Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Assis

For one person, living is cheaper in Assis: $820 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

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

Cost of Living Index in Assis
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Assis Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Assis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Sao Paulo versus $820 in Assis.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Assis $820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,948 in Sao Paulo versus $1,324 in Assis.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Assis $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,713 in Sao Paulo versus $1,828 in Assis.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Assis $1,828

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 44% more expensive than in Assis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 13% lower, Assis 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$43.60

$8.58 R$45.89

-5.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$250

$37.19 R$199

25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.07

$5.53 R$29.56

49.01%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$12.90

$1.63 R$8.72

47.85%

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

$1.32 R$7.06

$0.93 R$4.98

41.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.52

$0.71 R$3.78

19.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$14.85

$1.14 R$6.11

143.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.22

$1.82 R$9.75

128.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.13

$0.89 R$4.75

29.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.02

$1.32 R$7.03

28.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.21

$1.16 R$6.19

16.38%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.39

$1.41 R$7.53

90.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$63.0

$6.96 R$37.19

69.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$26.56

$4.28 R$22.88

16.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.0

$7.94 R$42.48

27.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.69

$2.21 R$11.79

15.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.32

$1.15 R$6.14

51.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.71

$1.14 R$6.09

26.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.76

$1.80 R$9.61

1.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.90

$1.26 R$6.73

2.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.89 R$4.78

31.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.53

$0.85 R$4.57

43.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.75

$0.87 R$4.64

2.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.71

$2.24 R$12.00

22.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$49.56

$5.88 R$31.43

57.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.23

$1.13 R$6.03

53.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.71

$1.80 R$9.62

32.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.48

$0.82 R$4.41

24.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$241

$44.55 R$238

1.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.17

$1.32 R$7.08

30.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.78

$1.28 R$6.82

-30.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$50.9

$7.26 R$38.84

31.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.57

$1.17 R$6.25

5.13%

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

$22.3K R$119.3K

$22.1K R$118.2K

0.99%

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

$32.5K R$173.7K

$29.5K R$157.8K

10.05%

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

$98.2 R$525

$77.1 R$412

27.28%

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

$15.47 R$82.7

$11.25 R$60.2

37.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$111

$17.37 R$92.9

19.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$170

$24.32 R$130

30.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$236

$26.25 R$140

68.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$48.51

$6.61 R$35.37

37.22%

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

$512 R$2,740

$197 R$1,051

160.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$84.6K

$7,362 R$39.4K

114.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$322

$47.95 R$256

25.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$306

$38.24 R$204

49.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$496

$78.9 R$422

17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$460

$49.62 R$265

73.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,377

$338 R$1,808

86.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,318

$234 R$1,249

85.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,239

$626 R$3,345

116.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,119

$457 R$2,444

109.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.3K

$1,707 R$9,127

45.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.2K

$1,161 R$6,209

64.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,373

$557 R$2,979

46.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

12.38

-5.65%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Assis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Assis

$234 28.5% 46.1% $200

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Assis

$170 20.8% 24.9% $57

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Assis

$121 14.7% 19.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Assis

$106 12.9% 21.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Assis

$97 11.8% 27.5% $37

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Assis

$56 6.8% 0.5% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Assis

$38 4.6% 24.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $632 in Sao Paulo and $338 in Assis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 47% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Sao Paulo vs $37 in Assis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $170 per month, with Assis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Assis

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

101,409

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Assis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assis is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Sao Paulo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $632 in Sao Paulo versus $338 in Assis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $512 in Sao Paulo versus $197 in Assis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assis – a meal for two runs $37 versus $47 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $820 in Assis versus $1,183 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Assis but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Assis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Assis wins on affordability, Sao Paulo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.