Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Burlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,634 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,634 in Burlington, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Burlington $2,634

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,790 in Burlington, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Burlington $3,790

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $4,946 in Burlington, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Burlington $4,946

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

Sao Paulo sits 9% below the global median, while Burlington is 95% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$21.10 CA$29.82

-58.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$71.3 CA$101

-30.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$10.70 CA$15.13

-17.76%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.40 CA$4.81

-26.76%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.98 CA$2.80

-28.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.53 CA$2.16

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$5.52 CA$7.81

-46.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$6.16 CA$8.71

-29.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$2.63 CA$3.72

-52.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.78 CA$3.93

-31.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$3.71 CA$5.24

-61.46%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$3.51 CA$4.97

-19.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$9.94 CA$14.05

28.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$10.43 CA$14.75

-48.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$14.22 CA$20.10

-25.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$3.56 CA$5.03

-22.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.51 CA$2.13

19.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$2.72 CA$3.84

-40.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$3.53 CA$4.99

-43.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.92 CA$2.71

-27.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.84 CA$2.61

-30.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$2.05 CA$2.89

-37.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.47 CA$2.08

-35.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$13.04 CA$18.44

-77.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$10.57 CA$14.94

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.61 CA$3.69

-29.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.85 CA$4.02

-10.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$2.55 CA$3.61

-57.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$97.3 CA$138

-49.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$4.96 CA$7.01

-62.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$2.39 CA$3.38

-58.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$42.21 CA$59.7

-75.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.15 CA$1.63

16.52%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$27.2K CA$38.5K

-10.33%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$20.2K CA$28.5K

68.34%

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

$104 R$529

$143 CA$202

-26.79%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$44.20 CA$62.5

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$66.7 CA$94.3

-66.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$51.3 CA$72.5

-30.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$29.46 CA$41.65

60.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$15.93 CA$22.51

-36.85%

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

$579 R$2,936

$1,151 CA$1,628

-49.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$19.2K CA$27.1K

-10.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$68.0 CA$96.1

-3.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$63.8 CA$90.1

-4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$97.1 CA$137

3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$97.0 CA$137

-5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$1,617 CA$2,286

-59.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$1,393 CA$1,969

-69.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$2,558 CA$3,616

-40.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$2,136 CA$3,019

-51.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$5,013 CA$7,087

-44.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$4,029 CA$5,696

-50.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$3,161 CA$4,468

-71.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.52

158.41%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Burlington: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Burlington

$1.4K 52.9% 225% $965

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Burlington

$338 12.8% 38.4% $94

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Burlington

$296 11.2% 85.4% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Burlington

$147 5.6% 2.1% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Burlington

$254 9.6% 76.9% $110

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Burlington

$124 4.7% 108% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Burlington

$83 3.2% 48.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $1,617 in Burlington. 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 248% higher in Burlington, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $71.0 in Burlington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $338 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Burlington

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

183,314

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Burlington 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Burlington

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $3,952 in Burlington. 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.

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,151 in Burlington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Burlington, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Burlington at $2,634. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Paulo – 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 Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.