Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Summit, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $3,842 in Summit, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $31,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
189

Cost of Living Index in Summit, NJ
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Summit, NJ Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Summit, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Paulo and in Summit, NJ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $3,842 in Summit, NJ.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Summit, NJ $3,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $5,955 in Summit, NJ.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Summit, NJ $5,955

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $8,069 in Summit, NJ.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Summit, NJ $8,069

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 68% less than in Summit, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Summit, NJ is 187% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.51

$24.62 $24.62

-63.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$246

$100 $100

-50.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$45.87

$11.09 $11.09

-16.86%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.67

$5.41 $5.41

-53.05%

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

$1.45 R$7.23

$2.24 $2.24

-35.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.54

$1.47 $1.47

-38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.26

$8.07 $8.07

-61.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.69

$7.83 $7.83

-44.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.31

$1.27 $1.27

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.14

$4.27 $4.27

-56.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.03

$6.08 $6.08

-76.81%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.16

$5.90 $5.90

-51.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.5

$13.92 $13.92

-9.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.73

$10.46 $10.46

-48.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.4

$17.59 $17.59

-39.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.63

$6.11 $6.11

-55.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.00

$1.71 $1.71

5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.72

$4.16 $4.16

-62.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.87

$5.21 $5.21

-62.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.32

$3.08 $3.08

-52.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.18

$3.66 $3.66

-66.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.33

$3.07 $3.07

-58.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.78

$2.92 $2.92

-67.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.12

$11.28 $11.28

-73.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.7

$19.83 $19.83

-48.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.62

$1.78 $1.78

-2.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.16

$5.30 $5.30

-50.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.16

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$239

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.05

$3.03 $3.03

-39.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.06

$2.09 $2.09

-51.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.6

$24.22 $24.22

-58.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.33

$1.12 $1.12

13.39%

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

$24.3K R$121.1K

$35.2K $35.2K

-30.82%

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

$34.0K R$169.3K

$25.2K $25.2K

35.11%

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

$104 R$517

$213 $213

-51.31%

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

$16.16 R$80.4

$61.2 $61.2

-73.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$112

$50.7 $50.7

-55.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$80.2 $80.2

-54.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$238

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.04

$14.75 $14.75

-33.22%

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

$525 R$2,614

$2,015 $2,015

-73.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.5K

$16.2K $16.2K

2.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$333

$41.66 $41.66

60.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$310

$57.6 $57.6

8.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$503

$74.8 $74.8

35.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$452

$119 $119

-23.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,299

$2,697 $2,697

-75.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,104

$2,457 $2,457

-82.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,600

$5,556 $5,556

-72.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,020

$5,055 $5,055

-80.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,383

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

6.75

73.04%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Summit, NJ: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Summit, NJ

$2.5K 63.7% 481% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Summit, NJ

$457 11.8% 87.7% $213

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Summit, NJ

$366 9.5% 124% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Summit, NJ

$132 3.4% 8.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Summit, NJ

$325 8.4% 128% $183

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Summit, NJ

$13 * 0.4% 77.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Summit, NJ

$110 2.8% 96% $54

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 $663 in Sao Paulo and $2,697 in Summit, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $100 in Summit, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $457 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇺🇸 Summit, NJ

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

11,161

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Summit, NJ 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Summit, NJ

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 Summit, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 209% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,866 in Sao Paulo and $5,762 in Summit, NJ 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: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $2,697 in Summit, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo versus $2,015 in Summit, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $100 in Summit, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $3,842 in Summit, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Summit, NJ. 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 Summit, NJ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Summit, NJ are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Summit, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.