Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Joliette

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $1,633 in Joliette, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Joliette
Learn more

Joliette Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Joliette

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,633 in Joliette, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Joliette $1,633

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $2,514 in Joliette, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Joliette $2,514

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,395 in Joliette, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Joliette $3,395

Sao Paulo is about 24% cheaper than Joliette, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sao Paulo sits 9% below the global median, while Joliette is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$20.67 CA$29.23

-57.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$52.4 CA$74.1

-5.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$10.73 CA$15.16

-17.99%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.39 CA$3.38

4.18%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$2.02 CA$2.86

-29.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.40 CA$1.99

-39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$4.14 CA$5.85

-28.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$5.58 CA$7.89

-22.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$2.11 CA$2.98

-41.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.42 CA$3.42

-21.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$4.06 CA$5.73

-64.78%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.44 CA$3.44

15.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$8.81 CA$12.46

44.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$10.48 CA$14.82

-48.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$10.12 CA$14.31

5.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$4.13 CA$5.84

-33.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.53 CA$2.16

18.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$3.85 CA$5.44

-57.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$3.98 CA$5.63

-49.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$2.93 CA$4.14

-52.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$2.76 CA$3.90

-53.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.63 CA$2.31

-21.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.47 CA$2.08

-35.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$14.72 CA$20.81

-79.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$11.27 CA$15.93

-11.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$3.15 CA$4.45

-41.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$3.35 CA$4.73

-24.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$2.00 CA$2.83

-45.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$59.4 CA$84.0

-17.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.93 CA$4.15

-36.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.45 CA$2.06

-31.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$34.81 CA$49.22

-70.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.91 CA$1.28

47.25%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$27.8K CA$39.3K

-12.28%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

57.34%

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

$104 R$529

$99.0 CA$140

5.56%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$31.74 CA$44.87

-47.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$43.64 CA$61.7

-49.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$36.01 CA$50.9

-0.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$17.24 CA$24.37

174.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.68 CA$15.10

-5.81%

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

$579 R$2,936

$689 CA$974

-15.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$9,036 CA$12.8K

89.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$48.97 CA$69.2

34.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$38.30 CA$54.1

59.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$82.8 CA$117

21.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$105 CA$149

-12.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$657 CA$928

0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$599 CA$847

-28.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,256 CA$1,776

20.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$1,054 CA$1,491

-2.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$4,029 CA$5,695

-31.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$3,913 CA$5,531

-48.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$2,710 CA$3,831

-66.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.44

163.06%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Joliette: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Joliette

$599 36.7% 39.9% $171

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Joliette

$329 20.2% 34.7% $85

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Joliette

$272 16.7% 70.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Joliette

$124 7.6% 13.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Joliette

$174 10.7% 21.6% $31

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Joliette

$78 4.8% 29.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Joliette

$57 3.5% 2.6% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $657 in Joliette. 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 198% higher in Joliette, 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 $52.0 in Joliette. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $329 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Joliette

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

20,484

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Joliette 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Joliette

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 Joliette: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Joliette is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $2,450 in Joliette. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Sao Paulo and $689 in Joliette. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Joliette, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Joliette at $1,633. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Joliette it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Paulo – 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 Sao Paulo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Joliette makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.