Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Aberdeen, SD

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $1,876 in Aberdeen, SD, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen, SD
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Aberdeen, SD Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Aberdeen, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$1,876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Aberdeen, SD

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

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,876 in Aberdeen, SD, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Aberdeen, SD $1,876

A couple spends around $2,044 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,673 in Aberdeen, SD, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Aberdeen, SD $2,673

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,470 in Aberdeen, SD, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Aberdeen, SD $3,470

Sao Paulo is about 35% cheaper than Aberdeen, SD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Paulo sits 10% below the global median, while Aberdeen, SD is 38% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$9.94 $9.94

-12.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$64.7 $64.7

-24.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$9.88 $9.88

-8.60%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$4.26 $4.26

-40.14%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$2.43 $2.43

-44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$2.52 $2.52

-63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$3.92 $3.92

-21.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$6.97 $6.97

-37.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$0.93 $0.93

27.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$2.40 $2.40

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$5.31 $5.31

-72.13%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$5.90 $5.90

-52.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$10.12 $10.12

24.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$10.19 $10.19

-47.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$18.30 $18.30

-41.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$4.30 $4.30

-34.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$2.39 $2.39

-23.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$3.87 $3.87

-58.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$4.05 $4.05

-49.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$3.94 $3.94

-62.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.61 $2.61

-52.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$2.69 $2.69

-53.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$4.95 $4.95

-80.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$30.09 $30.09

-67.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$0.90 $0.90

43.33%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

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

$104 R$527

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

$16.60 R$84.1

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

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

$573 R$2,906

$729 $729

-21.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$45.66 $45.66

45.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$25.26 $25.26

142.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$76.3 $76.3

29.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$1,103 $1,103

-40.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$1,162 $1,162

-64.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$1,841 $1,841

-17.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$1,611 $1,611

-38.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$1,462 $1,462

82.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$1,426 $1,426

41.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

$5,225 $5,225

-82.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.76

72.78%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen, SD: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Aberdeen, SD

$1.2K 62% 178% $744

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Aberdeen, SD

$433 * 23.1% 78.2% $190

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Aberdeen, SD

$214 11.4% 33.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Aberdeen, SD

$66 * 3.5% 53.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Aberdeen, SD

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Aberdeen, SD

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Aberdeen, SD

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $654 in Sao Paulo versus $1,103 in Aberdeen, SD. 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 480% higher in Aberdeen, SD, 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 $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $65.0 in Aberdeen, SD. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $433 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Aberdeen, SD

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

24,071

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Aberdeen, SD 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Aberdeen, SD

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 Paulo vs Aberdeen, SD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aberdeen, SD costs about 54% more than Sao Paulo, 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 $1,833 per month in Sao Paulo and $2,813 in Aberdeen, SD. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo and $65.0 in Aberdeen, SD. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Aberdeen, SD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,222, than in Aberdeen, SD at $1,876. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aberdeen, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Paulo costs $1,222 versus $1,876 in Aberdeen, SD. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aberdeen, SD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.