.54

57.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 CA$4.45

$1.47 R$8.11

114.97%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.11

$2.55 R$14.01

42.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.41 CA$18.86

$11.49 R$63.3

16.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 CA$12.88

$4.82 R$26.52

90.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 CA$18.24

$10.03 R$55.2

29.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 CA$6.92

$2.41 R$13.25

104.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 CA$2.20

$1.60 R$8.81

-2.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 CA$5.81

$1.37 R$7.56

201.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 CA$5.80

$1.77 R$9.76

132.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 CA$2.83

$1.31 R$7.21

53.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CA$3.01

$1.15 R$6.32

86.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.66

$1.16 R$6.37

124.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 CA$1.95

$0.87 R$4.80

59.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.19 CA$19.95

$2.70 R$14.87

425.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 CA$14.33

$9.28 R$51.1

9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.45

$1.62 R$8.93

7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.04

$2.39 R$13.18

-9.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 CA$3.07

$0.96 R$5.27

127.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.2 CA$81.9

$43.95 R$242

32.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 CA$3.97

$1.26 R$6.93

123.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$0.89 R$4.92

34.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.49 CA$30.23

$10.10 R$55.6

112.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.73

$1.18 R$6.47

4.24%

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

$26.6K CA$37.3K

$21.4K R$118.0K

23.79%

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

$21.6K CA$30.3K

$32.3K R$177.8K

-33.27%

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

$122 CA$171

$93.0 R$512

31.07%

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

$41.38 CA$58.2

$15.28 R$84.1

170.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 CA$92.4

$19.65 R$108

234.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.77 CA$51.7

$31.16 R$171

18.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.38 CA$51.2

$47.29 R$260

-23.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.49 CA$17.57

$9.36 R$51.5

33.44%

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

$386 CA$543

$564 R$3,102

-31.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K CA$15.9K

$25.1K R$138.0K

-55.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.43 CA$69.5

$59.2 R$326

-16.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.24 CA$51.0

$56.0 R$308

-35.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 CA$143

$96.3 R$530

5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$150

$86.9 R$479

22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 CA$1,481

$602 R$3,313

75.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 CA$1,219

$401 R$2,206

116.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 CA$2,129

$1,343 R$7,392

12.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 CA$1,738

$925 R$5,093

33.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,290 CA$3,220

$2,514 R$13.8K

-8.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,746 CA$2,455

$1,866 R$10.3K

-6.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,608 CA$3,668

$863 R$4,750

202.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

11.5

-59.22%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John, New Brunswick

$867 43.8%

Sao Paulo

$401 35.3% 53.7% $466

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$346 17.5%

Sao Paulo

$222 19.5% 36% $125

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$265 13.4%

Sao Paulo

$148 13.1% 44.1% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.6%

Sao Paulo

$128 11.3% 44.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.7%

Sao Paulo

$134 11.8% 1.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$76 3.8%

Sao Paulo

$54 4.7% 29.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$62 3.1%

Sao Paulo

$50 4.4% 19.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,053 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $602 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John, New Brunswick pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $47 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $222 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

20:12 8:12 PM

1 h ahead of Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Saint John, New Brunswick Sao Paulo 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John, New Brunswick
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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

Saint John, New Brunswick vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Saint John, New Brunswick. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Saint John, New Brunswick is about 3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,053 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $602 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $47 versus $61 in Saint John, New Brunswick. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,977 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,137 in Sao Paulo – Sao Paulo is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,137 in Sao Paulo versus $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Saint John, New Brunswick. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Saint John, New Brunswick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.