Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Saint John, New Brunswick

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,137 a month against $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,137

/mo nomad

Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Sao Paulo versus $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Sao Paulo $1,137
Saint John, New Brunswick $1,977

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,898 in Sao Paulo versus $2,872 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Sao Paulo $1,898
Saint John, New Brunswick $2,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,660 in Sao Paulo versus $3,767 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Sao Paulo $2,660
Saint John, New Brunswick $3,767

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 16% below, Saint John, New Brunswick is 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 R$44.53

$19.03 CA$26.77

-57.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.75 R$257

$60.8 CA$85.5

-23.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 R$45.10

$10.65 CA$14.98

-23.10%

Cappuccino

$2.34 R$12.90

$3.05 CA$4.29

-23.28%

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

$1.35 R$7.42

$1.73 CA$2.44

-21.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.45

$1.12 CA$1.58

-27.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.83 R$15.56

$4.55 CA$6.40

-37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 R$22.46

$5.13 CA$7.21

-20.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$6.08

$2.53 CA$3.55

-56.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 R$9.54

$2.72 CA$3.82

-36.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.11

$3.16 CA$4.45

-53.48%

Eggs

$2.55 R$14.01

$3.63 CA$5.11

-29.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.49 R$63.3

$13.41 CA$18.86

-14.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R$26.52

$9.16 CA$12.88

-47.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 R$55.2

$12.97 CA$18.24

-22.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 R$13.25

$4.92 CA$6.92

-51.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.81

$1.56 CA$2.20

2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.56

$4.13 CA$5.81

-66.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.76

$4.12 CA$5.80

-57.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.21

$2.01 CA$2.83

-34.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.32

$2.14 CA$3.01

-46.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$6.37

$2.60 CA$3.66

-55.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.80

$1.39 CA$1.95

-37.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 R$14.87

$14.19 CA$19.95

-80.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.28 R$51.1

$10.19 CA$14.33

-8.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 R$8.93

$1.74 CA$2.45

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$13.18

$2.16 CA$3.04

10.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$5.27

$2.18 CA$3.07

-55.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.95 R$242

$58.2 CA$81.9

-24.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.93

$2.82 CA$3.97

-55.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.92

$1.20 CA$1.69

-25.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.10 R$55.6

$21.49 CA$30.23

-53.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.47

$1.23 CA$1.73

-4.07%

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

$21.4K R$118.0K

$26.6K CA$37.3K

-19.22%

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

$32.3K R$177.8K

$21.6K CA$30.3K

49.86%

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

$93.0 R$512

$122 CA$171

-23.70%

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

$15.28 R$84.1

$41.38 CA$58.2

-63.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.65 R$108

$65.7 CA$92.4

-70.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 R$171

$36.77 CA$51.7

-15.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$260

$36.38 CA$51.2

29.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.36 R$51.5

$12.49 CA$17.57

-25.06%

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

$564 R$3,102

$386 CA$543

45.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K R$138.0K

$11.3K CA$15.9K

122.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 R$326

$49.43 CA$69.5

19.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 R$308

$36.24 CA$51.0

54.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 R$530

$102 CA$143

-5.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 R$479

$107 CA$150

-18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 R$3,313

$1,053 CA$1,481

-42.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R$2,206

$867 CA$1,219

-53.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 R$7,392

$1,514 CA$2,129

-11.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 R$5,093

$1,236 CA$1,738

-25.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,514 R$13.8K

$2,290 CA$3,220

9.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,866 R$10.3K

$1,746 CA$2,455

6.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$863 R$4,750

$2,608 CA$3,668

-66.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

4.69

145.20%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$401 35.3%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$867 43.8% 116% $466

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$222 19.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$346 17.5% 56.1% $125

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$148 13.1%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$265 13.4% 78.8% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$134 11.8%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.7% 1.4% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$128 11.3%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.6% 79% $101

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$54 4.7%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$76 3.8% 41.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.4%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$62 3.1% 23.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $602 in Sao Paulo and $1,053 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John, New Brunswick pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Sao Paulo vs $61 in Saint John, New Brunswick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $346 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

70,063

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Sao Paulo Saint John, New Brunswick 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 67% lower in Sao Paulo. 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: $602 in Sao Paulo versus $1,053 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $47 versus $61 in Saint John, New Brunswick. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,137 per month in Sao Paulo versus $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick – Sao Paulo is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,137 in Sao Paulo versus $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Saint John, New Brunswick. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo 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 Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Saint John, New Brunswick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.