Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Libertyville, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,530 in Libertyville, IL, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sao Paulo
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,222
/mo nomad
Libertyville, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,530
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Libertyville, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,530 in Libertyville, IL.

  • Sao Paulo $1,222
  • Libertyville, IL $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $3,759 in Libertyville, IL.

  • Sao Paulo $2,044
  • Libertyville, IL $3,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $4,987 in Libertyville, IL.

  • Sao Paulo $2,867
  • Libertyville, IL $4,987

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 52% less than in Libertyville, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 10% below, Libertyville, IL is 87% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 R$44.15
$15.12 $15.12
-42.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.61 R$246
$55.2 $55.2
-11.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.03 R$45.77
$10.12 $10.12
-10.77%
Cappuccino
$2.55 R$12.94
$4.45 $4.45
-42.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 R$6.83
$2.27 $2.27
-40.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 R$4.63
$2.31 $2.31
-60.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.07 R$15.55
$4.39 $4.39
-30.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 R$22.21
$6.09 $6.09
-28.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R$6.05
$0.77 $0.77
54.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.80 R$9.14
$3.08 $3.08
-41.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 R$7.51
$4.50 $4.50
-67.11%
Eggs
$2.82 R$14.31
$4.82 $4.82
-41.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.61 R$63.9
$11.30 $11.30
11.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.40 R$27.36
$9.58 $9.58
-43.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.76 R$54.6
$21.81 $21.81
-50.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.82 R$14.28
$6.03 $6.03
-53.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.82 R$9.25
$1.13 $1.13
61.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 R$8.14
$4.55 $4.55
-64.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 R$10.28
$5.76 $5.76
-64.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 R$7.40
$3.62 $3.62
-59.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 R$6.35
$4.26 $4.26
-70.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 R$6.32
$2.34 $2.34
-46.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 R$4.98
$1.28 $1.28
-23.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 R$15.18
$11.33 $11.33
-73.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.71 R$49.22
$12.13 $12.13
-19.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 R$9.32
$2.05 $2.05
-10.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 R$12.80
$3.48 $3.48
-27.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 R$5.41
$1.74 $1.74
-38.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.26 R$240
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 R$9.16
$5.05 $5.05
-64.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 R$5.14
$1.84 $1.84
-45.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.24 R$51.9
$49.63 $49.63
-79.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R$6.52
$0.96 $0.96
34.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.5K R$119.3K
$27.0K $27.0K
-12.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K R$174.9K
$26.4K $26.4K
30.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 R$527
$234 $234
-55.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.60 R$84.1
$51.7 $51.7
-67.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.04 R$112
$59.2 $59.2
-62.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.43 R$185
$37.44 $37.44
-2.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.29 R$240
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.69 R$49.12
$15.10 $15.10
-35.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$573 R$2,906
$1,323 $1,323
-56.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K R$85.8K
$19.9K $19.9K
-14.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.3 R$336
$52.3 $52.3
26.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.1 R$310
$40.16 $40.16
52.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.8 R$501
$110 $110
-10.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 R$463
$95.3 $95.3
-4.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$654 R$3,316
$1,412 $1,412
-53.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$418 R$2,120
$1,312 $1,312
-68.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,524 R$7,724
$2,278 $2,278
-33.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$992 R$5,028
$2,401 $2,401
-58.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,670 R$13.5K
$2,754 $2,754
-3.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,019 R$10.2K
$2,395 $2,395
-15.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Paulo
Libertyville, IL
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$900 R$4,563
$4,437 $4,437
-79.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.68
6.53
78.87%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Libertyville, IL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sao Paulo
$418
Libertyville, IL
$1.3K 214% $894
Groceries & Markets
Sao Paulo
$243
Libertyville, IL
$392 61.3% $149
Eating Out
Sao Paulo
$161
Libertyville, IL
$257 60.2% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Sao Paulo
$143
Libertyville, IL
$134 6.2% $8.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Paulo
$143
Libertyville, IL
$345 142% $203
Getting Around
Sao Paulo
$58
Libertyville, IL
$21 * 63.7% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Sao Paulo
$56
Libertyville, IL
$68 21.2% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $1,412 in Libertyville, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Libertyville, IL pays 393% 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 $55.0 in Libertyville, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $392 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Sao Paulo
🇺🇸 Libertyville, IL
🕒 Local time
03:00 3:00 AM
01:00 1:00 AM
2 h behind Sao Paulo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
11,451,999
20,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sao Paulo Libertyville, IL 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sao Paulo
  • Libertyville, IL

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 Libertyville, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sao Paulo or Libertyville, IL?
Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 107% lower than in Libertyville, IL. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Sao Paulo or in Libertyville, IL?
On paper, salaries run 393% lower in Libertyville, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Sao Paulo compared to Libertyville, IL?
Rent for a central apartment: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $1,412 in Libertyville, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Sao Paulo or in Libertyville, IL?
Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Libertyville, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Sao Paulo compared to Libertyville, IL?
All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo versus $2,530 in Libertyville, IL – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Sao Paulo or in Libertyville, IL?
At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,530 in Libertyville, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Libertyville, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Sao Paulo or Libertyville, IL?
Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Paulo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,222 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.
How safe is Sao Paulo compared to Libertyville, IL?
Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Libertyville, IL are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Libertyville, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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