Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Bacau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
Learn more

Bacau Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Sao Paulo vs $916 in Bacau, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Bacau $916

A couple spends around $1,948 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,552 in Bacau, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Bacau $1,552

A family of three spends $2,713 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,189 in Bacau, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Bacau $2,189

Sao Paulo costs about 29% more than Bacau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Paulo and Bacau are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 13% lower, Bacau 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$43.88

$14.19 RON 67.9

-42.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$252

$84.6 RON 405

-44.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.36

$7.24 RON 34.64

13.81%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$12.98

$2.04 RON 9.77

18.14%

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

$1.32 R$7.11

$2.01 RON 9.60

-34.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.55

$1.87 RON 8.94

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$14.95

$2.47 RON 11.82

12.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.37

$3.34 RON 15.96

24.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.17

$1.18 RON 5.66

-2.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.08

$0.70 RON 3.34

141.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.25

$1.69 RON 8.08

-20.12%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.49

$3.47 RON 16.59

-22.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$63.4

$7.68 RON 36.75

53.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$26.73

$5.33 RON 25.50

-6.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.3

$8.30 RON 39.70

21.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.78

$1.10 RON 5.24

132.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.38

$1.48 RON 7.08

17.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.76

$1.49 RON 7.11

-3.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.82

$1.83 RON 8.76

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.95

$0.72 RON 3.47

79.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.28

$0.68 RON 3.27

72.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.58

$0.75 RON 3.57

62.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.78

$0.72 RON 3.44

23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.81

$5.35 RON 25.59

-48.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$49.89

$5.25 RON 25.13

76.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.29

$1.02 RON 4.88

69.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.79

$1.17 RON 5.62

103.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.51

$0.70 RON 3.34

45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$242

$29.15 RON 139

54.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.23

$0.61 RON 2.92

181.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.81

$0.65 RON 3.10

36.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$51.2

$6.72 RON 32.17

41.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.61

$1.78 RON 8.51

-30.90%

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

$22.3K R$120.1K

$28.9K RON 138.2K

-22.77%

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

$32.5K R$174.8K

$24.8K RON 118.9K

30.79%

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

$98.2 R$528

$106 RON 507

-7.35%

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

$15.47 R$83.3

$7.47 RON 35.74

107.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$112

$4.63 RON 22.15

347.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$171

$25.29 RON 121

25.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$238

$15.98 RON 76.5

176.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$48.83

$6.09 RON 29.12

48.93%

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

$512 R$2,757

$589 RON 2,817

-12.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$85.2K

$4,986 RON 23.9K

217.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$324

$85.0 RON 407

-29.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$308

$31.98 RON 153

78.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$500

$60.3 RON 288

54.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$463

$83.2 RON 398

3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,399

$416 RON 1,991

51.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,333

$236 RON 1,130

83.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,286

$549 RON 2,624

146.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,153

$405 RON 1,937

136.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.3K

$1,805 RON 8,634

37.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.3K

$1,229 RON 5,879

55.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,401

$936 RON 4,480

-12.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.97

67.58%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Bacau

$236 25.8% 45.5% $197

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Bacau

$177 19.3% 22.1% $50

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Bacau

$194 21.2% 29.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Bacau

$118 12.9% 12.1% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Bacau

$117 12.8% 12.1% $16

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Bacau

$36 3.9% 35.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Bacau

$37 4.1% 25% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $632 in Sao Paulo versus $416 in Bacau. 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 15% higher in Bacau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Sao Paulo versus $85 in Bacau. Groceries tell a different story – $227 in Sao Paulo vs $177 in Bacau – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇷🇴 Bacau

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

02:59 2:59 AM

5 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

144,307

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Bacau 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Bacau

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 Bacau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,373 in Bacau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $632 in Sao Paulo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Sao Paulo and $85 in Bacau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,183 in Sao Paulo and $916 in Bacau. That makes Bacau about 23% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Sao Paulo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Bacau to $1,183 in Sao Paulo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.