Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Maceio - Alagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $790 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
Learn more

Maceio - Alagoas Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Sao Paulo versus $790 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Maceio - Alagoas $790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,948 in Sao Paulo versus $1,239 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Maceio - Alagoas $1,239

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,713 in Sao Paulo versus $1,689 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Maceio - Alagoas $1,689

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 50% more expensive than in Maceio - Alagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 13% lower, Maceio - Alagoas 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$44.36

$5.70 R$30.99

42.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$254

$27.39 R$149

70.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.84

$5.43 R$29.51

51.75%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$13.12

$1.67 R$9.06

44.31%

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

$1.32 R$7.18

$1.03 R$5.62

28.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.60

$0.48 R$2.64

77.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$15.11

$1.50 R$8.18

85.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.61

$3.89 R$21.17

6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.24

$1.01 R$5.51

13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.18

$1.86 R$10.14

-9.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.33

$0.99 R$5.40

36.36%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.64

$1.81 R$9.87

48.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$64.1

$8.63 R$46.92

36.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$27.02

$4.19 R$22.79

18.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.9

$6.96 R$37.87

45.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.93

$2.66 R$14.45

-3.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.48

$1.06 R$5.75

64.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.84

$1.27 R$6.91

13.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.93

$1.29 R$6.99

41.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$7.02

$1.37 R$7.43

-5.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.35

$1.18 R$6.44

-0.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.65

$0.51 R$2.78

139.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.84

$0.71 R$3.87

25.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.97

$1.93 R$10.52

42.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$50.4

$6.66 R$36.23

39.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.39

$1.43 R$7.76

20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.93

$1.34 R$7.30

77.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.57

$0.73 R$3.96

39.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$245

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.33

$0.38 R$2.08

352.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.86

$0.39 R$2.10

128.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$51.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.69

$1.13 R$6.12

8.85%

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

$22.3K R$121.4K

$20.5K R$111.5K

8.92%

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

$32.5K R$176.7K

$29.5K R$160.3K

10.23%

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

$98.2 R$534

$75.0 R$408

30.95%

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

$15.47 R$84.2

$15.20 R$82.7

1.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$113

$16.66 R$90.6

24.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$173

$22.39 R$122

42.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$241

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$49.35

$5.74 R$31.21

58.01%

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

$512 R$2,787

$204 R$1,111

150.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$86.1K

$6,698 R$36.4K

136.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$327

$50.7 R$276

18.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$311

$72.2 R$393

-20.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$505

$89.0 R$484

4.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$468

$73.8 R$402

16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,435

$272 R$1,477

132.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,358

$233 R$1,267

86.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,365

$459 R$2,499

194.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,208

$447 R$2,430

114.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.5K

$1,407 R$7,655

76.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.4K

$659 R$3,584

189.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,449

$552 R$3,005

48.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.17

14.85%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Maceio - Alagoas

$233 29.5% 46.3% $201

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Maceio - Alagoas

$179 22.7% 21.1% $48

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Maceio - Alagoas

$103 13.1% 31.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Maceio - Alagoas

$107 13.5% 20.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Maceio - Alagoas

$129 16.3% 3.5% $4.7

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.2 * 0.7% 90.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Maceio - Alagoas

$34 4.3% 32.3% $16

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 $632 in Sao Paulo and $272 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 48% 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: $47 in Sao Paulo vs $27 in Maceio - Alagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $179 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

1,031,597

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Maceio - Alagoas 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maceio - Alagoas is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $632 in Sao Paulo versus $272 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,183 per month in Sao Paulo versus $790 in Maceio - Alagoas – Maceio - Alagoas is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $790 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,183 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maceio - Alagoas 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.

It comes down to priorities – Maceio - Alagoas wins on affordability, Sao Paulo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.