Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Elgin, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Paulo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $1,035 in Elgin, IL.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Elgin, IL $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $2,614 in Elgin, IL.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Elgin, IL $2,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $4,192 in Elgin, IL.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Elgin, IL $4,192

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 20% more expensive than in Elgin, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Elgin, IL 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.51

$19.93 $19.93

-55.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$246

$59.5 $59.5

-16.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$45.87

$10.07 $10.07

-8.44%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.67

$3.90 $3.90

-34.87%

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

$1.45 R$7.23

$3.03 $3.03

-52.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.54

$2.05 $2.05

-55.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.26

$5.96 $5.96

-48.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.69

$4.92 $4.92

-11.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.31

$0.89 $0.89

42.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.14

$3.54 $3.54

-48.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.03

$4.34 $4.34

-67.51%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.16

$3.73 $3.73

-23.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.5

$11.35 $11.35

10.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.73

$13.45 $13.45

-60.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.4

$11.71 $11.71

-8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.63

$4.49 $4.49

-38.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.00

$1.27 $1.27

42.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.72

$2.57 $2.57

-39.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.87

$4.22 $4.22

-53.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.32

$1.99 $1.99

-26.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.18

$2.08 $2.08

-40.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.33

$1.84 $1.84

-30.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.78

$2.37 $2.37

-59.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.12

$10.79 $10.79

-71.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.7

$15.56 $15.56

-34.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.62

$2.62 $2.62

-33.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.16

$3.49 $3.49

-24.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.16

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$239

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.05

$4.06 $4.06

-55.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.06

$2.02 $2.02

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.6

$28.28 $28.28

-64.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.33

$1.04 $1.04

22.12%

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

$24.3K R$121.1K

$36.5K $36.5K

-33.42%

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

$34.0K R$169.3K

$24.9K $24.9K

36.40%

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

$104 R$517

$99.4 $99.4

4.61%

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

$16.16 R$80.4

$52.2 $52.2

-69.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$112

$49.61 $49.61

-54.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$238

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.04

$14.76 $14.76

-33.27%

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

$525 R$2,614

$1,690 $1,690

-68.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.5K

$23.2K $23.2K

-28.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$333

$39.27 $39.27

70.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$310

$50.2 $50.2

24.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$503

$100 $100

0.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$452

$122 $122

-25.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,299

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,104

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,600

$2,175 $2,175

-29.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,020

$1,811 $1,811

-44.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$2,192 $2,192

25.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$2,211 $2,211

-6.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,383

$3,971 $3,971

-77.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.69

74.59%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Elgin, IL

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3% 52.7% $128

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1% 81.6% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3% 2.8% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1% 41% $58

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4% 76% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8% 47.3% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 351% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $59.0 in Elgin, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $371 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

112,603

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Elgin, IL 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Elgin, IL is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 351% lower in Elgin, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo versus $1,690 in Elgin, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Elgin, IL is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Paulo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Elgin, IL are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Elgin, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.