Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Edmonton

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,202 in Edmonton, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,202 in Edmonton, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Edmonton $2,202

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,234 in Edmonton, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Edmonton $3,234

A family of three spends $2,926 per month in Sao Paulo vs $4,267 in Edmonton, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Edmonton $4,267

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

Sao Paulo sits 7% below the global median, while Edmonton is 64% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.87

$19.26 CA$27.40

-53.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$248

$76.9 CA$109

-35.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.25

$10.02 CA$14.25

-7.98%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.77

$3.88 CA$5.52

-34.54%

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

$1.45 R$7.29

$2.22 CA$3.16

-34.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.57

$1.96 CA$2.78

-53.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.39

$5.62 CA$8.00

-45.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.87

$6.30 CA$8.96

-30.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.36

$1.57 CA$2.23

-19.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.22

$2.13 CA$3.02

-13.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.08

$3.00 CA$4.27

-53.00%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.27

$3.51 CA$4.99

-19.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$63.0

$10.71 CA$15.23

17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.95

$11.26 CA$16.02

-52.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.8

$18.50 CA$26.31

-42.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.74

$4.26 CA$6.05

-35.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.08

$1.38 CA$1.96

31.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.78

$4.15 CA$5.90

-62.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.95

$4.07 CA$5.79

-51.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.38

$2.12 CA$3.01

-30.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.23

$1.83 CA$2.60

-32.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.38

$2.37 CA$3.37

-46.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.82

$1.85 CA$2.63

-48.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.24

$13.83 CA$19.67

-78.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$51.1

$11.26 CA$16.02

-9.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.69

$3.55 CA$5.05

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.26

$2.90 CA$4.13

-8.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.20

$2.70 CA$3.84

-61.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$241

$70.7 CA$101

-31.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.12

$2.80 CA$3.98

-35.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.10

$1.37 CA$1.94

-25.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$51.0

$21.34 CA$30.36

-52.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.38

$1.11 CA$1.58

14.41%

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

$24.3K R$122.0K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

-13.58%

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

$34.0K R$170.6K

$19.7K CA$28.0K

73.00%

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

$104 R$522

$223 CA$317

-53.37%

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

$16.16 R$81.1

$44.02 CA$62.6

-63.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$53.2 CA$75.7

-57.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$182

$46.33 CA$65.9

-21.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$240

$18.21 CA$25.90

162.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.45

$12.91 CA$18.37

-23.70%

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

$525 R$2,635

$762 CA$1,083

-31.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$83.2K

$9,587 CA$13.6K

72.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$336

$43.40 CA$61.7

54.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$312

$45.36 CA$64.5

37.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$507

$83.4 CA$119

21.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$456

$96.8 CA$138

-6.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,326

$1,086 CA$1,545

-38.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,121

$900 CA$1,280

-53.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,662

$1,702 CA$2,421

-10.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,061

$1,409 CA$2,004

-28.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.8K

$2,153 CA$3,062

27.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.4K

$1,988 CA$2,828

4.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,419

$3,684 CA$5,240

-76.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.32

170.37%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Edmonton: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Edmonton

$900 41.8% 113% $478

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Edmonton

$361 16.8% 48.5% $118

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Edmonton

$288 13.4% 76.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Edmonton

$121 5.6% 16.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Edmonton

$320 14.9% 124% $177

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Edmonton

$91 4.2% 54.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Edmonton

$72 3.4% 28.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $663 in Sao Paulo versus $1,086 in Edmonton. 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 318% higher in Edmonton, 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 $77.0 in Edmonton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $361 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

3 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

1,010,899

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Edmonton 10,690 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Edmonton

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 Edmonton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo, $2,202 in Edmonton – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,866 per month in Sao Paulo and $3,302 in Edmonton. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Sao Paulo and $2,202 in Edmonton. That's a gap of about 77%.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Sao Paulo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Edmonton at $2,202. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edmonton 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 $1,244 in Sao Paulo to $2,202 in Edmonton. 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, Edmonton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.