Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Passos

For one person, living is cheaper in Passos: $956 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Passos
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Passos Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Passos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $956 in Passos.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Passos $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $1,537 in Passos.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Passos $1,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $2,119 in Passos.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Passos $2,119

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 28% more expensive than in Passos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 10% lower, Passos 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$10.06 R$51.0

-13.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$35.57 R$180

36.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$8.86 R$44.91

1.92%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$2.28 R$11.54

11.84%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.34 R$6.80

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.95 R$4.80

-4.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$2.44 R$12.39

25.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$4.05 R$20.51

8.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.06 R$5.40

12.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$2.05 R$10.40

-12.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.37 R$6.95

8.03%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$2.61 R$13.22

8.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$10.74 R$54.4

17.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$4.97 R$25.18

8.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$10.75 R$54.5

0.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$2.34 R$11.87

20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.66 R$8.42

9.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$1.53 R$7.76

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$1.37 R$6.94

48.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$1.30 R$6.60

12.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$1.24 R$6.29

0.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$0.99 R$5.01

26.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.85 R$4.31

15.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$2.43 R$12.34

23.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$8.08 R$40.96

20.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.56 R$7.89

17.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$2.51 R$12.74

0.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$1.00 R$5.05

7.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$43.39 R$220

8.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.17 R$5.93

54.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$0.72 R$3.66

40.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$8.38 R$42.46

22.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.28 R$6.48

0.78%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$24.0K R$121.6K

-1.89%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$32.0K R$162.0K

7.96%

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

$104 R$527

$67.4 R$342

54.29%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$15.00 R$76.1

10.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$22.66 R$115

-2.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$25.76 R$131

41.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$27.49 R$139

72.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$8.17 R$41.40

18.60%

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

$573 R$2,906

$443 R$2,246

29.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$10.8K R$54.8K

56.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$64.4 R$326

2.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$57.0 R$289

7.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$88.5 R$449

11.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$79.4 R$402

15.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$354 R$1,797

84.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$242 R$1,225

73.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$687 R$3,485

121.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$475 R$2,410

108.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$1,693 R$8,582

57.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$1,181 R$5,984

71.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

$419 R$2,122

115.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.81

8.05%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Passos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Passos

$242 25.3% 42.2% $176

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Passos

$221 23.1% 9.3% $23

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Passos

$164 17.2% 2.1% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Passos

$130 13.6% 8.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Passos

$105 11% 26.3% $38

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Passos

$52 5.5% 10.7% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Passos

$42 4.4% 24.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $354 in Passos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 115% 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 $36.00 in Passos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $221 per month, with Passos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Passos

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

111,939

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Passos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo and Passos differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,222 vs $956 including rent). Passos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 115% 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: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $354 in Passos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Passos – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $956 in Passos versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Passos but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Passos 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 Passos 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.