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

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Carlos is 3.5% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 16.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sao Carlos is 11.2% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.6 R$25.55

$7.1 R$39.4

-35.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.65 R$181

$35.72 R$198

-8.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.78 R$37.65

$6.47 R$35.9

4.79%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R$9.68

$1.98 R$10.97

-12.12%

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

$1.16 R$6.42

$1.31 R$7.28

-11.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.5

$0.9 R$4.97

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 R$8.16

$1.82 R$10.08

-19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 R$16.78

$2.72 R$15.11

11.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$6.04

$1.12 R$6.19

-2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 R$8.42

$1.71 R$9.48

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 R$14.24

$1.41 R$7.82

82.27%

Eggs

$2.23 R$12.37

$2.04 R$11.32

9.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 R$53

$7.84 R$43.53

21.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 R$23.13

$3.63 R$20.17

14.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.74 R$42.96

$8.25 R$45.78

-6.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 R$12.94

$2.39 R$13.25

-2.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 R$8.38

$1.55 R$8.58

-2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.47

$1.47 R$8.15

4.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 R$11.04

$1.52 R$8.43

30.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.47

$1.29 R$7.17

18.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.87

$1.16 R$6.45

6.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.9 R$4.98

$0.63 R$3.5

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$4.32

$0.61 R$3.41

27.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.1 R$11.63

$1.95 R$10.8

7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 R$40.17

$7.34 R$40.77

-1.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$7.07

$1.26 R$7

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$14.01

$2.1 R$11.67

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$5.17

$1.3 R$7.2

-28.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.89 R$121

$38.57 R$214

-43.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$7.29

$1.13 R$6.28

15.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R$5.34

$0.69 R$3.85

39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 R$18.39

$7.8 R$43.29

-57.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.76

$1.06 R$5.87

-1.89%

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

$29.1K R$161.3K

$20.5K R$113.5K

42.12%

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

$29.2K R$162.2K

$27.6K R$153.4K

5.74%

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

$71.1 R$395

$103 R$574

-31.25%

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

$14.76 R$81.9

$11.89 R$66

24.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 R$103

$18.63 R$103

-0.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.55 R$114

$25.89 R$144

-20.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.92 R$222

$23.74 R$132

68.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.22 R$23.42

$6.57 R$36.47

-35.77%

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

$308 R$1,707

$540 R$2,995

-42.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,678 R$14.9K

$11.8K R$65.3K

-77.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.58 R$259

$45.33 R$252

2.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.53 R$203

$41.71 R$231

-12.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$560

$74.9 R$415

34.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 R$503

$60.1 R$334

50.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 R$1,218

$446 R$2,475

-50.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 R$1,202

$333 R$1,846

-34.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 R$2,437

$861 R$4,780

-49.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 R$2,696

$573 R$3,182

-15.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$693 R$3,845

$2,021 R$11.2K

-65.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$850 R$4,718

$1,183 R$6,568

-28.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$828 R$4,594

$452 R$2,509

83.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.33

-5.83%

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

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 29, 2025

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 29, 2025

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