Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Sault Ste. Marie

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Sault Ste. Marie $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $3,008 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Sault Ste. Marie $3,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $3,956 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Sault Ste. Marie $3,956

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 41% less than in Sault Ste. Marie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 10% below, Sault Ste. Marie is 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$17.17 CA$24.28

-49.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$70.6 CA$99.8

-31.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$10.23 CA$14.46

-11.73%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$3.47 CA$4.90

-26.51%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.64 CA$2.32

-17.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.35 CA$1.91

-32.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$4.68 CA$6.62

-34.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$5.00 CA$7.07

-12.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.42 CA$3.43

-50.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$2.14 CA$3.02

-15.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$3.27 CA$4.63

-54.74%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$2.98 CA$4.22

-5.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$8.32 CA$11.76

51.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$9.97 CA$14.10

-45.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$10.51 CA$14.86

2.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$3.14 CA$4.43

-10.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$0.99 CA$1.40

83.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$3.06 CA$4.33

-47.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$3.54 CA$5.01

-42.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$1.97 CA$2.79

-25.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$1.69 CA$2.39

-26.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$2.77 CA$3.92

-54.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$1.27 CA$1.79

-22.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$15.75 CA$22.26

-80.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$10.67 CA$15.08

-9.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.84 CA$2.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$2.28 CA$3.23

10.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$2.24 CA$3.16

-52.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

$57.5 CA$81.2

-17.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$3.47 CA$4.91

-47.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$2.31 CA$3.26

-56.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$22.97 CA$32.47

-55.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.08 CA$1.52

19.44%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$26.5K CA$37.5K

-11.16%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

70.30%

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

$104 R$527

$174 CA$246

-40.29%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$44.36 CA$62.7

-62.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$76.7 CA$108

-71.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$50.3 CA$71.0

-27.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$17.62 CA$24.90

168.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$11.18 CA$15.80

-13.33%

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

$573 R$2,906

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$4,984 CA$7,046

239.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$45.63 CA$64.5

45.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$35.58 CA$50.3

71.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$74.8 CA$106

32.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$120 CA$170

-23.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$893 CA$1,262

-26.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$931 CA$1,316

-55.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$1,325 CA$1,873

15.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$1,455 CA$2,057

-31.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$1,868 CA$2,640

42.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$5,432 CA$7,679

-62.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

$3,049 CA$4,310

-70.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

5.53

111.21%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2% 123% $513

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5% 23.1% $56

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4% 58.9% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6% 13% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3% 107% $153

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4% 39.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5% 30.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sault Ste. Marie pays 239% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $299 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

73,368

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Sault Ste. Marie 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 239% lower in Sault Ste. Marie. 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: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. 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 $49.00 versus $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Paulo runs roughly 22% less than in Sault Ste. Marie. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Sault Ste. Marie. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Paulo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sault Ste. Marie, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Sault Ste. Marie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.