Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Dayton, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,214 in Dayton, OH, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Dayton, OH
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Dayton, OH Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Dayton, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Dayton, OH

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,214 in Dayton, OH.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Dayton, OH $2,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $3,280 in Dayton, OH.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Dayton, OH $3,280

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $4,345 in Dayton, OH.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Dayton, OH $4,345

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 45% less than in Dayton, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 10% below, Dayton, OH is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$14.47 $14.47

-39.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$71.1 $71.1

-31.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$9.90 $9.90

-8.79%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$4.25 $4.25

-40.00%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$2.24 $2.24

-39.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.86 $1.86

-51.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$4.62 $4.62

-33.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$5.93 $5.93

-26.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$0.79 $0.79

50.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$2.72 $2.72

-33.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$3.77 $3.77

-60.74%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$3.61 $3.61

-21.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$13.32 $13.32

-5.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$24.28 $24.28

-77.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$17.25 $17.25

-37.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$5.87 $5.87

-51.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.94 $1.94

-6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$7.23 $7.23

-77.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$5.23 $5.23

-61.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$2.70 $2.70

-45.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$3.16 $3.16

-60.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$2.21 $2.21

-43.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$2.78 $2.78

-64.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$9.68 $9.68

-69.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$19.70 $19.70

-50.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.76 $1.76

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$3.56 $3.56

-29.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$4.02 $4.02

-73.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$49.33 $49.33

-4.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$5.07 $5.07

-64.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.81 $1.81

-44.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$50.9 $50.9

-79.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.03 $1.03

25.24%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$27.5K $27.5K

-14.51%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

28.88%

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

$104 R$527

$205 $205

-49.16%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$50.2 $50.2

-66.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$59.1 $59.1

-62.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$32.95 $32.95

10.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$45.30 $45.30

4.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$14.14 $14.14

-31.47%

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

$573 R$2,906

$529 $529

8.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$6,520 $6,520

159.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$39.13 $39.13

69.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$47.07 $47.07

29.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$70.4 $70.4

40.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$122 $122

-25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$1,194 $1,194

-45.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$901 $901

-53.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$1,597 $1,597

-4.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$1,398 $1,398

-29.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$1,451 $1,451

39.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

$3,416 $3,416

-73.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.74

73.29%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Dayton, OH: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Dayton, OH

$901 40.7% 115% $482

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Dayton, OH

$486 21.9% 99.7% $243

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Dayton, OH

$248 11.2% 54.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Dayton, OH

$126 5.7% 12.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Dayton, OH

$314 14.2% 120% $171

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Dayton, OH

$80 3.6% 36.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Dayton, OH

$61 2.8% 9.7% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $1,194 in Dayton, OH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dayton, OH pays 279% 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 $71.0 in Dayton, OH for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $486 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Dayton, OH

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

156,771

💱 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

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Dayton, OH 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Dayton, OH

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 Dayton, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Dayton, OH. 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 279% lower in Dayton, OH. 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: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $1,194 in Dayton, OH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo versus $2,214 in Dayton, OH – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Paulo runs roughly 4% less than in Dayton, OH. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,214 in Dayton, OH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Dayton, OH. 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 $1,222 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 81% less than in Dayton, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.