Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Montes Claros

For one person, living is cheaper in Montes Claros: $818 a month against $1,137 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Montes Claros
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Montes Claros Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,137

/mo nomad

Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Brazil

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Montes Claros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Sao Paulo versus $818 in Montes Claros.

Sao Paulo $1,137
Montes Claros $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,898 in Sao Paulo versus $1,288 in Montes Claros.

Sao Paulo $1,898
Montes Claros $1,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,660 in Sao Paulo versus $1,758 in Montes Claros.

Sao Paulo $2,660
Montes Claros $1,758

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 39% more expensive than in Montes Claros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 16% lower, Montes Claros 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 R$44.17

$3.26 R$17.79

148.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.75 R$255

$29.27 R$160

59.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 R$44.74

$7.33 R$40.03

11.73%

Cappuccino

$2.34 R$12.80

$1.81 R$9.87

29.28%

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

$1.35 R$7.36

$1.19 R$6.47

13.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.41

$0.69 R$3.77

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.83 R$15.44

$1.35 R$7.35

109.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 R$22.28

$2.83 R$15.44

44.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$6.03

$0.93 R$5.05

18.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 R$9.46

$1.59 R$8.67

8.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.04

$1.15 R$6.29

27.83%

Eggs

$2.55 R$13.90

$2.08 R$11.35

22.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.49 R$62.8

$9.47 R$51.7

21.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R$26.30

$3.98 R$21.71

21.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 R$54.7

$7.86 R$42.91

27.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 R$13.15

$2.42 R$13.23

-0.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.74

$1.22 R$6.65

31.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.50

$1.06 R$5.78

29.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.68

$1.51 R$8.26

17.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.15

$1.23 R$6.74

6.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.27

$1.00 R$5.46

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$6.32

$0.73 R$3.98

58.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.76

$0.65 R$3.58

33.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 R$14.75

$2.20 R$12.00

22.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.28 R$50.7

$7.21 R$39.39

28.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 R$8.86

$1.25 R$6.82

29.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$13.07

$2.08 R$11.34

14.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$5.23

$0.92 R$5.02

4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.95 R$240

$40.11 R$219

9.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.88

$1.15 R$6.27

9.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.89

$0.71 R$3.85

25.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.10 R$55.2

$7.12 R$38.88

41.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.42

$0.99 R$5.40

19.19%

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

$21.4K R$117.1K

$19.7K R$107.6K

8.84%

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

$32.3K R$176.4K

$34.4K R$187.6K

-5.96%

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

$93.0 R$508

$79.0 R$431

17.74%

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

$15.28 R$83.4

$10.66 R$58.2

43.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.65 R$107

$18.00 R$98.3

9.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 R$170

$24.05 R$131

29.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$258

$25.54 R$139

85.16%

Cinema Ticket

$9.36 R$51.1

$7.42 R$40.52

26.15%

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

$564 R$3,077

$296 R$1,616

90.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K R$136.8K

$6,015 R$32.8K

316.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 R$323

$51.2 R$279

15.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 R$306

$45.32 R$247

23.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 R$526

$81.1 R$443

18.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 R$475

$68.1 R$372

27.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 R$3,286

$341 R$1,862

76.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R$2,188

$240 R$1,313

66.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 R$7,332

$645 R$3,524

108.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 R$5,052

$453 R$2,473

104.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,514 R$13.7K

$1,777 R$9,703

41.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,866 R$10.2K

$1,287 R$7,028

44.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$863 R$4,712

$373 R$2,034

131.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

4.55%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Montes Claros: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$401 35.3%

Montes Claros

$240 29.4% 40% $160

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$222 19.5%

Montes Claros

$182 22.3% 17.8% $39

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$148 13.1%

Montes Claros

$90 11% 39.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$134 11.8%

Montes Claros

$111 13.5% 17.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$128 11.3%

Montes Claros

$108 13.2% 15.9% $20

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$54 4.7%

Montes Claros

$48 5.9% 9.4% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.4%

Montes Claros

$39 4.8% 22% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $602 in Sao Paulo and $341 in Montes Claros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Sao Paulo vs $29 in Montes Claros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $182 per month, with Montes Claros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Montes Claros

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

414,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Montes Claros 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Montes Claros

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 Montes Claros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,137 in Sao Paulo and $818 in Montes Claros, so Montes Claros is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sao Paulo is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $602 in Sao Paulo versus $341 in Montes Claros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montes Claros runs roughly 9% less than in Sao Paulo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $564 in Sao Paulo versus $296 in Montes Claros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Montes Claros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.