Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Hearst

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,210 in Hearst, 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
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Hearst Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,210 in Hearst.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Hearst $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $3,203 in Hearst.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Hearst $3,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $4,197 in Hearst.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Hearst $4,197

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 45% less than in Hearst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$17.35 CA$24.53

-49.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$66.0 CA$93.4

-26.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$10.67 CA$15.09

-15.37%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$3.60 CA$5.09

-29.17%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$2.01 CA$2.83

-32.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.55 CA$2.20

-41.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$5.18 CA$7.32

-40.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$5.58 CA$7.88

-21.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.09 CA$2.95

-43.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$2.55 CA$3.60

-29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$3.29 CA$4.65

-55.02%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$3.34 CA$4.73

-15.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$9.67 CA$13.67

30.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$11.53 CA$16.30

-53.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$14.25 CA$20.15

-24.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$3.78 CA$5.35

-25.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.26 CA$1.78

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$3.63 CA$5.13

-55.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$3.67 CA$5.18

-44.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$2.49 CA$3.52

-41.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.17 CA$3.06

-42.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$2.48 CA$3.51

-49.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$1.57 CA$2.22

-37.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$13.89 CA$19.63

-78.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$12.84 CA$18.15

-24.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$2.61 CA$3.70

-29.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$3.09 CA$4.37

-18.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$2.24 CA$3.17

-52.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$62.3 CA$88.0

-24.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$2.79 CA$3.95

-35.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.40 CA$1.98

-27.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$22.95 CA$32.44

-55.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.14 CA$1.61

13.16%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$27.9K CA$39.4K

-15.52%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$18.9K CA$26.7K

82.82%

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

$104 R$527

$132 CA$186

-20.96%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$38.55 CA$54.5

-56.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$54.4 CA$77.0

-59.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$40.47 CA$57.2

-9.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$17.81 CA$25.18

165.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$11.12 CA$15.72

-12.86%

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

$573 R$2,906

$748 CA$1,057

-23.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$13.1K CA$18.5K

29.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$53.7 CA$75.9

23.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$38.42 CA$54.3

59.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$83.4 CA$118

18.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$103 CA$145

-10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$1,220 CA$1,724

-46.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$1,104 CA$1,560

-62.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$1,918 CA$2,711

-20.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$1,687 CA$2,384

-41.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$4,145 CA$5,860

-35.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$3,557 CA$5,028

-43.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

$3,120 CA$4,410

-71.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.66

150.64%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hearst: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Hearst

$1.1K 49.9% 164% $685

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Hearst

$347 15.7% 42.7% $104

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Hearst

$265 12% 65.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Hearst

$125 5.7% 12.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Hearst

$225 10.2% 57.4% $82

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Hearst

$81 3.7% 38.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Hearst

$63 2.8% 12.4% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $1,220 in Hearst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays 247% 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 $66.0 in Hearst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $347 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Hearst

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

5,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Hearst 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Hearst

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 Hearst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Hearst differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($1,222 vs $2,210 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 247% lower in Hearst. 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 $1,220 in Hearst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $573 in Sao Paulo versus $748 in Hearst. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Hearst. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,210 in Hearst, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Hearst. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Hearst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.