Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Juiz de Fora

For one person, living is cheaper in Juiz de Fora: $763 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Juiz de Fora
Learn more

Juiz de Fora Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Juiz de Fora

🇧🇷 Brazil

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Juiz de Fora

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 Juiz de Fora actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $763 in Juiz de Fora.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Juiz de Fora $763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $1,202 in Juiz de Fora.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Juiz de Fora $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $1,641 in Juiz de Fora.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Juiz de Fora $1,641

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 60% more expensive than in Juiz de Fora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 10% lower, Juiz de Fora 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$5.87 R$29.73

48.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$29.31 R$149

65.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$6.87 R$34.82

31.44%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$1.73 R$8.76

47.40%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.43 R$7.25

-5.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.59 R$2.97

54.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$1.22 R$6.21

151.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$2.42 R$12.27

80.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$0.96 R$4.87

23.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$1.55 R$7.85

16.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.41 R$7.15

4.96%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$1.93 R$9.77

46.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$9.15 R$46.37

37.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$3.44 R$17.45

56.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$9.43 R$47.80

14.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$1.83 R$9.27

54.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.16 R$5.88

56.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$0.92 R$4.67

73.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$1.26 R$6.38

61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$0.64 R$3.24

128.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$0.81 R$4.11

54.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$0.56 R$2.85

123.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.75 R$3.83

30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$1.61 R$8.18

86.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$5.94 R$30.09

63.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$0.97 R$4.90

89.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$1.41 R$7.15

78.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$0.78 R$3.93

37.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$33.06 R$168

42.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.35 R$6.84

34.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$0.73 R$3.69

38.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$8.03 R$40.71

27.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.33 R$6.74

-3.01%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$21.0K R$106.6K

11.88%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$31.3K R$158.6K

10.28%

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

$104 R$527

$60.0 R$304

73.40%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$9.97 R$50.5

66.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$19.29 R$97.8

14.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$23.33 R$118

56.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$27.52 R$140

71.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$6.80 R$34.49

42.50%

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

$573 R$2,906

$146 R$740

292.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$2,590 R$13.1K

553.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$70.7 R$358

-6.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$82.9 R$420

-26.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$66.2 R$336

49.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$47.45 R$241

92.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$303 R$1,536

115.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$197 R$996

112.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$518 R$2,624

194.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$332 R$1,682

198.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$994 R$5,040

168.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$604 R$3,060

234.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

$462 R$2,343

94.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.67

9.47%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Juiz de Fora: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Juiz de Fora

$197 25.8% 53% $222

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Juiz de Fora

$172 22.5% 29.4% $71

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Juiz de Fora

$107 14.1% 33.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Juiz de Fora

$120 15.8% 15.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Juiz de Fora

$89 11.7% 37.4% $53

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Juiz de Fora

$41 5.4% 29.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Juiz de Fora

$37 4.8% 33.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $303 in Juiz de Fora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 95% 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 $29.00 in Juiz de Fora for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $172 per month, with Juiz de Fora cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Juiz de Fora

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

540,756

💱 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

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Sao Paulo Juiz de Fora 390 km

From you

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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 Juiz de Fora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Juiz de Fora wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Sao Paulo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Juiz de Fora the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 95% 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: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $303 in Juiz de Fora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Juiz de Fora – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo versus $763 in Juiz de Fora – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $763 in Juiz de Fora versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Juiz de Fora but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Juiz de Fora the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Juiz de Fora delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $763 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Juiz de Fora hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Juiz de Fora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.