Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Duque de Caxias

For one person, living is cheaper in Duque de Caxias: $806 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Duque de Caxias
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Duque de Caxias Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Duque de Caxias

🇧🇷 Brazil

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Duque de Caxias

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 Duque de Caxias actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo vs $806 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Duque de Caxias $806

A couple spends around $2,044 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,390 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Duque de Caxias $1,390

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,974 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Duque de Caxias $1,974

Sao Paulo costs about 52% more than Duque de Caxias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Paulo and Duque de Caxias are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 10% lower, Duque de Caxias 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$7.07 R$35.82

23.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$39.30 R$199

23.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$8.26 R$41.90

9.32%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$2.26 R$11.44

12.83%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.52 R$7.70

-11.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.04 R$5.26

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$2.17 R$10.99

41.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$3.58 R$18.16

22.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.18 R$5.96

0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$2.06 R$10.46

-12.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.14 R$5.76

29.82%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$2.24 R$11.37

25.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$9.06 R$45.91

39.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$4.51 R$22.87

19.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$9.98 R$50.6

7.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$2.83 R$14.37

-0.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.76 R$8.94

3.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$1.58 R$8.00

1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$1.79 R$9.07

13.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$1.20 R$6.06

21.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$1.06 R$5.38

17.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$0.76 R$3.85

64.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.64 R$3.25

53.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$2.83 R$14.32

6.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$8.10 R$41.07

19.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.18 R$5.96

55.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$2.49 R$12.61

1.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$0.98 R$4.97

9.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$43.44 R$220

8.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.27 R$6.43

42.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.41 R$7.14

-28.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$9.23 R$46.81

10.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.26 R$6.38

2.38%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$23.4K R$118.8K

0.41%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$34.1K R$172.8K

1.23%

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

$104 R$527

$42.43 R$215

145.20%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$10.65 R$54.0

55.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$18.29 R$92.7

20.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$25.58 R$130

42.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$27.88 R$141

69.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$7.91 R$40.12

22.50%

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

$573 R$2,906

$424 R$2,150

35.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$7,540 R$38.2K

124.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$41.79 R$212

58.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$49.66 R$252

23.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$95.7 R$485

3.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$85.4 R$433

7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$297 R$1,505

120.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$169 R$857

147.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$789 R$4,000

93.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$443 R$2,248

123.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$1,286 R$6,519

107.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$570 R$2,891

254.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

$302 R$1,530

198.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.12

5.04%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Duque de Caxias: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Duque de Caxias

$169 21% 59.6% $249

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Duque de Caxias

$209 25.9% 14% $34

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Duque de Caxias

$137 17% 14.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Duque de Caxias

$123 15.2% 14.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Duque de Caxias

$71 8.9% 50% $71

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Duque de Caxias

$56 6.9% 4.7% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Duque de Caxias

$41 5.1% 25.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $654 in Sao Paulo versus $297 in Duque de Caxias. 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 198% higher in Sao Paulo, 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 $39.00 in Duque de Caxias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $209 – making Duque de Caxias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Duque de Caxias

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

808,161

💱 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

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sao Paulo vs Duque de Caxias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo costs about 52% more than Duque de Caxias, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,833 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,209 in Duque de Caxias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Duque de Caxias, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Sao Paulo, 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 $39.00 in Duque de Caxias. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Duque de Caxias, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Sao Paulo at $1,222. In Duque de Caxias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Duque de Caxias costs $806 versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Duque de Caxias. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sao Paulo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.