Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Novosibirsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Novosibirsk: $1,105 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
Learn more

Novosibirsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $1,105 in Novosibirsk.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Novosibirsk $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,760 in Novosibirsk.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Novosibirsk $1,760

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $2,416 in Novosibirsk.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Novosibirsk $2,416

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 12% more expensive than in Novosibirsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Novosibirsk 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$11.39 ₽951

-22.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$48.13 ₽4,017

2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$5.87 ₽490

49.91%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.75 ₽229

-9.45%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.10 ₽92.0

29.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.56 ₽46.98

51.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$1.22 ₽102

144.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.65 ₽305

18.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.20 ₽100

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$0.66 ₽54.8

189.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.35 ₽113

5.93%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$1.65 ₽137

70.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$11.69 ₽976

8.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$4.59 ₽383

17.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$11.87 ₽991

-10.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$1.87 ₽156

47.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.74 ₽145

4.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.99 ₽166

-18.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$3.25 ₽271

-38.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$0.79 ₽66.1

77.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$0.63 ₽52.7

101.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.45 ₽121

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.80 ₽67.1

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$3.16 ₽264

-5.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$10.04 ₽838

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$0.94 ₽78.3

96.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$1.69 ₽141

50.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.55 ₽46.02

98.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$28.65 ₽2,391

70.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.43 ₽203

-23.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.50 ₽41.34

98.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$5.88 ₽491

75.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.80 ₽66.6

67.50%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$24.3K ₽2.0M

0.49%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$33.0K ₽2.8M

2.83%

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

$104 R$529

$108 ₽9,012

-3.26%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$7.19 ₽600

132.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$8.18 ₽683

171.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$36.00 ₽3,004

-0.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$29.88 ₽2,494

58.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.95 ₽580

44.75%

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

$579 R$2,936

$299 ₽24.9K

93.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$68.7 ₽5,732

-4.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$46.29 ₽3,863

31.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$138 ₽11.5K

-27.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$96.7 ₽8,073

-4.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$530 ₽44.2K

24.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$361 ₽30.1K

18.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$1,004 ₽83.8K

50.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$662 ₽55.2K

55.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$2,307 ₽192.5K

20.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,766 ₽147.4K

13.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$864 ₽72.1K

5.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

22.83

-48.84%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Novosibirsk

$361 32.7% 15.6% $67

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Novosibirsk

$215 19.5% 11.8% $29

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Novosibirsk

$162 14.7% 1.4% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Novosibirsk

$157 14.2% 9.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Novosibirsk

$123 11.2% 14% $20

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Novosibirsk

$36 3.2% 40.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Novosibirsk

$50 4.5% 10.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $530 in Novosibirsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 5% 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 $48.00 in Novosibirsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $215 per month, with Novosibirsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

02:25 2:25 AM

10 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

1,620,162

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Novosibirsk 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Novosibirsk

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 Novosibirsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novosibirsk is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Sao Paulo, 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: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $530 in Novosibirsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $299 in Novosibirsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,105 in Novosibirsk versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Novosibirsk but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Novosibirsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Novosibirsk is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sao Paulo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Novosibirsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.