Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Champaign, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
Learn more

Champaign, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Champaign, 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 Champaign, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Champaign, IL $2,161

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,133 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Champaign, IL $3,133

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $4,106 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Champaign, IL $4,106

Sao Paulo is about 43% cheaper than Champaign, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sao Paulo sits 9% below the global median, while Champaign, IL is 60% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$15.25 $15.25

-42.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$60.8 $60.8

-18.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$10.11 $10.11

-12.96%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$4.83 $4.83

-48.45%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$2.15 $2.15

-33.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.73 $1.73

-50.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$5.57 $5.57

-46.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$5.35 $5.35

-18.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$0.85 $0.85

45.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$3.14 $3.14

-39.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$3.13 $3.13

-54.31%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$3.88 $3.88

-27.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$12.19 $12.19

4.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$5.96 $5.96

-9.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$12.81 $12.81

-16.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$3.45 $3.45

-20.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.38 $1.38

31.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$3.10 $3.10

-47.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$4.56 $4.56

-56.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$2.02 $2.02

-30.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$2.23 $2.23

-43.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$2.21 $2.21

-42.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.25 $1.25

-24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$10.25 $10.25

-70.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$14.71 $14.71

-32.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.15 $2.15

-13.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$4.08 $4.08

-37.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.97 $0.97

12.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$20.38 $20.38

139.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.52 $2.52

-26.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.59 $1.59

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.16 $1.16

15.52%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$35.1K $35.1K

-30.49%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$32.3K $32.3K

5.25%

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

$104 R$529

$240 $240

-56.46%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$45.66 $45.66

-63.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$67.6 $67.6

-67.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$25.34 $25.34

41.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$11.85 $11.85

298.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.09 $11.09

-9.29%

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

$579 R$2,936

$993 $993

-41.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$19.9K $19.9K

-14.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$48.98 $48.98

34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$116 $116

-13.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$122 $122

-24.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$1,453 $1,453

-54.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$1,016 $1,016

-57.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,941 $1,941

-21.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$1,691 $1,691

-39.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$1,688 $1,688

64.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,709 $1,709

17.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$3,674 $3,674

-75.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.82

71.26%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Champaign, IL

$1K 47% 137% $588

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6% 29.4% $72

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2% 65.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6% 10.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3% 146% $210

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6% 42% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2% 15.1% $8.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $1,453 in Champaign, IL. 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 304% higher in Champaign, IL, 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 $61.0 in Champaign, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $316 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

88,302

💱 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 Champaign, IL 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Champaign, 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 Champaign, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo, $2,161 in Champaign, IL – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $3,241 in Champaign, IL. 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.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Champaign, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo and $61.0 in Champaign, IL. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL 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 $1,235 in Sao Paulo to $2,161 in Champaign, IL. 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, Champaign, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.