Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Itajubá, MG

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajubá, MG: $867 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Itajubá, MG
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Itajubá, MG Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Itajubá, MG

🇧🇷 Brazil

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Itajubá, MG

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $867 in Itajubá, MG.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Itajubá, MG $867

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,285 in Itajubá, MG.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Itajubá, MG $1,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $1,703 in Itajubá, MG.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Itajubá, MG $1,703

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 42% more expensive than in Itajubá, MG, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Itajubá, MG 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$4.56 R$23.13

93.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$24.00 R$122

105.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$4.38 R$22.20

100.91%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$1.29 R$6.53

93.02%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.11 R$5.64

27.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.66 R$3.35

28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$1.82 R$9.25

63.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$2.93 R$14.84

48.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$0.95 R$4.80

30.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$1.65 R$8.38

15.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$0.97 R$4.94

47.42%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.38 R$12.05

18.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$10.72 R$54.3

18.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$3.58 R$18.16

51.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$7.88 R$39.97

35.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.88 R$14.59

-4.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.58 R$8.03

14.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.02 R$5.17

59.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.87 R$9.46

6.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.08 R$5.48

29.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.03 R$5.24

23.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.67 R$3.38

91.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.71 R$3.60

33.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$3.05 R$15.47

-1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$8.14 R$41.29

22.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.17 R$5.95

58.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$1.59 R$8.05

59.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.03 R$5.20

5.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$40.43 R$205

20.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.21 R$6.13

52.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.90 R$4.57

10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$9.26 R$46.95

11.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.13 R$5.71

18.58%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$23.7K R$120.2K

2.92%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$32.7K R$165.9K

3.71%

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

$104 R$529

$133 R$675

-21.55%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$12.28 R$62.3

36.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$18.57 R$94.1

19.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$15.62 R$79.2

129.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$25.34 R$128

86.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$7.82 R$39.62

28.64%

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

$579 R$2,936

$587 R$2,977

-1.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$13.1K R$66.4K

30.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$42.71 R$217

53.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$50.0 R$254

22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$73.9 R$375

35.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$67.4 R$342

36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$346 R$1,751

90.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$236 R$1,198

81.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$522 R$2,645

190.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$366 R$1,853

180.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$1,732 R$8,781

60.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,177 R$5,969

70.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$297 R$1,503

206.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.93

-2.10%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Itajubá, MG: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Itajubá, MG

$236 27.3% 44.8% $192

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Itajubá, MG

$192 22.2% 21.3% $52

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Itajubá, MG

$87 10.1% 45.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Itajubá, MG

$105 12.2% 26.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Itajubá, MG

$164 18.9% 14.4% $21

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Itajubá, MG

$50 5.8% 16.1% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Itajubá, MG

$31 3.6% 44.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $346 in Itajubá, MG. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 207% 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 $24.00 in Itajubá, MG for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $192 per month, with Itajubá, MG cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Itajubá, MG

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

93,073

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sao Paulo Itajubá, MG 170 km

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Sao Paulo
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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 Itajubá, MG: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Itajubá, MG differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,235 vs $867 including rent). Itajubá, MG is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 207% higher in Sao Paulo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $346 in Itajubá, MG. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $587 in Itajubá, MG. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $867 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Itajubá, MG but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Itajubá, MG 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.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Itajubá, MG 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 Itajubá, MG gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.