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

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Paulo is 9.7% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 30.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 13% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 23.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 R$38.60

$4.39 R$23.06

67.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 R$208

$32.64 R$171

21.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 R$38.65

$6.80 R$35.72

8.24%

Cappuccino

$2.02 R$10.58

$1.74 R$9.16

16.09%

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

$1.20 R$6.31

$1.16 R$6.09

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.77

$0.68 R$3.56

33.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 R$11.14

$1.45 R$7.63

46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 R$15.44

$3.03 R$15.89

-2.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.62

$1.09 R$5.74

-1.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 R$9.33

$1.50 R$7.90

18.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$7.12

$2.68 R$14.06

-49.25%

Eggs

$2.36 R$12.37

$2.32 R$12.19

1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 R$58.6

$9.25 R$48.57

20.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.88

$4.31 R$22.61

1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.14 R$47.99

$7.84 R$41.17

16.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 R$14.34

$2.38 R$12.48

14.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R$10.02

$1.49 R$7.80

28.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.63

$1.49 R$7.80

10.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.57

$1.99 R$10.43

-8.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.46

$1.58 R$8.28

-10.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.83

$1.24 R$6.49

4.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 R$4.92

$0.88 R$4.62

6.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.83

$0.76 R$3.99

-3.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 R$13.41

$2.13 R$11.18

19.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$51.0

$8.15 R$42.76

19.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R$7.04

$1.30 R$6.83

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.21

$2.55 R$13.41

-8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.92

$0.87 R$4.59

8.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.94 R$236

$21.81 R$115

106.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 R$5.56

$1.39 R$7.28

-23.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R$3.92

$0.91 R$4.76

-17.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.36 R$49.15

$3.34 R$17.51

180.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.74

$1.00 R$5.28

9.00%

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

$21.5K R$112.8K

$29.5K R$155.0K

-27.26%

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

$28.8K R$151.1K

$29.9K R$156.9K

-3.72%

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

$54.9 R$288

$72.5 R$380

-24.20%

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

$13.12 R$68.9

$14.82 R$77.8

-11.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.01 R$105

$18.51 R$97.2

8.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.15 R$153

$20.72 R$109

40.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.83 R$188

$38.88 R$204

-7.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.95 R$41.76

$4.31 R$22.62

84.45%

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

$507 R$2,661

$313 R$1,645

61.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K R$81.3K

$2,730 R$14.3K

467.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 R$267

$45.87 R$241

10.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.83 R$225

$37.24 R$195

15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 R$417

$101 R$529

-21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 R$391

$89.1 R$468

-16.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 R$3,504

$222 R$1,167

200.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$413 R$2,166

$221 R$1,162

86.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 R$6,863

$431 R$2,261

203.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 R$4,001

$478 R$2,512

59.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,834 R$14.9K

$709 R$3,722

299.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,141 R$11.2K

$867 R$4,552

146.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$828 R$4,345

$649 R$3,409

27.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.56

10.67

8.34%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: March 1, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: February 28, 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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