Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $613 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo vs $613 in Islamabad, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Islamabad $613

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Sao Paulo vs $951 in Islamabad, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Islamabad $951

A family of three spends $2,926 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,289 in Islamabad, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Islamabad $1,289

Sao Paulo costs about 103% more than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Paulo and Islamabad are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 7% lower, Islamabad 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$3.55 PKR 983

151.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$23.32 PKR 6,453

112.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$5.50 PKR 1,522

67.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 PKR 971

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 PKR 1,950

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$2.72 PKR 753

-6.62%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$0.35 PKR 97.4

314.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.23 PKR 63.8

295.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$0.99 PKR 273

28.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$0.73 PKR 201

152.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.24 PKR 342

13.71%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$1.31 PKR 363

116.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$6.12 PKR 1,695

105.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$3.23 PKR 893

66.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$5.44 PKR 1,506

97.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$1.35 PKR 375

102.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$0.86 PKR 239

110.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$1.08 PKR 298

43.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$0.55 PKR 153

260.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$0.28 PKR 78.3

425.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$0.36 PKR 98.6

244.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.30 PKR 83.5

323.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$0.42 PKR 115

128.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.98 PKR 549

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 PKR 347

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 PKR 715

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$2.32 PKR 642

31.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.20 PKR 54.5

420.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$21.45 PKR 5,936

124.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$1.23 PKR 339

47.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$0.75 PKR 209

36.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$1.64 PKR 454

519.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.39 PKR 385

-8.63%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$53.8K PKR 14.9M

-54.81%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

41.75%

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

$104 R$519

$103 PKR 28.5K

1.05%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$5.76 PKR 1,594

180.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$16.49 PKR 4,565

36.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$29.77 PKR 8,240

21.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$8.62 PKR 2,386

454.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$4.45 PKR 1,233

121.35%

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

$525 R$2,622

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

604.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$5,023 PKR 1.4M

230.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$24.55 PKR 6,793

172.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$34.19 PKR 9,461

82.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$96.0 PKR 26.6K

5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$40.93 PKR 11.3K

122.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$272 PKR 75.2K

143.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$137 PKR 38.0K

207.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$572 PKR 158.4K

166.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$275 PKR 76.0K

267.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$1,677 PKR 464.1K

63.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$820 PKR 227.0K

152.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$379 PKR 104.8K

132.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

13.08

-10.70%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Islamabad

$137 22.9% 67.5% $285

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Islamabad

$105 17.5% 56.9% $138

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Islamabad

$80 13.3% 51.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Islamabad

$88 14.6% 39.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Islamabad

$125 20.8% 12.3% $18

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 54% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Islamabad

$39 6.4% 30.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $663 in Sao Paulo versus $272 in Islamabad. 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 133% 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 $23.00 in Islamabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $105 – making Islamabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

8 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Islamabad 14,100 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,866 per month in Sao Paulo and $919 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 132% 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 $23.00 in Islamabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Sao Paulo at $1,244. In Islamabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Islamabad. 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.