Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Aktau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $793 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Aktau

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 Aktau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $793 in Aktau, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Aktau $793

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,317 in Aktau, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Aktau $1,317

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,842 in Aktau, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Aktau $1,842

Sao Paulo costs about 56% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sao Paulo and Aktau are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 9% lower, Aktau 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$11.07 ₸5,005

-20.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$43.55 ₸19.7K

13.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$10.17 ₸4,596

-13.47%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.49 ₸1,128

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$0.74 ₸333

91.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.48 ₸219

77.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$1.30 ₸586

129.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$1.53 ₸690

183.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.41 ₸638

-12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$0.47 ₸211

306.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.91 ₸864

-25.13%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$1.73 ₸783

62.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$9.87 ₸4,463

29.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$4.24 ₸1,915

27.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$8.95 ₸4,044

18.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$1.53 ₸689

79.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$2.24 ₸1,013

-19.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$2.35 ₸1,064

-30.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$2.80 ₸1,264

-28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$0.65 ₸295

115.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$0.56 ₸254

126.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.55 ₸700

-17.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.94 ₸424

1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$2.59 ₸1,172

15.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$9.54 ₸4,313

4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$0.72 ₸326

156.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$0.87 ₸393

191.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.18 ₸82.6

505.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.13 ₸512

63.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.64 ₸290

54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.63 ₸283

112.70%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$31.4K ₸14.2M

8.02%

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

$104 R$529

$45.69 ₸20.7K

128.61%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$7.94 ₸3,587

110.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$11.01 ₸4,979

101.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$35.98 ₸16.3K

-0.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$3.18 ₸1,437

216.35%

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

$579 R$2,936

$143 ₸64.8K

304.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$2,621 ₸1.2M

551.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$66.8 ₸30.2K

-1.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$40.67 ₸18.4K

50.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$71.7 ₸32.4K

39.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$89.6 ₸40.5K

2.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$330 ₸149.2K

99.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$196 ₸88.6K

118.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$551 ₸249.0K

174.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$393 ₸177.8K

160.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$813 ₸367.6K

241.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$659 ₸297.7K

204.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$564 ₸254.8K

61.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

-16.57%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Aktau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Aktau

$196 24.7% 54.2% $232

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Aktau

$200 25.3% 18% $44

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Aktau

$163 20.6% 2.5% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Aktau

$121 15.3% 15.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Aktau

$65 8.2% 54.9% $79

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Aktau

$5.1 * 0.6% 91.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Aktau

$42 5.3% 24.3% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $330 in Aktau. 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 61% higher in Sao Paulo, 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 $44.00 in Aktau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $200 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇰🇿 Aktau

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

16:04 4:04 PM

8 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

273,830

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Aktau 12,390 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Aktau

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 Aktau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo costs about 56% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,189 in Aktau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktau, 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 $44.00 in Aktau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Sao Paulo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aktau, where all-in costs run around $793, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Aktau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aktau costs $793 versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo. 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 Aktau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sao Paulo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.