Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Castanhal

For one person, living is cheaper in Castanhal: $879 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Castanhal
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Castanhal Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Castanhal

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $879 in Castanhal.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Castanhal $879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $1,407 in Castanhal.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Castanhal $1,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $1,936 in Castanhal.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Castanhal $1,936

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 39% more expensive than in Castanhal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 10% lower, Castanhal 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$6.18 R$31.34

40.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$32.20 R$163

50.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$7.74 R$39.25

16.67%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$2.09 R$10.59

22.01%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.34 R$6.79

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.81 R$4.12

12.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$2.01 R$10.21

52.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$2.94 R$14.88

48.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.01 R$5.13

17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$1.71 R$8.67

5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.30 R$6.60

13.85%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$2.16 R$10.95

30.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$9.34 R$47.34

35.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$4.18 R$21.20

29.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$8.34 R$42.29

29.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$2.22 R$11.26

27.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.27 R$6.43

43.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$1.23 R$6.24

30.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$1.61 R$8.14

26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$1.23 R$6.21

18.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$1.12 R$5.69

11.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$0.83 R$4.21

50.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.81 R$4.11

20.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$2.47 R$12.53

21.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$8.14 R$41.24

19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.28 R$6.48

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$2.08 R$10.54

21.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$1.00 R$5.08

7.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$43.66 R$221

8.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.28 R$6.48

41.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$0.92 R$4.66

9.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$7.96 R$40.34

28.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.26 R$6.41

2.38%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$24.0K R$121.8K

-2.07%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$33.3K R$168.6K

3.76%

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

$104 R$527

$77.1 R$391

34.91%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$12.19 R$61.8

36.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$20.78 R$105

6.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$26.24 R$133

38.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$28.03 R$142

68.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$7.37 R$37.38

31.48%

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

$573 R$2,906

$285 R$1,445

101.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$7,284 R$36.9K

132.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$55.1 R$279

20.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$50.8 R$258

20.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$91.3 R$463

8.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$73.0 R$370

25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$358 R$1,817

82.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$238 R$1,206

75.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$685 R$3,475

122.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$481 R$2,437

106.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$1,704 R$8,639

56.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$1,188 R$6,021

70.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.18%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Castanhal: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Castanhal

$238 27.1% 43.1% $180

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Castanhal

$192 21.9% 20.9% $51

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Castanhal

$122 13.9% 23.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Castanhal

$122 13.8% 14.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Castanhal

$110 12.5% 22.8% $33

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Castanhal

$54 6.1% 8.3% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Castanhal

$41 4.7% 26.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $358 in Castanhal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $32.00 in Castanhal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $192 per month, with Castanhal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Castanhal

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

192,256

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Castanhal 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Castanhal

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 Castanhal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castanhal wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castanhal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,833 in Sao Paulo and $1,318 in Castanhal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $358 in Castanhal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Castanhal – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo versus $879 in Castanhal – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $879 in Castanhal versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castanhal but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Castanhal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Castanhal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $879 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Castanhal hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Castanhal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.