Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Merrillville, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Merrillville, IN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Merrillville, IN $2,597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $3,672 in Merrillville, IN.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Merrillville, IN $3,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $4,748 in Merrillville, IN.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Merrillville, IN $4,748

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 53% less than in Merrillville, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 10% below, Merrillville, IN is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$14.93 $14.93

-41.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$55.9 $55.9

-13.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$9.88 $9.88

-8.60%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$4.63 $4.63

-44.92%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$2.19 $2.19

-38.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$2.24 $2.24

-59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$4.54 $4.54

-32.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$5.90 $5.90

-25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$0.74 $0.74

60.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$3.19 $3.19

-43.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$4.54 $4.54

-67.40%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$4.63 $4.63

-39.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$11.10 $11.10

13.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$9.61 $9.61

-43.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$21.94 $21.94

-50.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$5.75 $5.75

-50.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.12 $1.12

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$4.39 $4.39

-63.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$5.49 $5.49

-63.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$3.68 $3.68

-60.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$4.40 $4.40

-71.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$2.45 $2.45

-48.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$1.27 $1.27

-22.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$11.36 $11.36

-73.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$12.22 $12.22

-20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$2.08 $2.08

-11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$3.43 $3.43

-26.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$2.02 $2.02

-47.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$4.95 $4.95

-63.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.87 $1.87

-45.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$50.3 $50.3

-79.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$0.93 $0.93

38.71%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$27.9K $27.9K

-15.55%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$27.0K $27.0K

27.68%

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

$104 R$527

$233 $233

-55.25%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$50.9 $50.9

-67.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$59.0 $59.0

-62.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$47.50 $47.50

-23.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$14.98 $14.98

-35.31%

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

$573 R$2,906

$1,397 $1,397

-58.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$20.4K $20.4K

-17.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$53.3 $53.3

24.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$40.39 $40.39

51.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$106 $106

-7.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$95.7 $95.7

-4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$1,510 $1,510

-56.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$1,374 $1,374

-69.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$2,410 $2,410

-36.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$2,148 $2,148

-53.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$2,523 $2,523

5.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$2,195 $2,195

-8.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.53

78.87%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9% 229% $956

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Merrillville, IN

$390 15% 60.5% $147

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9% 60% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1% 6.8% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2% 140% $200

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9% 61.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Merrillville, IN

$77 3% 38.8% $22

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 $654 in Sao Paulo and $1,510 in Merrillville, IN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $56.0 in Merrillville, IN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $390 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

36,444

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Merrillville, IN 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Merrillville, IN

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 Merrillville, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Merrillville, IN differ by about 113% in total monthly costs ($1,222 vs $2,597 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,833 in Sao Paulo and $3,895 in Merrillville, IN to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $1,510 in Merrillville, IN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Sao Paulo versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN – a 113% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 113% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.