Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,312 in London, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,312 in London.

Sao Paulo $1,244
London $2,312

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $3,278 in London.

Sao Paulo $2,085
London $3,278

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $4,243 in London.

Sao Paulo $2,926
London $4,243

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 46% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, London is 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$21.22 CA$30.24

-57.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$62.6 CA$89.3

-21.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$12.36 CA$17.61

-25.40%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$3.65 CA$5.20

-30.41%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$2.18 CA$3.10

-33.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$2.06 CA$2.94

-55.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$6.47 CA$9.22

-52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$6.47 CA$9.23

-32.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.95 CA$2.78

-34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.61 CA$3.72

-29.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$3.94 CA$5.62

-64.21%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$3.74 CA$5.34

-24.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$9.83 CA$14.02

27.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$11.28 CA$16.08

-52.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$15.02 CA$21.40

-28.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$4.24 CA$6.04

-35.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.29 CA$1.84

40.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$3.85 CA$5.49

-59.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$4.06 CA$5.79

-51.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$3.17 CA$4.53

-53.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$3.02 CA$4.31

-58.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$2.58 CA$3.68

-50.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.46 CA$2.09

-34.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$11.98 CA$17.08

-74.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$12.50 CA$17.82

-18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$2.40 CA$3.43

-27.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$2.87 CA$4.09

-8.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$2.26 CA$3.22

-53.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$77.4 CA$110

-37.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$2.51 CA$3.58

-27.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.60 CA$2.29

-36.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$21.83 CA$31.11

-53.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.17 CA$1.67

8.55%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$27.8K CA$39.6K

-12.42%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$22.7K CA$32.4K

49.49%

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

$104 R$519

$135 CA$193

-23.04%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$39.06 CA$55.7

-58.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$56.4 CA$80.3

-59.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$37.00 CA$52.7

-1.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$28.27 CA$40.29

69.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$10.41 CA$14.84

-5.38%

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

$525 R$2,622

$407 CA$579

29.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$20.2K CA$28.8K

-17.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$52.0 CA$74.1

28.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$38.12 CA$54.3

63.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$82.8 CA$118

22.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$90.7 CA$129

0.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$1,270 CA$1,810

-47.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$1,148 CA$1,636

-63.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$2,013 CA$2,870

-24.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$1,703 CA$2,428

-40.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$3,440 CA$4,904

-20.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$3,519 CA$5,015

-41.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$2,882 CA$4,108

-69.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.72

147.46%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

London

$1.1K 49.4% 172% $725

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

London

$358 15.4% 47.2% $115

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

London

$313 13.5% 91.6% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

London

$119 5.1% 17.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

London

$230 9.9% 61.5% $88

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

London

$97 4.2% 63.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

London

$58 2.5% 3.3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $1,270 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 227% 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 $63.0 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $358 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 London

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

03:51 3:51 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

383,822

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Sao Paulo
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 227% lower in London. 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 $1,270 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo versus $2,312 in London – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Paulo runs roughly 61% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,312 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Paulo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.