Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Paulo is 14.1% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 9.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 15% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 14.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.38 R$39.39

$7.43 R$39.62

-0.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.15 R$209

$36.44 R$194

7.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 R$38.26

$6.44 R$34.38

11.34%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R$11.24

$2 R$10.65

5.50%

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

$1.19 R$6.35

$1.28 R$6.83

-7.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.44

$0.86 R$4.57

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.1 R$11.19

$1.85 R$9.85

13.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 R$15.19

$2.73 R$14.57

4.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.43

$1.16 R$6.19

-12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 R$9.47

$1.7 R$9.06

4.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.89

$1.47 R$7.83

-12.24%

Eggs

$2.39 R$12.74

$2.01 R$10.71

18.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 R$58.2

$8.04 R$42.89

35.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 R$22.5

$3.55 R$18.92

18.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.89 R$47.46

$8.31 R$44.32

6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$15.13

$2.41 R$12.85

17.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R$10.3

$1.56 R$8.3

23.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 R$8.96

$1.51 R$8.05

11.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.86

$1.57 R$8.4

17.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.6

$1.26 R$6.71

12.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.3 R$6.94

$1.11 R$5.94

17.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$4.93

$0.68 R$3.61

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.69

$0.6 R$3.22

15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 R$13.71

$2 R$10.65

28.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 R$43.96

$7.38 R$39.39

11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R$7.15

$1.23 R$6.55

8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.68

$2.07 R$11.06

14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$4.95

$1.24 R$6.64

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.51 R$243

$38.66 R$206

17.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R$5.93

$1.08 R$5.77

2.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R$3.99

$0.65 R$3.46

15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.95 R$47.78

$7.69 R$41.04

16.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.91

$1.07 R$5.69

3.74%

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

$21.3K R$113.7K

$20.7K R$110.5K

2.88%

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

$28.4K R$151.7K

$27.1K R$144.8K

4.75%

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

$55.6 R$297

$102 R$542

-45.28%

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

$13.16 R$70.2

$12.03 R$64.2

9.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.26 R$108

$19.2 R$102

5.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.8 R$154

$26.04 R$139

10.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.03 R$192

$24.41 R$130

47.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.13 R$43.39

$6.48 R$34.57

25.46%

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

$488 R$2,604

$556 R$2,966

-12.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K R$82.1K

$11.5K R$61.6K

33.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51 R$272

$45.55 R$243

11.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.86 R$229

$41.67 R$222

2.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 R$425

$75.8 R$404

5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.6 R$393

$61.2 R$327

20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 R$3,502

$441 R$2,352

48.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 R$2,144

$332 R$1,770

21.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 R$6,824

$843 R$4,499

51.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 R$4,007

$571 R$3,045

31.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,855 R$15.2K

$2,327 R$12.4K

22.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 R$10.8K

$1,233 R$6,579

64.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$809 R$4,316

$469 R$2,502

72.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.56

11.33

2.03%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: November 29, 2025

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 30, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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