Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Sete Lagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sete Lagoas: $632 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Sete Lagoas
Learn more

Sete Lagoas Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Sete Lagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Sete Lagoas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Sao Paulo versus $632 in Sete Lagoas.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Sete Lagoas $632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,948 in Sao Paulo versus $1,005 in Sete Lagoas.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Sete Lagoas $1,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,713 in Sao Paulo versus $1,378 in Sete Lagoas.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Sete Lagoas $1,378

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 87% more expensive than in Sete Lagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 13% lower, Sete Lagoas 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$43.60

$5.74 R$30.69

41.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$250

$21.20 R$113

120.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.07

$5.14 R$27.48

60.31%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$12.90

$0.53 R$2.85

354.72%

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

$1.32 R$7.06

$0.89 R$4.78

48.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.52

$0.54 R$2.88

57.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$14.85

$1.09 R$5.82

155.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.22

$1.74 R$9.30

139.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.13

$0.87 R$4.65

32.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.02

$0.67 R$3.60

152.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.21

$1.32 R$7.05

2.27%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.39

$1.67 R$8.93

61.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$63.0

$5.69 R$30.43

107.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$26.56

$2.78 R$14.86

78.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.0

$7.42 R$39.70

36.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.69

$0.92 R$4.91

178.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.32

$1.08 R$5.76

61.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.71

$0.54 R$2.88

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.76

$0.91 R$4.84

101.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.90

$0.61 R$3.27

111.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.59 R$3.14

98.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.53

$0.52 R$2.78

134.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.75

$0.51 R$2.70

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.71

$1.52 R$8.13

80.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$49.56

$5.60 R$29.95

65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.23

$0.58 R$3.11

198.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.71

$0.90 R$4.81

164.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.48

$0.91 R$4.88

12.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$241

$41.07 R$220

9.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.17

$0.39 R$2.06

341.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.78

$0.27 R$1.43

229.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$50.9

$7.71 R$41.20

23.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.57

$0.96 R$5.16

28.13%

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

$22.3K R$119.3K

$13.0K R$69.5K

71.67%

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

$32.5K R$173.7K

$22.2K R$118.9K

46.12%

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

$98.2 R$525

$47.18 R$252

108.08%

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

$15.47 R$82.7

$9.25 R$49.44

67.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$111

$17.86 R$95.5

16.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$170

$23.90 R$128

33.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$236

$25.34 R$135

74.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$48.51

$3.68 R$19.70

146.47%

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

$512 R$2,740

$114 R$608

350.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$84.6K

$2,482 R$13.3K

537.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$322

$9.08 R$48.56

563.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$306

$9.40 R$50.3

508.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$496

$36.89 R$197

151.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$460

$36.89 R$197

133.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,377

$341 R$1,821

85.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,318

$231 R$1,234

87.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,239

$630 R$3,367

114.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,119

$456 R$2,441

109.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.3K

$1,550 R$8,288

59.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.2K

$1,164 R$6,224

64.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,373

$409 R$2,184

100.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.67

9.47%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sete Lagoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Sete Lagoas

$231 36.5% 46.7% $203

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Sete Lagoas

$125 19.8% 44.7% $101

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Sete Lagoas

$82 13% 45% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Sete Lagoas

$74 11.8% 44.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Sete Lagoas

$42 6.6% 68.9% $92

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Sete Lagoas

$46 7.4% 16% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Sete Lagoas

$31 5% 37.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $632 in Sao Paulo and $341 in Sete Lagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Sao Paulo vs $21 in Sete Lagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $125 per month, with Sete Lagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Sete Lagoas

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

227,397

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Sete Lagoas 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Sete Lagoas

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 Sete Lagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sete Lagoas is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sao Paulo is about 2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $632 in Sao Paulo versus $341 in Sete Lagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sete Lagoas runs roughly 9% less than in Sao Paulo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $512 in Sao Paulo versus $114 in Sete Lagoas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $632 in Sete Lagoas versus $1,183 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sete Lagoas but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Sete Lagoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Sete Lagoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.