Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Barretos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barretos: $786 a month against $1,137 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barretos
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Barretos Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,137

/mo nomad

Barretos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,137 per month in Sao Paulo vs $786 in Barretos, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,137
Barretos $786

A couple spends around $1,898 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,264 in Barretos, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,898
Barretos $1,264

A family of three spends $2,660 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,742 in Barretos, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,660
Barretos $1,742

Sao Paulo costs about 45% more than Barretos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sao Paulo and Barretos are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 16% lower, Barretos 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 R$44.40

$6.48 R$35.55

24.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.75 R$257

$22.43 R$123

108.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 R$44.97

$5.90 R$32.40

38.81%

Cappuccino

$2.34 R$12.86

$1.53 R$8.40

52.94%

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

$1.35 R$7.40

$1.19 R$6.51

13.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.44

$0.54 R$2.96

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.83 R$15.52

$2.27 R$12.43

24.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 R$22.39

$2.75 R$15.08

48.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$6.06

$0.95 R$5.19

15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 R$9.51

$1.86 R$10.18

-6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.08

$1.23 R$6.75

19.51%

Eggs

$2.55 R$13.97

$2.30 R$12.63

10.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.49 R$63.1

$10.14 R$55.7

13.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R$26.44

$4.41 R$24.18

9.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 R$55.0

$10.10 R$55.4

-0.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 R$13.21

$2.22 R$12.20

8.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.79

$1.52 R$8.33

5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.54

$1.41 R$7.74

-2.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.73

$1.26 R$6.94

40.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.19

$1.22 R$6.72

7.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.30

$1.16 R$6.39

-0.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$6.35

$0.91 R$4.97

27.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.79

$0.75 R$4.14

16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 R$14.83

$2.35 R$12.87

14.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.28 R$51.0

$7.77 R$42.66

19.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 R$8.91

$1.40 R$7.70

15.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$13.14

$2.35 R$12.89

1.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$5.25

$1.00 R$5.51

-4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.95 R$241

$41.65 R$229

5.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.91

$1.09 R$5.97

15.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.91

$0.72 R$3.95

23.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.10 R$55.5

$7.90 R$43.36

27.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.45

$0.87 R$4.80

35.63%

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

$21.4K R$117.7K

$22.1K R$121.1K

-2.80%

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

$32.3K R$177.3K

$31.4K R$172.2K

2.98%

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

$93.0 R$510

$28.27 R$155

228.94%

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

$15.28 R$83.9

$5.57 R$30.55

174.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.65 R$108

$14.98 R$82.2

31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 R$171

$23.15 R$127

34.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$260

$25.47 R$140

85.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.36 R$51.4

$7.49 R$41.12

24.97%

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

$564 R$3,093

$401 R$2,203

40.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K R$137.6K

$10.2K R$56.1K

145.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 R$325

$60.9 R$334

-2.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 R$308

$22.28 R$122

151.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 R$528

$82.6 R$453

16.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 R$477

$64.3 R$353

35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 R$3,303

$335 R$1,840

79.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R$2,200

$231 R$1,265

73.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 R$7,371

$636 R$3,489

111.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 R$5,079

$450 R$2,467

105.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,514 R$13.8K

$1,579 R$8,664

59.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,866 R$10.2K

$1,130 R$6,202

65.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$863 R$4,736

$532 R$2,921

62.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

10.81

6.38%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barretos: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$401 35.3%

Barretos

$230 29.3% 42.5% $170

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$222 19.5%

Barretos

$203 25.8% 8.5% $19

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$148 13.1%

Barretos

$112 14.2% 24.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$134 11.8%

Barretos

$104 13.2% 22.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$128 11.3%

Barretos

$49 6.2% 61.8% $79

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$54 4.7%

Barretos

$50 6.4% 5.9% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.4%

Barretos

$38 4.9% 23.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $602 in Sao Paulo versus $335 in Barretos. 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 62% higher in Sao Paulo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Sao Paulo versus $22 in Barretos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $203 – making Barretos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Barretos

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

122,485

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Barretos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,137 in Sao Paulo, $786 in Barretos – Barretos comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,705 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,179 in Barretos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barretos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $602 in Sao Paulo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Sao Paulo and $22 in Barretos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,137 in Sao Paulo and $786 in Barretos. That makes Barretos about 31% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Barretos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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