Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Itu

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $719 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Sao Paulo vs $719 in Itu, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Itu $719

A couple spends around $1,948 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,300 in Itu, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Itu $1,300

A family of three spends $2,713 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,882 in Itu, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Itu $1,882

Sao Paulo costs about 65% more than Itu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Paulo and Itu are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 13% lower, Itu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$43.60

$5.36 R$28.67

52.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$250

$38.63 R$207

21.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.07

$5.99 R$32.04

37.56%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$12.90

$1.63 R$8.70

47.85%

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

$1.32 R$7.06

$0.72 R$3.85

83.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.52

$0.49 R$2.62

73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$14.85

$1.14 R$6.09

143.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.22

$1.88 R$10.03

121.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.13

$0.85 R$4.55

35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.02

$1.44 R$7.69

17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.21

$1.18 R$6.29

14.41%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.39

$2.16 R$11.55

24.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$63.0

$9.33 R$49.88

26.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$26.56

$3.64 R$19.46

36.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.0

$5.62 R$30.04

79.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.69

$1.62 R$8.68

58.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.32

$1.26 R$6.73

38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.71

$0.76 R$4.08

89.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.76

$1.95 R$10.45

-6.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.90

$0.97 R$5.21

32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.99 R$5.27

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.53

$0.73 R$3.90

67.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.75

$0.45 R$2.40

97.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.71

$2.32 R$12.43

18.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$49.56

$5.50 R$29.40

68.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.23

$1.19 R$6.34

45.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.71

$1.88 R$10.07

26.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.48

$1.01 R$5.38

0.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$241

$42.39 R$227

6.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.17

$0.90 R$4.82

91.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.78

$0.90 R$4.80

-1.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$50.9

$7.24 R$38.69

31.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.57

$0.91 R$4.85

35.16%

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

$22.3K R$119.3K

$22.0K R$117.4K

1.63%

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

$32.5K R$173.7K

$26.5K R$141.9K

22.45%

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

$98.2 R$525

$78.1 R$418

25.73%

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

$15.47 R$82.7

$11.00 R$58.8

40.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$111

$15.94 R$85.2

30.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$170

$24.10 R$129

32.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$236

$26.43 R$141

67.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$48.51

$4.52 R$24.18

100.66%

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

$512 R$2,740

$198 R$1,060

158.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$84.6K

$7,502 R$40.1K

110.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$322

$46.56 R$249

29.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$306

$36.52 R$195

56.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$496

$64.2 R$343

44.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$460

$47.18 R$252

82.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,377

$301 R$1,609

109.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,318

$185 R$991

133.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,239

$735 R$3,931

84.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,119

$617 R$3,299

55.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.3K

$1,600 R$8,554

55.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.2K

$1,135 R$6,068

68.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,373

$275 R$1,469

197.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

12.38

-5.65%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Itu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Itu

$185 25.8% 57.2% $248

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Itu

$162 22.5% 28.7% $65

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Itu

$95 13.2% 36.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Itu

$105 14.6% 21.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Itu

$88 12.2% 34.4% $46

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Itu

$52 7.2% 6.3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Itu

$33 4.6% 33.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $632 in Sao Paulo versus $301 in Itu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sao Paulo are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Sao Paulo versus $39 in Itu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $162 – making Itu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Itu

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

168,240

💱 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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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 Itu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,183 in Sao Paulo, $719 in Itu – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Sao Paulo and $1,079 in Itu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $632 in Sao Paulo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Sao Paulo and $39 in Itu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,183 in Sao Paulo and $719 in Itu. That’s a gap of about 65%.

Families tend to lean toward Itu – 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 Itu. 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.