Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Midlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $621 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Midlands
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Midlands Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Midlands

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Sao Paulo vs $621 in Midlands, rent included.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Midlands $621

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,041 in Midlands, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Midlands $1,041

A family of three spends $2,911 per month in Sao Paulo vs $1,461 in Midlands, rent included.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Midlands $1,461

Sao Paulo costs about 99% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Sao Paulo and Midlands are more affordable than the global median – Sao Paulo 9% lower, Midlands 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$5.78 MUR 272

52.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$38.17 MUR 1,797

29.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$7.46 MUR 351

17.96%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.69 MUR 127

-7.43%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.12 MUR 52.8

26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.67 MUR 31.64

26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.60 MUR 123

14.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$4.74 MUR 223

-8.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.60 MUR 75.3

-22.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$0.71 MUR 33.65

169.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.10 MUR 51.8

30.00%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.63 MUR 124

6.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$5.33 MUR 251

139.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$6.14 MUR 289

-11.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$11.08 MUR 522

-3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$2.74 MUR 129

0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$2.64 MUR 125

-31.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.42 MUR 67.1

14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$2.98 MUR 140

-32.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$0.92 MUR 43.45

52.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.00 MUR 47.23

27.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.68 MUR 31.98

88.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.88 MUR 41.57

7.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$6.47 MUR 304

-53.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$8.63 MUR 406

15.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.64 MUR 77.2

12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.35 MUR 111

8.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$4.23 MUR 199

-56.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$3.13 MUR 148

-68.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$21.28 MUR 1,002

-51.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.40 MUR 65.8

-4.29%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-33.94%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$31.1K MUR 1.5M

9.10%

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

$104 R$529

$44.88 MUR 2,113

132.73%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$10.59 MUR 499

57.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$29.02 MUR 1,366

-23.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.46 MUR 304

55.73%

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

$579 R$2,936

$128 MUR 6,031

352.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$7,748 MUR 364.8K

120.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$77.7 MUR 3,657

-15.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$72.9 MUR 3,433

-16.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$121 MUR 5,712

-17.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$76.1 MUR 3,584

20.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.67

75.11%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Midlands: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Midlands

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Midlands

$216 34.9% 11.4% $28

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Midlands

$131 21% 18.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Midlands

$157 25.2% 9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Midlands

$85 13.6% 41% $59

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Midlands

$20 * 3.2% 66.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Midlands

$13 * 2.1% 76.9% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Sao Paulo versus $38.00 in Midlands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $216 – making Midlands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇲🇺 Midlands

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

01:07 1:07 AM

7 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

4,546

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Midlands 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Midlands

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 Midlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo costs about 99% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,852 per month in Sao Paulo and $931 in Midlands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,235 in Sao Paulo and $621 in Midlands. That's a gap of about 99%.

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Sao Paulo and $128 in Midlands. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Midlands, where all-in costs run around $621, than in Sao Paulo at $1,235. In Midlands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Paulo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Midlands costs $621 versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Midlands. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sao Paulo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.