Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $806 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. The total is higher in Sao Paulo despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $806 in Surat.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Surat $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $826 in Surat.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Surat $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $847 in Surat.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Surat $847

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 54% more expensive than in Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Surat 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$3.18 ₹307

181.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$10.40 ₹1,006

375.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$3.14 ₹304

193.63%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$1.83 ₹177

38.80%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$0.36 ₹34.38

302.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.15 ₹14.56

506.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$2.92 ₹282

5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$3.19 ₹309

36.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$0.73 ₹70.9

73.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$0.47 ₹45.50

291.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$0.66 ₹63.5

113.64%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$0.95 ₹91.5

198.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$4.34 ₹420

189.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$2.73 ₹265

96.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$1.70 ₹164

61.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$0.62 ₹59.6

191.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$0.80 ₹77.4

93.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$0.54 ₹52.2

266.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$0.35 ₹33.56

320.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$0.43 ₹41.73

188.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.48 ₹46.59

164.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$0.30 ₹28.89

220.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$5.12 ₹495

-40.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$7.60 ₹735

34.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.86 ₹180

-6.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$3.01 ₹291

-12.29%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.06 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.22 ₹21.19

372.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$5.27 ₹510

812.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$0.59 ₹57.2

208.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$0.22 ₹21.32

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$1.07 ₹103

849.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.13 ₹110

12.39%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$12.1K ₹1.2M

100.18%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$18.3K ₹1.8M

85.51%

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

$104 R$519

$36.72 ₹3,554

183.06%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$3.64 ₹353

343.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$7.44 ₹720

203.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$18.59 ₹1,799

95.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$5.16 ₹499

825.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$2.88 ₹278

242.01%

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

$525 R$2,622

$33.35 ₹3,227

1474.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$891 ₹86.2K

1760.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$22.51 ₹2,179

197.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$24.53 ₹2,374

153.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$40.90 ₹3,958

147.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$32.42 ₹3,137

180.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$216 ₹20.9K

206.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$499 ₹48.3K

-15.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$375 ₹36.3K

307.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$201 ₹19.5K

401.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$660 ₹63.8K

315.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$309 ₹29.9K

569.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$313 ₹30.3K

181.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

9.17

27.37%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Surat

$499 61.3% 18% $76

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Surat

$101 12.4% 58.4% $142

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Surat

$80 9.8% 51.2% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Surat

$54 6.7% 62.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Surat

$48 5.9% 66.5% $95

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Surat

$7.8 1% 86.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Surat

$24 3% 56.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $216 in Surat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 181% 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 $10.00 in Surat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $101 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

16:58 4:58 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

6,936,534

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Surat 13,830 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 181% higher in Sao Paulo, 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: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $216 in Surat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Surat runs roughly 813% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo versus $33.35 in Surat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $806 in Surat versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Surat but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Surat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Surat 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.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo and Surat 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 Surat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.