Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Peterborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,183 in Peterborough, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Peterborough
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Peterborough Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Peterborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $2,183 in Peterborough.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Peterborough $2,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $3,165 in Peterborough.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Peterborough $3,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $4,148 in Peterborough.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Peterborough $4,148

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 43% less than in Peterborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 9% below, Peterborough is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$12.97 CA$18.34

-32.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$70.6 CA$99.8

-30.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$10.42 CA$14.73

-15.55%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$3.52 CA$4.98

-29.26%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.67 CA$2.37

-14.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.34 CA$1.89

-36.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$5.75 CA$8.13

-48.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$5.76 CA$8.14

-24.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$2.44 CA$3.45

-49.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$2.38 CA$3.36

-19.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$2.41 CA$3.40

-40.66%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$3.04 CA$4.29

-7.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$10.61 CA$15.00

20.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$11.16 CA$15.78

-51.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$12.70 CA$17.96

-16.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$3.36 CA$4.75

-18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.46 CA$2.07

23.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$3.35 CA$4.73

-51.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$4.13 CA$5.83

-51.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.65 CA$2.33

-15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$2.28 CA$3.22

-44.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$2.32 CA$3.28

-44.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.46 CA$2.06

-34.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$11.39 CA$16.10

-73.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$12.69 CA$17.95

-21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.28 CA$3.22

-18.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$1.56 CA$2.21

62.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$2.25 CA$3.18

-51.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

$45.82 CA$64.8

6.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.92 CA$4.13

-36.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.26 CA$1.78

-21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$20.64 CA$29.18

-50.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.14 CA$1.61

17.54%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$27.5K CA$38.9K

-11.19%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$19.0K CA$26.8K

78.76%

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

$104 R$529

$142 CA$200

-26.20%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$34.77 CA$49.16

-51.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$44.99 CA$63.6

-50.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$43.93 CA$62.1

-18.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$14.12 CA$19.97

234.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.14 CA$15.75

-9.69%

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

$579 R$2,936

$347 CA$491

66.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$10.4K CA$14.6K

64.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$42.26 CA$59.7

55.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$37.02 CA$52.3

64.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$85.0 CA$120

18.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$72.3 CA$102

27.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$1,390 CA$1,965

-52.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$1,164 CA$1,646

-63.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$2,066 CA$2,920

-26.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$1,805 CA$2,552

-43.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$6,470 CA$9,147

-57.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$6,154 CA$8,700

-67.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$2,937 CA$4,152

-69.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.55

156.70%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Peterborough: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Peterborough

$1.2K 53.3% 172% $736

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Peterborough

$331 15.2% 35.7% $87

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Peterborough

$230 10.5% 44% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Peterborough

$106 4.9% 25.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Peterborough

$221 10.1% 54.4% $78

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Peterborough

$64 2.9% 6.9% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Peterborough

$66 3% 18.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sao Paulo and $1,390 in Peterborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Peterborough pays 223% 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 $71.0 in Peterborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $331 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Peterborough

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

81,032

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Peterborough 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Peterborough

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 Peterborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 223% lower in Peterborough. 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: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $1,390 in Peterborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Paulo runs roughly 6% less than in Peterborough. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $347 in Peterborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $2,183 in Peterborough, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Peterborough. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Peterborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.