Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Ilheus

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilheus: $786 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Ilheus
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Ilheus Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Ilheus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Sao Paulo vs $786 in Ilheus, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Ilheus $786

A couple spends around $1,948 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,283 in Ilheus, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Ilheus $1,283

A family of three spends $2,713 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,779 in Ilheus, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Ilheus $1,779

Sao Paulo costs about 50% more than Ilheus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sao Paulo and Ilheus are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 13% lower, Ilheus 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$43.60

$3.91 R$20.90

108.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$250

$29.88 R$160

56.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.07

$7.47 R$39.93

10.31%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$12.90

$1.86 R$9.92

29.57%

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

$1.32 R$7.06

$1.16 R$6.19

13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.52

$0.84 R$4.47

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$14.85

$1.73 R$9.25

60.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.22

$3.16 R$16.88

31.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.13

$1.05 R$5.61

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.02

$1.61 R$8.61

4.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.21

$1.22 R$6.52

10.66%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.39

$2.00 R$10.71

34.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$63.0

$17.98 R$96.1

-34.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$26.56

$3.92 R$20.98

26.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.0

$7.37 R$39.41

37.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.69

$2.10 R$11.24

21.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.32

$1.18 R$6.31

47.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.71

$1.14 R$6.09

26.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.76

$1.50 R$8.00

22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.90

$1.18 R$6.32

9.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.99 R$5.32

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.53

$0.77 R$4.10

58.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.75

$0.65 R$3.45

36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.71

$2.30 R$12.28

19.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$49.56

$6.96 R$37.19

33.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.23

$1.10 R$5.89

57.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.71

$1.97 R$10.51

20.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.48

$0.95 R$5.06

7.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$241

$41.11 R$220

9.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.17

$1.08 R$5.79

59.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.78

$0.94 R$5.01

-5.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$50.9

$6.78 R$36.23

40.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.57

$1.13 R$6.06

8.85%

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

$22.3K R$119.3K

$20.8K R$111.2K

7.29%

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

$32.5K R$173.7K

$32.7K R$174.7K

-0.59%

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

$98.2 R$525

$70.8 R$379

38.66%

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

$15.47 R$82.7

$11.71 R$62.6

32.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$111

$19.59 R$105

5.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$170

$24.68 R$132

29.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$236

$23.71 R$127

86.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$48.51

$6.50 R$34.73

39.54%

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

$512 R$2,740

$273 R$1,460

87.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$84.6K

$6,926 R$37.0K

128.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$322

$51.2 R$274

17.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$306

$40.88 R$219

39.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$496

$86.8 R$464

6.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$460

$64.4 R$344

33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,377

$209 R$1,118

201.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,318

$183 R$980

136.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,239

$530 R$2,834

155.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,119

$407 R$2,178

135.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.3K

$1,468 R$7,851

68.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.2K

$1,234 R$6,600

54.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,373

$564 R$3,018

44.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.18%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ilheus: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Ilheus

$183 23.3% 57.7% $250

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Ilheus

$204 26% 9.8% $22

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Ilheus

$99 12.6% 34% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Ilheus

$102 13% 24% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Ilheus

$109 13.9% 17.9% $24

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Ilheus

$51 6.4% 8.4% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Ilheus

$38 4.8% 24.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $632 in Sao Paulo versus $209 in Ilheus. 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 45% 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 $47 in Sao Paulo versus $30 in Ilheus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $204 – making Ilheus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Ilheus

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

178,649

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Ilheus 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Ilheus

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 Ilheus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,183 in Sao Paulo, $786 in Ilheus – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,180 in Ilheus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilheus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $632 in Sao Paulo.

Groceries cost about 11% 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 $47 in Sao Paulo and $30 in Ilheus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Ilheus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ilheus. 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.