Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Knoxville, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,566 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
Learn more

Knoxville, TN Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,566

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Knoxville, TN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,566 in Knoxville, TN.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Knoxville, TN $2,566

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $3,815 in Knoxville, TN.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Knoxville, TN $3,815

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $5,064 in Knoxville, TN.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Knoxville, TN $5,064

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 52% less than in Knoxville, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Knoxville, TN is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$17.48 $17.48

-48.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$76.4 $76.4

-35.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$10.14 $10.14

-9.07%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$5.35 $5.35

-52.52%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$2.69 $2.69

-46.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$2.73 $2.73

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$6.31 $6.31

-51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$6.65 $6.65

-34.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.08 $1.08

17.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$3.48 $3.48

-47.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$4.76 $4.76

-70.38%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$4.27 $4.27

-33.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$9.93 $9.93

26.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$9.34 $9.34

-42.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$15.20 $15.20

-29.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$6.76 $6.76

-59.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.49 $1.49

21.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$2.72 $2.72

-43.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$5.47 $5.47

-63.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$2.22 $2.22

-33.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$4.14 $4.14

-70.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$2.33 $2.33

-45.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$2.19 $2.19

-56.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$9.84 $9.84

-69.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$14.74 $14.74

-30.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.93 $1.93

-10.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$3.11 $3.11

-15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$1.01 $1.01

2.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$30.07 $30.07

59.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$4.96 $4.96

-63.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.58 $1.58

-35.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$30.43 $30.43

-66.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.94 $0.94

35.11%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$37.7K $37.7K

-35.44%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$27.3K $27.3K

24.45%

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

$104 R$519

$219 $219

-52.48%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$73.9 $73.9

-78.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$53.3 $53.3

-57.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$29.46 $29.46

23.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$21.85 $21.85

118.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$15.40 $15.40

-36.04%

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

$525 R$2,622

$1,230 $1,230

-57.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$24.0K $24.0K

-31.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$49.76 $49.76

34.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$45.35 $45.35

37.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$109 $109

-6.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$122 $122

-25.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$1,767 $1,767

-62.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$1,264 $1,264

-66.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$2,902 $2,902

-47.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$2,166 $2,166

-53.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$4,689 $4,689

-41.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$2,267 $2,267

-8.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$3,623 $3,623

-75.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.64

75.90%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Knoxville, TN: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Knoxville, TN

$1.3K 49.7% 199% $842

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Knoxville, TN

$381 15% 56.6% $138

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Knoxville, TN

$301 11.8% 84.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Knoxville, TN

$147 5.8% 1.4% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Knoxville, TN

$346 13.6% 142% $203

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Knoxville, TN

$47 1.8% 20.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Knoxville, TN

$60 2.4% 7.7% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $1,767 in Knoxville, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays 311% 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 $76.0 in Knoxville, TN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $381 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

02:57 2:57 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

190,740

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Knoxville, TN 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Knoxville, TN

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 Knoxville, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 106% lower than in Knoxville, TN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 311% lower in Knoxville, TN. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $1,767 in Knoxville, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $76.0 in Knoxville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,566 in Knoxville, TN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Knoxville, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Paulo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,244 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Knoxville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.