Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Burlington, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $1,769 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Burlington, IA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Burlington, IA $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $2,675 in Burlington, IA.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Burlington, IA $2,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $3,580 in Burlington, IA.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Burlington, IA $3,580

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 31% less than in Burlington, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 10% below, Burlington, IA is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$11.35 $11.35

-23.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$59.1 $59.1

-17.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$8.84 $8.84

2.15%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$4.74 $4.74

-46.20%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.95 $1.95

-30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$2.02 $2.02

-54.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$3.41 $3.41

-9.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$4.58 $4.58

-4.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$0.81 $0.81

46.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$2.82 $2.82

-36.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$4.34 $4.34

-65.90%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$2.92 $2.92

-3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$11.37 $11.37

10.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$11.93 $11.93

-54.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$14.20 $14.20

-24.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$4.02 $4.02

-29.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.98 $1.98

-8.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$4.61 $4.61

-65.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$4.65 $4.65

-56.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$2.74 $2.74

-46.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.60 $2.60

-51.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$1.54 $1.54

-18.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$2.06 $2.06

-52.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$8.16 $8.16

-63.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$16.29 $16.29

-40.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.89 $1.89

-2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$2.27 $2.27

11.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$1.94 $1.94

-44.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$15.76 $15.76

199.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$4.67 $4.67

-61.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.02 $1.02

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$22.19 $22.19

-53.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$0.94 $0.94

37.23%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$22.7K $22.7K

3.54%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$25.0K $25.0K

38.14%

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

$104 R$527

$184 $184

-43.49%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$47.16 $47.16

-64.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$59.2 $59.2

-62.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$42.42 $42.42

-14.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$11.92 $11.92

-18.71%

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

$573 R$2,906

$1,210 $1,210

-52.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$13.3K $13.3K

27.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$44.72 $44.72

48.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$30.53 $30.53

100.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$87.0 $87.0

13.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$37.90 $37.90

141.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$754 $754

-13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$707 $707

-40.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$1,172 $1,172

30.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$1,280 $1,280

-22.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$1,026 $1,026

160.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$1,033 $1,033

95.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

$4,446 $4,446

-79.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.54

78.59%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Burlington, IA

$707 40% 69% $289

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7% 50.5% $123

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2% 34.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1% 37% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4% 104% $148

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9% 43% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7% 18.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 394% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $59.0 in Burlington, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $366 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

44,743

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Burlington, IA 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Burlington, IA

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 Burlington, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Burlington, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 394% lower in Burlington, IA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $573 in Sao Paulo versus $1,210 in Burlington, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Burlington, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Burlington, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Paulo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,222 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Burlington, IA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Burlington, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.