Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Long Island, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $3,867 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 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
187

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Long Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Long Island, NY

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 Long Island, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $3,867 in Long Island, NY, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Long Island, NY $3,867

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $5,541 in Long Island, NY, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Long Island, NY $5,541

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $7,215 in Long Island, NY, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Long Island, NY $7,215

Sao Paulo is about 68% cheaper than Long Island, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sao Paulo sits 9% below the global median, while Long Island, NY is 186% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$25.36 $25.36

-65.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$101 $101

-51.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$10.94 $10.94

-19.56%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$5.07 $5.07

-50.89%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$2.14 $2.14

-33.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.59 $1.59

-46.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$8.06 $8.06

-63.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$7.87 $7.87

-44.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.27 $1.27

-2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$4.23 $4.23

-54.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.91 $1.91

-25.13%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$5.07 $5.07

-44.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$7.14 $7.14

78.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$11.65 $11.65

-53.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$16.63 $16.63

-36.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$4.11 $4.11

-33.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.26 $1.26

43.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$2.15 $2.15

-24.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$6.06 $6.06

-67.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.08 $1.08

29.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$2.25 $2.25

-43.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.48 $1.48

-13.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$2.83 $2.83

-66.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$11.27 $11.27

-73.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$17.38 $17.38

-42.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.70 $1.70

8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$4.06 $4.06

-37.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$2.76 $2.76

-60.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$131 $131

-62.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$3.05 $3.05

-39.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$2.08 $2.08

-52.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$24.16 $24.16

-57.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.12 $1.12

19.64%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$36.7K $36.7K

-33.44%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$25.5K $25.5K

33.33%

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

$104 R$529

$190 $190

-45.16%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$48.53 $48.53

-65.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$54.4 $54.4

-59.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$31.55 $31.55

13.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$102 $102

-53.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$14.23 $14.23

-29.30%

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

$579 R$2,936

$2,219 $2,219

-73.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$24.0K $24.0K

-28.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$40.01 $40.01

64.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$56.5 $56.5

8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$75.7 $75.7

32.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$158 $158

-41.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$2,715 $2,715

-75.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$2,463 $2,463

-82.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$5,300 $5,300

-71.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$3,883 $3,883

-73.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$4,360 $4,360

-36.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$4,364 $4,364

-54.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$4,983 $4,983

-81.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.63

76.17%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Long Island, NY: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Long Island, NY

$2.5K 63.7% 475% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Long Island, NY

$378 9.8% 54.9% $134

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Long Island, NY

$368 9.5% 130% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Long Island, NY

$149 3.8% 3.5% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Long Island, NY

$293 7.6% 105% $150

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Long Island, NY

$155 4% 159% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Long Island, NY

$60 1.6% 7.3% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Sao Paulo versus $2,715 in Long Island, NY. 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 448% higher in Long Island, NY, 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 $101 in Long Island, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $378 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

17:32 5:32 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

7,804,968

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Long Island, NY 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Long Island, NY

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 Long Island, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo, $3,867 in Long Island, NY – roughly 213% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $5,800 in Long Island, NY. 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 $2,219 in Long Island, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Long Island, NY, 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 Long Island, NY at $3,867. In Sao Paulo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Island, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Long Island, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,235 in Sao Paulo to $3,867 in Long Island, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Long Island, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.