Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Carbondale, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $1,764 in Carbondale, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Carbondale, IL
Learn more

Carbondale, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Carbondale, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Carbondale, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,764 in Carbondale, IL.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Carbondale, IL $1,764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $2,118 in Carbondale, IL.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Carbondale, IL $2,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $2,473 in Carbondale, IL.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Carbondale, IL $2,473

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 29% less than in Carbondale, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Carbondale, IL is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$18.32 $18.32

-51.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$38.75 $38.75

27.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$8.87 $8.87

3.95%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$5.10 $5.10

-50.20%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$2.23 $2.23

-34.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$1.95 $1.95

-53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$4.38 $4.38

-29.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$8.03 $8.03

-45.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$0.90 $0.90

41.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$3.03 $3.03

-39.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$4.16 $4.16

-66.11%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$3.80 $3.80

-25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$13.12 $13.12

-4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$11.45 $11.45

-53.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$18.75 $18.75

-42.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$5.73 $5.73

-52.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.72 $1.72

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$6.03 $6.03

-74.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$4.92 $4.92

-59.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$1.66 $1.66

-11.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$2.40 $2.40

-48.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$2.60 $2.60

-51.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$2.14 $2.14

-55.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$10.66 $10.66

-71.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$13.16 $13.16

-22.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.70 $1.70

1.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$1.66 $1.66

59.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$2.04 $2.04

-10.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.39 $1.39

-26.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$20.08 $20.08

-49.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.99 $0.99

28.28%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$37.9K $37.9K

-35.80%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$26.9K $26.9K

26.32%

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

$104 R$519

$189 $189

-44.98%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$86.1 $86.1

-81.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$74.7 $74.7

-69.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$11.95 $11.95

-17.57%

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

$525 R$2,622

$1,731 $1,731

-69.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$24.5K $24.5K

-32.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$46.38 $46.38

44.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$33.29 $33.29

86.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$81.7 $81.7

23.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$150 $150

-39.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$658 $658

0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$557 $557

-24.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$840 $840

226.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$836 $836

147.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$3,856 $3,856

-77.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.6

76.97%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Carbondale, IL: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Carbondale, IL

$557 31.6% 31.9% $135

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Carbondale, IL

$396 22.4% 62.7% $153

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Carbondale, IL

$289 16.4% 77.1% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Carbondale, IL

$140 7.9% 3% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Carbondale, IL

$350 19.8% 145% $207

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Carbondale, IL

$9 * 0.5% 84.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Carbondale, IL

$24 * 1.4% 57.3% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $658 in Carbondale, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carbondale, IL pays 338% 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 $39.00 in Carbondale, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $243 vs $396, with Sao Paulo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Carbondale, IL

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

24,881

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Carbondale, IL 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Carbondale, IL

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 Carbondale, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Carbondale, IL. 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 338% lower in Carbondale, IL. 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: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $658 in Carbondale, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Carbondale, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo versus $1,764 in Carbondale, IL – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,764 in Carbondale, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Carbondale, IL. 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 $1,244 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Carbondale, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.