Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Caraguatatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Caraguatatuba: $843 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Caraguatatuba
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Caraguatatuba Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Caraguatatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $843 in Caraguatatuba.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Caraguatatuba $843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,363 in Caraguatatuba.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Caraguatatuba $1,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $1,883 in Caraguatatuba.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Caraguatatuba $1,883

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 46% more expensive than in Caraguatatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Caraguatatuba 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$7.70 R$39.04

14.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$29.38 R$149

68.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$9.23 R$46.80

-4.66%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.37 R$11.99

5.06%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.23 R$6.25

15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.88 R$4.48

-3.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.36 R$11.96

26.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.27 R$16.60

32.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.00 R$5.09

24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$1.61 R$8.17

18.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.40 R$7.10

2.14%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$1.96 R$9.96

43.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$5.89 R$29.84

116.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$3.32 R$16.82

62.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$7.98 R$40.47

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.15 R$10.89

27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.67 R$8.46

8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.46 R$7.39

11.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.42 R$7.19

40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.27 R$6.45

10.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$0.82 R$4.13

54.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.71 R$3.60

80.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.79 R$3.99

20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$2.16 R$10.96

38.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$7.00 R$35.46

42.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.50 R$7.58

23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.59 R$13.11

-1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.98 R$4.96

11.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$23.55 R$119

107.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.16 R$5.89

59.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.73 R$3.70

35.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$3.52 R$17.85

192.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.30 R$6.59

3.08%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$15.7K R$79.3K

55.99%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$29.5K R$149.6K

15.03%

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

$104 R$529

$66.3 R$336

57.52%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$13.05 R$66.2

28.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$22.44 R$114

-1.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$21.64 R$110

65.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$16.29 R$82.6

190.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$8.17 R$41.40

23.13%

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

$579 R$2,936

$223 R$1,130

159.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$4,271 R$21.7K

299.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$57.8 R$293

13.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$56.6 R$287

7.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$78.3 R$397

28.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$59.2 R$300

55.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$416 R$2,110

58.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$237 R$1,201

80.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$879 R$4,453

72.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$522 R$2,648

96.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$1,681 R$8,523

64.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,217 R$6,170

64.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$336 R$1,704

170.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

8.15

43.31%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Caraguatatuba: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Caraguatatuba

$237 28.1% 44.6% $191

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Caraguatatuba

$176 20.9% 28% $68

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Caraguatatuba

$145 17.2% 9.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Caraguatatuba

$113 13.5% 21.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Caraguatatuba

$102 12.1% 29% $42

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Caraguatatuba

$32 3.8% 46.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Caraguatatuba

$38 4.5% 32.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $416 in Caraguatatuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 170% 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 $29.00 in Caraguatatuba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $176 per month, with Caraguatatuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Caraguatatuba

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

134,873

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Caraguatatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caraguatatuba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 170% higher in Sao Paulo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $416 in Caraguatatuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Caraguatatuba – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $843 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Caraguatatuba but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Caraguatatuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Caraguatatuba is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Paulo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Caraguatatuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.