Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Recife Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Recife

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Paulo is 17.8% more expensive than Recife without rent, and 33.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 20.5% more expensive than Recife without rent, and 25.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.35 R$38.60
$5.07 R$26.61
44.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.70 R$208
$27.43 R$144
44.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.36 R$38.65
$6.65 R$34.91
10.68%
Cappuccino
$2.02 R$10.58
$1.76 R$9.22
14.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.20 R$6.31
$0.88 R$4.64
36.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 R$4.77
$0.53 R$2.78
71.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 R$11.14
$1.40 R$7.34
51.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 R$15.44
$2.94 R$15.46
-
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 R$5.62
$1.15 R$6.02
-6.96%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 R$9.33
$1.39 R$7.29
28.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.36 R$7.12
$1.28 R$6.70
6.25%
Eggs
$2.36 R$12.37
$2.31 R$12.12
2.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.16 R$58.6
$7.13 R$37.45
56.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.36 R$22.88
$3.52 R$18.46
23.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.14 R$47.99
$6.81 R$35.76
34.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 R$14.34
$2.23 R$11.70
22.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 R$10.02
$1.28 R$6.74
49.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 R$8.63
$1.12 R$5.89
46.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 R$9.57
$1.59 R$8.37
14.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.42 R$7.46
$1.27 R$6.69
11.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 R$6.83
$1.04 R$5.44
25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 R$4.92
$0.50 R$2.65
88.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 R$3.83
$0.75 R$3.93
-2.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.55 R$13.41
$1.60 R$8.41
59.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.71 R$51.0
$7.88 R$41.39
23.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 R$7.04
$1.20 R$6.31
11.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 R$12.21
$1.67 R$8.77
39.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 R$4.92
$0.71 R$3.75
32.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.94 R$236
$35.96 R$189
24.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.06 R$5.56
$1.09 R$5.72
-2.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.75 R$3.92
$0.67 R$3.51
11.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.36 R$49.15
$3.63 R$19.03
157.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 R$5.74
$1.08 R$5.68
0.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K R$112.8K
$16.5K R$86.7K
30.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.8K R$151.1K
$22.1K R$116.1K
30.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.9 R$288
$70.4 R$369
-21.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 R$68.9
$15.88 R$83.4
-17.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.01 R$105
$16.52 R$86.7
21.13%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.15 R$153
$20.17 R$106
44.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.83 R$188
$31.14 R$163
15.06%
Cinema Ticket
$7.95 R$41.76
$7.14 R$37.47
11.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$507 R$2,661
$259 R$1,360
95.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.5K R$81.3K
$10.8K R$56.9K
42.97%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.9 R$267
$43.03 R$226
18.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.83 R$225
$51.5 R$270
-16.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.5 R$417
$84.8 R$445
-6.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.5 R$391
$76.2 R$400
-2.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$667 R$3,504
$323 R$1,696
106.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$413 R$2,166
$199 R$1,045
107.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,307 R$6,863
$590 R$3,096
121.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$762 R$4,001
$541 R$2,843
40.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,834 R$14.9K
$1,911 R$10.0K
48.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,141 R$11.2K
$1,029 R$5,400
108.17%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Sao Paulo
Recife
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$828 R$4,345
$415 R$2,178
99.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.56
15
-22.93%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: March 1, 2026

Last update for Recife: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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