Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Crato

For one person, living is cheaper in Crato: $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
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Crato
Learn more

Crato Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Crato

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Sao Paulo $1,222
Crato $879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $1,403 in Crato.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Crato $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $1,926 in Crato.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Crato $1,926

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$5.99 R$30.38

45.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$31.52 R$160

54.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$7.84 R$39.77

15.18%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$2.01 R$10.21

26.87%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.32 R$6.71

2.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.77 R$3.93

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$2.03 R$10.29

51.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$2.98 R$15.13

46.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.02 R$5.15

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$1.69 R$8.55

6.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.29 R$6.52

14.73%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$2.26 R$11.45

24.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$9.37 R$47.49

34.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$4.31 R$21.84

25.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$8.66 R$43.90

24.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$2.24 R$11.37

25.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.31 R$6.65

38.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$1.18 R$5.97

35.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$1.59 R$8.05

27.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$1.22 R$6.21

19.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$1.08 R$5.49

15.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$0.83 R$4.22

50.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.82 R$4.13

19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$2.57 R$13.04

16.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$8.10 R$41.06

19.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.33 R$6.72

38.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$2.11 R$10.72

19.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$1.04 R$5.27

2.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$43.73 R$222

8.07%

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$4.67

9.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$8.22 R$41.69

24.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.31 R$6.62

-1.53%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$23.4K R$118.7K

0.51%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$32.7K R$165.6K

5.62%

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

$104 R$527

$76.8 R$389

35.45%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$12.21 R$61.9

35.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$20.74 R$105

6.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$26.10 R$132

39.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$27.93 R$142

69.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$7.45 R$37.76

30.07%

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

$573 R$2,906

$280 R$1,420

104.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$7,310 R$37.1K

131.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$56.6 R$287

17.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$50.9 R$258

20.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$88.6 R$449

11.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$72.6 R$368

25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$354 R$1,794

84.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$239 R$1,210

75.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$677 R$3,430

125.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$476 R$2,411

108.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$1,689 R$8,565

58.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$1,182 R$5,991

70.85%

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 Crato: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Crato

$239 27.2% 42.9% $179

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Crato

$195 22.1% 20% $49

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Crato

$120 13.7% 25.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Crato

$121 13.8% 15.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Crato

$110 12.5% 23.1% $33

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Crato

$54 6.1% 7.9% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Crato

$41 4.7% 26.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $354 in Crato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $32.00 in Crato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $195 per month, with Crato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Crato

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

131,050

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Crato 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Crato

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 Crato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Crato 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 Crato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,833 in Sao Paulo and $1,318 in Crato 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 $354 in Crato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Crato runs roughly 8% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $573 in Sao Paulo versus $280 in Crato. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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

Expats usually find Crato 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.