Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Mount Pleasant, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Mount Pleasant, SC
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Mount Pleasant, SC Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Mount Pleasant, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Mount Pleasant, SC

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 Mount Pleasant, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Mount Pleasant, SC $2,569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $3,832 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Mount Pleasant, SC $3,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $5,095 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Mount Pleasant, SC $5,095

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 52% less than in Mount Pleasant, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Mount Pleasant, SC is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.51

$20.23 $20.23

-55.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$246

$80.4 $80.4

-38.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$45.87

$10.93 $10.93

-15.65%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.67

$5.65 $5.65

-55.04%

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

$1.45 R$7.23

$2.74 $2.74

-47.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.54

$2.24 $2.24

-59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.26

$6.16 $6.16

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.69

$8.20 $8.20

-46.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.31

$1.01 $1.01

25.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.14

$4.19 $4.19

-56.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.03

$3.29 $3.29

-57.14%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.16

$4.26 $4.26

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.5

$16.77 $16.77

-25.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.73

$14.49 $14.49

-62.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.4

$18.00 $18.00

-40.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.63

$5.18 $5.18

-47.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.00

$1.50 $1.50

20.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.72

$4.66 $4.66

-66.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.87

$4.70 $4.70

-57.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.32

$3.72 $3.72

-60.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.18

$3.18 $3.18

-61.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.33

$1.98 $1.98

-35.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.78

$2.26 $2.26

-57.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.12

$10.12 $10.12

-69.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.7

$15.73 $15.73

-35.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.62

$2.42 $2.42

-28.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.16

$3.03 $3.03

-12.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.16

$2.20 $2.20

-52.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$239

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.05

$2.94 $2.94

-38.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.06

$1.21 $1.21

-15.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.6

$29.68 $29.68

-65.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.33

$0.98 $0.98

29.59%

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

$24.3K R$121.1K

$34.6K $34.6K

-29.71%

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

$34.0K R$169.3K

$25.0K $25.0K

36.02%

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

$104 R$517

$173 $173

-39.79%

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

$16.16 R$80.4

$66.3 $66.3

-75.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$112

$81.3 $81.3

-72.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$41.67 $41.67

-12.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$238

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.04

$14.25 $14.25

-30.88%

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

$525 R$2,614

$1,277 $1,277

-58.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.5K

$24.7K $24.7K

-32.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$333

$50.8 $50.8

31.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$310

$36.74 $36.74

69.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$503

$96.2 $96.2

5.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$452

$138 $138

-33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,299

$1,574 $1,574

-57.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,104

$1,177 $1,177

-64.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,600

$2,731 $2,731

-44.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,020

$2,095 $2,095

-51.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$2,793 $2,793

-1.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$2,657 $2,657

-22.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,383

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.48

80.25%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mount Pleasant, SC: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$1.2K 47.1% 179% $754

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$438 17.6% 80.2% $195

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$330 13.2% 102% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$145 5.8% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$320 12.8% 125% $178

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$18 * 0.7% 69.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$70 2.8% 25.3% $14

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 $663 in Sao Paulo and $1,574 in Mount Pleasant, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $80.0 in Mount Pleasant, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $438 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Mount Pleasant, SC

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

15,202

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Mount Pleasant, SC 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Mount Pleasant, SC

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 Mount Pleasant, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Mount Pleasant, SC differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $2,569 including rent). Sao Paulo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,866 in Sao Paulo and $3,854 in Mount Pleasant, SC 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: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $1,574 in Mount Pleasant, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Mount Pleasant, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Mount Pleasant, SC. 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 107% less than in Mount Pleasant, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.