Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Oshawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,331 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,331 in Oshawa.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Oshawa $2,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $3,293 in Oshawa.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Oshawa $3,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $4,255 in Oshawa.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Oshawa $4,255

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 47% less than in Oshawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Oshawa is 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$13.89 CA$19.81

-35.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$60.6 CA$86.3

-18.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$8.41 CA$11.98

9.63%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$3.36 CA$4.79

-24.40%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$1.74 CA$2.49

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$1.39 CA$1.99

-34.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$4.83 CA$6.89

-36.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$5.83 CA$8.31

-25.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$2.88 CA$4.11

-55.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.86 CA$4.07

-35.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$4.05 CA$5.78

-65.19%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$2.93 CA$4.18

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$9.59 CA$13.67

30.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$13.92 CA$19.84

-61.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$16.33 CA$23.28

-34.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$4.31 CA$6.14

-36.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.22 CA$1.74

48.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$2.79 CA$3.98

-44.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$3.74 CA$5.33

-47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$3.33 CA$4.75

-55.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$2.60 CA$3.70

-52.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$2.23 CA$3.18

-43.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.72 CA$2.45

-44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$14.14 CA$20.15

-78.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$12.27 CA$17.49

-16.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$3.54 CA$5.05

-51.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$3.56 CA$5.07

-25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$2.48 CA$3.53

-58.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$69.7 CA$99.4

-31.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$3.56 CA$5.07

-48.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$0.68 CA$0.96

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$17.25 CA$24.59

-41.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.09 CA$1.55

16.51%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$28.2K CA$40.2K

-13.85%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$19.7K CA$28.1K

72.73%

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

$104 R$519

$137 CA$196

-24.25%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$37.26 CA$53.1

-56.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$51.8 CA$73.9

-56.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$28.53 CA$40.66

27.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$28.76 CA$41.00

66.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$10.43 CA$14.87

-5.56%

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

$525 R$2,622

$1,199 CA$1,709

-56.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$55.5 CA$79.1

20.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$55.2 CA$78.6

12.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$102 CA$146

-1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$128 CA$182

-29.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$1,375 CA$1,959

-51.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$1,180 CA$1,682

-64.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$1,945 CA$2,772

-21.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$1,794 CA$2,558

-43.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$5,188 CA$7,394

-47.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$10.2K CA$14.5K

-79.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$2,881 CA$4,107

-69.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.53

157.84%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Oshawa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Oshawa

$1.2K 51.2% 179% $757

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Oshawa

$386 16.7% 58.5% $142

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Oshawa

$225 9.8% 37.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Oshawa

$153 6.7% 6.1% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Oshawa

$226 9.8% 58.6% $84

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Oshawa

$87 3.8% 46.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Oshawa

$49 2.1% 11.8% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $1,375 in Oshawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oshawa pays 227% 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 $61.0 in Oshawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $386 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

159,458

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Oshawa 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Oshawa

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 Oshawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in Oshawa. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Paulo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 227% lower in Oshawa. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $1,375 in Oshawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $61.0 in Oshawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Sao Paulo versus $2,331 in Oshawa – a 87% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,331 in Oshawa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Oshawa. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Paulo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,244 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Paulo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Oshawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.