Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Settat

For one person, living is cheaper in Settat: $646 a month against $982 in Sao Carlos, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Sao Carlos
🇧🇷 Brazil
$982
/mo nomad
Settat
🇲🇦 Morocco
$646
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Carlos and in Settat

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

A single person spends $982 per month in Sao Carlos vs $646 in Settat, rent included.

  • Sao Carlos $982
  • Settat $646

A couple spends around $1,709 per month in Sao Carlos vs $1,030 in Settat, rent included.

  • Sao Carlos $1,709
  • Settat $1,030

A family of three spends $2,436 per month in Sao Carlos vs $1,415 in Settat, rent included.

  • Sao Carlos $2,436
  • Settat $1,415

Sao Carlos costs about 52% more than Settat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sao Carlos and Settat are more affordable than the global median – Sao Carlos 27% lower, Settat 52% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.98 R$25.25
$3.11 MAD 30.28
60.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.05 R$203
$30.32 MAD 296
32.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.77 R$34.33
$6.00 MAD 58.5
12.83%
Cappuccino
$2.12 R$10.74
$1.15 MAD 11.18
84.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 R$6.78
$0.44 MAD 4.31
204.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 R$3.98
$0.37 MAD 3.57
113.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.63 R$8.24
$1.20 MAD 11.70
35.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 R$14.36
$1.53 MAD 14.88
84.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 R$6.80
$0.88 MAD 8.57
52.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 R$9.96
$0.84 MAD 8.21
133.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 R$9.03
$1.53 MAD 14.96
16.34%
Eggs
$2.95 R$14.94
$1.90 MAD 18.55
55.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.48 R$63.3
$7.85 MAD 76.6
58.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.25 R$26.61
$5.14 MAD 50.1
2.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.22 R$46.72
$11.23 MAD 110
-17.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 R$13.72
$1.57 MAD 15.31
72.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 R$9.33
$1.35 MAD 13.15
36.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 R$9.01
$0.92 MAD 8.99
93.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.96 R$9.95
$0.73 MAD 7.11
168.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.74 R$8.84
$0.72 MAD 7.02
141.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 R$6.88
$0.82 MAD 7.98
65.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 R$5.14
$0.23 MAD 2.23
339.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 R$5.88
$0.53 MAD 5.15
118.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.19 R$16.18
$4.03 MAD 39.32
-20.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.46 R$42.91
$7.47 MAD 72.8
13.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 R$7.50
$2.28 MAD 22.27
-35.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 R$14.73
$3.29 MAD 32.05
-11.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 R$4.97
$0.51 MAD 4.95
92.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.86 R$121
$20.43 MAD 199
16.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.48 R$7.48
$0.80 MAD 7.78
85.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 R$5.11
$0.59 MAD 5.79
71.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 R$18.45
$7.00 MAD 68.3
-48.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 R$6.32
$1.51 MAD 14.76
-17.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.2K R$102.2K
$30.1K MAD 293.5K
-33.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K R$159.5K
$31.5K MAD 307.1K
-0.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.4 R$316
$20.66 MAD 201
201.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.74 R$69.6
$5.07 MAD 49.44
171.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.07 R$122
$36.21 MAD 353
-33.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.77 R$176
$18.64 MAD 182
86.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$48.31 R$245
$21.14 MAD 206
128.52%
Cinema Ticket
$5.38 R$27.29
$6.57 MAD 64.1
-18.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$302 R$1,531
$97.3 MAD 949
210.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,032 R$15.4K
$8,252 MAD 80.5K
-63.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 R$429
$31.76 MAD 310
166.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$96.7 R$490
$44.34 MAD 432
118.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 R$705
$80.6 MAD 786
72.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 R$826
$80.8 MAD 788
101.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$272 R$1,377
$273 MAD 2,664
-0.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$236 R$1,197
$169 MAD 1,645
39.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$673 R$3,410
$453 MAD 4,416
48.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$663 R$3,358
$273 MAD 2,663
142.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$849 R$4,303
$1,126 MAD 11.0K
-24.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$730 R$3,698
$883 MAD 8,607
-17.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Carlos
Settat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$681 R$3,453
$206 MAD 2,012
230.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.75
4.5
138.89%

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

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Last update for Settat: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sao Carlos
$241
Settat
$181 24.8% $60
Accommodation & Living
Sao Carlos
$236
Settat
$169 28.5% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Sao Carlos
$218
Settat
$107 50.9% $111
Eating Out
Sao Carlos
$108
Settat
$69 36.1% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Carlos
$100
Settat
$62 38.2% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Sao Carlos
$46
Settat
$32 30.2% $14
Getting Around
Sao Carlos
$34
Settat
$26 23.5% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $272 in Sao Carlos versus $273 in Settat. 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 230% higher in Sao Carlos, 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 Carlos versus $30.00 in Settat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $181 – making Settat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Sao Carlos
🇲🇦 Settat
🕒 Local time
17:30 5:30 PM
21:30 9:30 PM
4 h ahead of Sao Carlos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
254,857
142,250
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

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).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sao Carlos Settat 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sao Carlos
  • Settat

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 Carlos vs Settat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sao Carlos or Settat?
Sao Carlos costs about 52% more than Settat, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Sao Carlos and in Settat?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,474 per month in Sao Carlos and $968 in Settat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Sao Carlos or Settat?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Settat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Sao Carlos or in Settat?
Groceries cost about 33% more in Sao Carlos, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Sao Carlos and in Settat?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Sao Carlos and $30.00 in Settat. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Sao Carlos or in Settat?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $982 in Sao Carlos and $646 in Settat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Settat – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Sao Carlos compared to Settat?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Sao Carlos or to Settat?
If budget matters most, go with Settat. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sao Carlos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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