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 15.3% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 31% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sao Paulo is 14.6% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 23.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 R$35.68

$4.38 R$21.82

63.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.10 R$200

$32.98 R$164

21.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.28 R$36.24

$6.74 R$33.58

8.01%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R$10.52

$1.74 R$8.68

21.26%

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

$1.24 R$6.18

$1.12 R$5.55

10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.13

$0.67 R$3.36

23.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 R$10.82

$1.42 R$7.06

52.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 R$14.50

$2.91 R$14.47

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.30

$1.09 R$5.45

-2.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.20

$1.57 R$7.82

17.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.75

$2.57 R$12.80

-47.08%

Eggs

$2.44 R$12.13

$2.24 R$11.14

8.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 R$55.0

$9.45 R$47.08

16.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 R$20.75

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R$45.90

$7.81 R$38.88

18.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 R$13.80

$2.31 R$11.50

19.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R$9.42

$1.46 R$7.26

29.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 R$8.38

$1.47 R$7.31

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.20

$1.89 R$9.42

-2.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$6.96

$1.53 R$7.61

-8.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.38

$1.24 R$6.16

3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 R$5.05

$0.89 R$4.45

14.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.43

$0.72 R$3.61

-4.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.59 R$12.92

$2.10 R$10.44

23.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 R$50.7

$8.29 R$41.31

22.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R$6.72

$1.25 R$6.24

8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$11.70

$2.46 R$12.23

-4.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.87 R$4.31

4.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.34 R$221

$21.75 R$108

103.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 R$5.30

$1.38 R$6.85

-23.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R$3.70

$0.91 R$4.52

-18.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.39 R$46.77

$3.30 R$16.45

184.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.29

$1.01 R$5.01

4.95%

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

$21.3K R$105.9K

$28.4K R$141.6K

-25.23%

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

$28.4K R$141.5K

$29.3K R$145.9K

-2.99%

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

$55.7 R$277

$70.5 R$351

-21.01%

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

$13.39 R$66.7

$14.94 R$74.4

-10.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.49 R$102

$18.22 R$90.7

12.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.25 R$146

$20.46 R$102

42.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.80 R$173

$39.83 R$198

-12.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 R$39.40

$4.15 R$20.67

90.60%

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

$499 R$2,487

$311 R$1,548

60.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K R$77.1K

$2,659 R$13.2K

482.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 R$253

$45.31 R$226

12.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.45 R$211

$37.34 R$186

13.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$396

$103 R$515

-23.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 R$359

$91.2 R$454

-20.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,349

$222 R$1,103

203.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 R$2,050

$221 R$1,098

86.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 R$6,313

$445 R$2,218

184.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 R$3,719

$486 R$2,423

53.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,895 R$14.4K

$725 R$3,613

299.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,164 R$10.8K

$883 R$4,397

145.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$893 R$4,449

$686 R$3,418

30.17%

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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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