Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Lucknow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucknow: $373 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Lucknow
Learn more

Lucknow Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Lucknow

🇮🇳 India

$373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $373 in Lucknow.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Lucknow $373

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $573 in Lucknow.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Lucknow $573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $773 in Lucknow.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Lucknow $773

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 233% more expensive than in Lucknow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Lucknow 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$1.84 ₹178

385.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$10.53 ₹1,019

369.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$3.15 ₹305

192.70%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$1.58 ₹153

60.76%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$0.37 ₹35.52

291.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.13 ₹12.36

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$1.53 ₹148

100.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$2.34 ₹226

86.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$0.70 ₹68.2

81.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$0.44 ₹42.49

318.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$0.58 ₹56.4

143.10%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$0.98 ₹95.1

189.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$3.39 ₹328

270.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$2.56 ₹248

109.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$1.74 ₹168

57.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$0.62 ₹60.4

191.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$0.94 ₹90.6

64.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$0.50 ₹48.57

296.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$0.31 ₹30.34

374.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$0.44 ₹42.54

181.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.44 ₹42.93

188.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$0.30 ₹28.85

220.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$5.00 ₹484

-39.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$8.39 ₹812

21.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.65 ₹160

4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$2.53 ₹245

4.35%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.44 ₹526

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.44 ₹42.58

136.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$5.07 ₹491

848.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$0.95 ₹91.8

91.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$0.20 ₹19.34

410.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$1.17 ₹113

768.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.11 ₹108

14.41%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$12.7K ₹1.2M

91.45%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$21.5K ₹2.1M

58.09%

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

$104 R$519

$52.6 ₹5,089

97.68%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$3.67 ₹355

340.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$8.40 ₹813

168.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$15.82 ₹1,531

129.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$6.69 ₹647

614.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$3.02 ₹292

226.16%

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

$525 R$2,622

$39.14 ₹3,788

1241.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$965 ₹93.4K

1617.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$22.94 ₹2,220

191.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$24.48 ₹2,370

154.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$38.47 ₹3,723

162.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$25.68 ₹2,486

253.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$125 ₹12.1K

431.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$72.3 ₹6,994

484.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$349 ₹33.8K

337.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$174 ₹16.8K

480.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$1,268 ₹122.7K

116.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$544 ₹52.6K

280.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$332 ₹32.1K

165.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

8.53

36.93%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lucknow: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Lucknow

$72 19.4% 82.9% $350

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Lucknow

$97 26% 60.3% $147

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Lucknow

$57 15.5% 64.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Lucknow

$50 13.5% 65.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Lucknow

$65 17.4% 54.7% $78

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Lucknow

$8.8 2.4% 85.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Lucknow

$22 5.9% 61% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $125 in Lucknow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 166% 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 $11.00 in Lucknow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $97.0 per month, with Lucknow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇮🇳 Lucknow

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

4,588,455

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Lucknow 14,760 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Lucknow

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 Lucknow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lucknow is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 233% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 166% 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: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $125 in Lucknow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lucknow – a meal for two runs $11.00 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 $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo versus $373 in Lucknow – a 233% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $373 in Lucknow versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lucknow but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Lucknow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Lucknow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 233% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.