Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $2,416 in Markham.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Markham $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $3,465 in Markham.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Markham $3,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $4,514 in Markham.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Markham $4,514

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 49% less than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 9% below, Markham is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.22

$17.37 CA$24.70

-49.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$248

$53.4 CA$76.0

-7.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.17

$10.47 CA$14.89

-15.95%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.50

$3.81 CA$5.42

-34.65%

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

$1.42 R$7.11

$1.70 CA$2.42

-16.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.26

$1.17 CA$1.67

-27.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$14.95

$3.59 CA$5.10

-16.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$21.79

$5.62 CA$7.99

-22.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.21

$1.94 CA$2.76

-36.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.56

$2.22 CA$3.16

-13.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.17

$1.90 CA$2.70

-24.74%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.08

$2.99 CA$4.25

-6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$63.9

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.16

$11.70 CA$16.64

-53.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$53.4

$6.81 CA$9.68

56.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.81

$3.69 CA$5.25

-25.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.10

$1.26 CA$1.80

43.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.18

$2.33 CA$3.31

-30.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.05

$3.26 CA$4.63

-38.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.03

$2.05 CA$2.92

-31.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.37

$1.96 CA$2.79

-35.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.41

$2.87 CA$4.08

-55.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.78

$1.48 CA$2.11

-35.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$14.99

$13.44 CA$19.11

-77.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$49.97

$14.53 CA$20.66

-31.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.28

$2.40 CA$3.41

-22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.77

$3.19 CA$4.54

-20.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.45

$3.04 CA$4.32

-64.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$245

$89.3 CA$127

-45.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.29

$3.31 CA$4.71

-44.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$51.6

$18.60 CA$26.44

-44.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.71

$1.13 CA$1.61

18.58%

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

$24.4K R$122.5K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

-13.17%

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

$33.9K R$170.3K

$18.1K CA$25.8K

87.29%

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

$104 R$524

$125 CA$178

-16.71%

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

$16.71 R$83.9

$26.20 CA$37.26

-36.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$111

$45.69 CA$65.0

-51.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$180

$42.62 CA$60.6

-15.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$237

$21.28 CA$30.26

122.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$50.5

$10.19 CA$14.49

-1.28%

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

$579 R$2,906

$870 CA$1,237

-33.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$85.7K

$27.5K CA$39.0K

-37.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$329

$43.21 CA$61.4

51.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$306

$37.22 CA$52.9

63.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$504

$91.1 CA$130

10.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$462

$105 CA$149

-12.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,307

$1,554 CA$2,210

-57.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,148

$1,391 CA$1,978

-69.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,599

$2,699 CA$3,838

-43.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,148

$2,236 CA$3,179

-54.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$13.9K

$5,896 CA$8,382

-52.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.1K

$5,309 CA$7,549

-62.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,562

$3,132 CA$4,453

-70.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.56

156.14%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Markham

$1.4K 57.6% 225% $963

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Markham

$279 * 11.5% 14% $34

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Markham

$257 10.6% 61% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Markham

$124 5.2% 13.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Markham

$197 8.2% 37.6% $54

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Markham

$105 * 4.3% 74.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Markham

$63 2.6% 12.6% $7.1

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 $659 in Sao Paulo and $1,554 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 244% 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 $53.0 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $279 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

338,503

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Sao Paulo
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 244% lower in Markham. 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: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $1,554 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $870 in Markham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Markham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $2,416 in Markham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Paulo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,235 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Markham 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 96% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.