Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Burlington, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Burlington, NC $2,604

A couple spends around $2,044 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,784 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Burlington, NC $3,784

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Sao Paulo vs $4,963 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Burlington, NC $4,963

Sao Paulo is about 53% cheaper than Burlington, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sao Paulo sits 10% below the global median, while Burlington, NC is 92% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$18.93 $18.93

-53.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$74.7 $74.7

-34.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$10.89 $10.89

-17.08%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$5.23 $5.23

-51.24%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$2.51 $2.51

-46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$2.06 $2.06

-55.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$6.14 $6.14

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$6.80 $6.80

-35.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.04 $1.04

14.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$3.57 $3.57

-49.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$4.35 $4.35

-65.98%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$4.22 $4.22

-33.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$12.47 $12.47

1.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$11.29 $11.29

-52.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$15.63 $15.63

-31.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$5.02 $5.02

-43.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.56 $1.56

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$4.20 $4.20

-61.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$4.81 $4.81

-57.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$2.91 $2.91

-49.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.76 $2.76

-54.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$2.11 $2.11

-40.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$2.08 $2.08

-52.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$9.37 $9.37

-67.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$14.08 $14.08

-31.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.85 $1.85

-0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$3.33 $3.33

-24.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$2.02 $2.02

-47.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$3.40 $3.40

-46.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.65 $1.65

-38.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$28.99 $28.99

-64.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$0.89 $0.89

44.94%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$29.9K $29.9K

-21.21%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$25.5K $25.5K

35.59%

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

$104 R$527

$191 $191

-45.42%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$52.9 $52.9

-68.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$67.0 $67.0

-67.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$42.35 $42.35

-13.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$13.34 $13.34

-27.36%

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

$573 R$2,906

$1,282 $1,282

-55.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$23.7K $23.7K

-28.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$51.0 $51.0

29.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$39.90 $39.90

53.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$85.3 $85.3

15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$112 $112

-18.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$1,632 $1,632

-59.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$1,378 $1,378

-69.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$2,653 $2,653

-42.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$2,241 $2,241

-55.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$2,740 $2,740

-2.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$2,417 $2,417

-16.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.51

79.42%

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, NC: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9% 230% $960

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9% 59.6% $145

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9% 92.7% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Burlington, NC

$130 5% 9.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9% 118% $168

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8% 66.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7% 23.7% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $654 in Sao Paulo versus $1,632 in Burlington, NC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $75.0 in Burlington, NC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $388 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

1 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Burlington, NC 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Burlington, NC

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, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo, $2,604 in Burlington, NC – roughly 113% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,833 per month in Sao Paulo and $3,907 in Burlington, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Paulo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,222 in Sao Paulo and $2,604 in Burlington, NC. That's a gap of about 113%.

Kindergarten costs $573 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,282 in Burlington, NC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,222, than in Burlington, NC at $2,604. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sao Paulo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,222 in Sao Paulo to $2,604 in Burlington, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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