Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Caetano do Sul and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,058 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $46,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Caetano do Sul and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sao Caetano do Sul and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $4,950 in New York, NY, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058
New York, NY $4,950

A couple spends around $1,822 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $7,265 in New York, NY, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822
New York, NY $7,265

A family of three spends $2,586 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $9,581 in New York, NY, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586
New York, NY $9,581

Sao Caetano do Sul is about 79% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Caetano do Sul sits 22% below the global median, while New York, NY is 267% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.89 R$44.60

$24.65 $24.65

-63.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$201

$122 $122

-67.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 R$44.01

$13.91 $13.91

-36.95%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.96

$6.59 $6.59

-63.88%

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

$1.33 R$6.66

$3.84 $3.84

-65.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.66

$2.87 $2.87

-67.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.82

$7.79 $7.79

-69.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 R$20.06

$9.85 $9.85

-59.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.95

$1.38 $1.38

-13.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.30

$4.68 $4.68

-56.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.23

$7.54 $7.54

-80.90%

Eggs

$2.48 R$12.43

$5.93 $5.93

-58.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 R$53.7

$18.83 $18.83

-43.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 R$27.26

$17.36 $17.36

-68.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 R$54.8

$18.51 $18.51

-41.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$11.98

$6.74 $6.74

-64.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.65

$2.09 $2.09

-17.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.76

$6.07 $6.07

-74.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R$10.43

$6.74 $6.74

-69.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.02

$4.05 $4.05

-65.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.34

$4.37 $4.37

-71.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$4.62

$2.89 $2.89

-68.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.08

$2.60 $2.60

-68.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.49

$18.72 $18.72

-86.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 R$44.99

$20.06 $20.06

-55.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 R$8.79

$3.25 $3.25

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 R$12.92

$3.73 $3.73

-30.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 R$3.43

$3.06 $3.06

-77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.64

$3.04 $3.04

-56.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.13

$2.15 $2.15

-52.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 R$44.47

$41.82 $41.82

-78.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.72

$1.12 $1.12

19.64%

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

$24.5K R$123.1K

$35.5K $35.5K

-30.79%

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

$32.6K R$163.4K

$26.0K $26.0K

25.11%

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

$103 R$517

$219 $219

-52.99%

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

$14.91 R$74.8

$73.2 $73.2

-79.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.99 R$115

$72.0 $72.0

-68.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 R$253

$123 $123

-58.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 R$231

$67.7 $67.7

-32.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 R$50.9

$22.85 $22.85

-55.62%

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

$437 R$2,192

$3,333 $3,333

-86.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K R$56.1K

$60.0K $60.0K

-81.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 R$328

$75.2 $75.2

-13.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 R$288

$52.4 $52.4

9.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 R$493

$122 $122

-19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 R$467

$133 $133

-30.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 R$2,104

$4,389 $4,389

-90.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 R$1,559

$3,130 $3,130

-90.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 R$4,349

$8,918 $8,918

-90.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 R$4,353

$5,354 $5,354

-83.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,890 R$9,483

$19.4K $19.4K

-90.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,435 R$7,201

$6,806 $6,806

-78.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 R$4,773

$5,343 $5,343

-82.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

6.82

58.50%

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

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 907% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8%

New York, NY

$545 11% 136% $314

Eating Out

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 161% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 21.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 159% $223

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 138% $98

Getting Around

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 1716% $157

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $4,389 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 462% higher in New York, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $122 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $545 – making Sao Caetano do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Sao Caetano do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,655

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Caetano do Sul New York, NY 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Caetano do Sul
New York, NY

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

Sao Caetano do Sul vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 368% more than Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,588 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul and $7,424 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul and $4,950 in New York, NY. That's a gap of about 368%.

Kindergarten costs $437 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul and $3,333 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Caetano do Sul, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Sao Caetano do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Caetano do Sul costs $1,058 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Caetano do Sul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.