Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $3,149 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Philipsburg
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Philipsburg Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $3,149 in Philipsburg.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Philipsburg $3,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $6,004 in Philipsburg.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Philipsburg $6,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $8,859 in Philipsburg.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Philipsburg $8,859

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 60% less than in Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Philipsburg is 135% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$15.49 ANG 27.73

-42.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$70.8 ANG 127

-30.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$8.04 ANG 14.39

14.68%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$4.38 ANG 7.83

-42.01%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$2.90 ANG 5.19

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$4.11 ANG 7.35

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$2.97 ANG 5.31

3.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$6.55 ANG 11.72

-33.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$3.06 ANG 5.48

-58.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.64 ANG 4.72

-30.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$2.53 ANG 4.53

-44.27%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$6.54 ANG 11.70

-56.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$18.69 ANG 33.46

-32.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$13.75 ANG 24.61

-60.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$14.89 ANG 26.66

-28.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$5.07 ANG 9.07

-45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$5.07 ANG 9.08

-64.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$9.20 ANG 16.46

-83.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$7.58 ANG 13.57

-73.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$4.06 ANG 7.27

-63.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$4.04 ANG 7.22

-69.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$4.88 ANG 8.74

-73.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.34 ANG 2.40

-28.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$8.16 ANG 14.61

-62.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$10.82 ANG 19.37

-5.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$5.13 ANG 9.19

-66.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$2.26 ANG 4.05

-53.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$1.47 ANG 2.63

3172.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$15.04 ANG 26.92

-87.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

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

$104 R$519

$152 ANG 271

-31.40%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$32.40 ANG 58.0

-50.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$65.8 ANG 118

-65.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$62.7 ANG 112

-42.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$10.92 ANG 19.54

-9.80%

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

$525 R$2,622

$248 ANG 443

112.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$12.0K ANG 21.4K

38.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$2,145 ANG 3,840

-69.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$1,994 ANG 3,570

-78.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$6,614 ANG 11.8K

-76.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$6,466 ANG 11.6K

-84.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$1,132 ANG 2,026

-22.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

133.60%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Philipsburg: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Philipsburg

$2K 64.2% 372% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Philipsburg

$496 * 16% 104% $253

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Philipsburg

$256 8.3% 57.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Philipsburg

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Philipsburg

$250 8% 75% $107

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Philipsburg

$26 * 0.8% 56.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Philipsburg

$85 2.7% 51% $29

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 $2,145 in Philipsburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philipsburg pays 29% 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 Philipsburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $496 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.499 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, 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).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.499 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Philipsburg 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Philipsburg

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 Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 153% lower than in Philipsburg. 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 29% lower in Philipsburg. 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 $2,145 in Philipsburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 104% higher in Philipsburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $71.0 in Philipsburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $3,149 in Philipsburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Philipsburg. 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 153% less than in Philipsburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.