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 11.6% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 28.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 12.4% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 23.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 R$39.18

$4.58 R$24.62

59.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.42 R$212

$32.63 R$175

20.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 R$39.51

$6.76 R$36.28

8.88%

Cappuccino

$2.08 R$11.15

$1.84 R$9.89

13.04%

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

$1.23 R$6.61

$1.16 R$6.20

6.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.78

$0.69 R$3.71

28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 R$11.32

$1.40 R$7.51

50.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 R$15.25

$2.98 R$16.01

-4.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.72

$1.10 R$5.93

-2.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.90

$1.53 R$8.22

20.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.02

$2.62 R$14.06

-50.00%

Eggs

$2.49 R$13.36

$2.30 R$12.37

8.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 R$59.3

$9.62 R$51.7

14.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 R$22.85

$4.19 R$22.48

1.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 R$47.66

$7.76 R$41.70

14.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 R$14.89

$2.29 R$12.32

20.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 R$10.33

$1.45 R$7.77

32.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.80

$1.54 R$8.27

6.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R$9.45

$1.96 R$10.53

-10.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.46

$1.56 R$8.40

-10.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.94

$1.28 R$6.85

0.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 R$5.15

$0.95 R$5.09

1.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.63

$0.71 R$3.83

-4.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R$13.65

$2.06 R$11.06

23.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.52 R$51.1

$7.86 R$42.20

21.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R$7.25

$1.27 R$6.81

6.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.93

$2.46 R$13.23

-2.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 R$4.69

$0.94 R$5.02

-7.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.77 R$240

$21.99 R$118

103.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 R$5.70

$1.33 R$7.12

-20.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$4.09

$0.95 R$5.13

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.39 R$50.4

$3.20 R$17.20

193.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 R$5.91

$0.99 R$5.32

11.11%

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

$21.6K R$115.8K

$28.7K R$154.2K

-24.88%

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

$28.6K R$153.7K

$28.9K R$155.1K

-0.94%

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

$55.0 R$295

$70.4 R$378

-21.87%

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

$13.41 R$72.0

$14.91 R$80.1

-10.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.32 R$109

$18.51 R$99.4

9.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.96 R$156

$20.53 R$110

41.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.41 R$190

$40.20 R$216

-11.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 R$44.68

$4.34 R$23.28

91.71%

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

$498 R$2,675

$305 R$1,639

63.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K R$83.8K

$2,755 R$14.8K

466.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 R$276

$45.60 R$245

12.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.80 R$224

$37.58 R$202

11.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 R$432

$101 R$545

-20.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.8 R$396

$91.1 R$489

-18.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 R$3,619

$223 R$1,195

202.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 R$2,165

$220 R$1,184

82.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 R$6,879

$445 R$2,389

187.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$754 R$4,049

$473 R$2,540

59.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 R$15.7K

$695 R$3,732

319.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,110 R$11.3K

$849 R$4,559

148.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$776 R$4,167

$631 R$3,390

22.93%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: January 12, 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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