Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Serov

For one person, living is cheaper in Serov: $1,074 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Serov
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Serov Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Serov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Serov

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 Serov actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $1,074 in Serov.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Serov $1,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $1,647 in Serov.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Serov $1,647

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $2,219 in Serov.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Serov $2,219

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 14% more expensive than in Serov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 10% lower, Serov 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$9.76 ₽814

-10.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$34.37 ₽2,869

41.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$5.89 ₽492

53.31%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$2.53 ₽211

0.79%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.02 ₽85.0

32.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.61 ₽50.8

49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$1.93 ₽161

59.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$3.07 ₽256

42.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.30 ₽109

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$0.78 ₽65.2

130.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.23 ₽103

20.33%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$1.63 ₽136

73.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$12.63 ₽1,054

-0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$5.03 ₽420

7.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$10.31 ₽860

4.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$1.87 ₽156

50.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.79 ₽149

1.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$1.81 ₽151

-11.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$3.12 ₽260

-34.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$0.73 ₽60.5

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$0.56 ₽46.63

123.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$1.35 ₽113

-7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.71 ₽58.9

38.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$3.26 ₽272

-7.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$7.56 ₽631

28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.03 ₽85.9

78.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$1.74 ₽145

44.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$0.62 ₽51.6

72.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$2.74 ₽229

-33.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$0.40 ₽33.28

152.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$5.15 ₽430

98.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$0.72 ₽60.1

79.17%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$55.9K ₽4.7M

-57.88%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$44.7K ₽3.7M

-22.77%

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

$104 R$527

$124 ₽10.4K

-16.12%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$5.67 ₽473

192.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$7.30 ₽609

201.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$36.44 ₽3,041

-0.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$24.15 ₽2,016

95.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$6.97 ₽582

39.02%

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

$573 R$2,906

$371 ₽30.9K

54.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$6,911 ₽576.8K

144.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$74.7 ₽6,238

-11.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$47.40 ₽3,956

28.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$132 ₽11.0K

-25.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$96.4 ₽8,045

-5.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$405 ₽33.8K

61.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$364 ₽30.3K

15.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$893 ₽74.6K

70.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$623 ₽52.0K

59.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$2,348 ₽196.0K

13.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$1,629 ₽135.9K

24.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$900 R$4,563

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

21.45

-45.55%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Serov: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Serov

$364 33.8% 13.1% $55

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Serov

$210 19.6% 13.6% $33

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Serov

$148 13.8% 7.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Serov

$158 14.7% 10.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Serov

$137 12.8% 4% $5.7

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Serov

$7.2 * 0.7% 87.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Serov

$50 4.7% 9.7% $5.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Sao Paulo and $405 in Serov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $34.00 in Serov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $210 per month, with Serov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇷🇺 Serov

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

04:47 4:47 AM

8 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

97,366

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Serov 13,210 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Serov

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 Serov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serov is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,833 in Sao Paulo and $1,611 in Serov to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $654 in Sao Paulo versus $405 in Serov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $573 in Sao Paulo versus $371 in Serov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Serov – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,074 in Serov versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Serov but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Serov the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Serov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.