Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Surgut

For one person, living is cheaper in Surgut: $1,042 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Surgut
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Surgut Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Surgut

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $1,042 in Surgut.

Sao Paulo $1,222
Surgut $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,044 in Sao Paulo versus $1,638 in Surgut.

Sao Paulo $2,044
Surgut $1,638

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Sao Paulo versus $2,234 in Surgut.

Sao Paulo $2,867
Surgut $2,234

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 17% more expensive than in Surgut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 10% lower, Surgut 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 R$44.15

$11.38 ₽950

-23.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.61 R$246

$35.39 ₽2,954

37.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 R$45.77

$6.79 ₽566

32.99%

Cappuccino

$2.55 R$12.94

$3.05 ₽254

-16.39%

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

$1.35 R$6.83

$1.28 ₽107

5.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.59 ₽49.00

54.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.55

$2.02 ₽168

51.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 R$22.21

$2.80 ₽234

56.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.01 ₽84.2

17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.14

$0.87 ₽72.9

106.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.34 ₽112

10.45%

Eggs

$2.82 R$14.31

$1.42 ₽118

98.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$11.72 ₽978

7.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R$27.36

$5.52 ₽461

-2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.6

$11.65 ₽972

-7.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.28

$1.50 ₽125

88.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.25

$1.94 ₽162

-6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.14

$1.55 ₽130

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.28

$2.57 ₽214

-21.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.40

$0.73 ₽60.9

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$0.65 ₽54.4

92.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R$6.32

$1.50 ₽125

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.76 ₽63.1

28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 R$15.18

$3.04 ₽253

-1.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 R$49.22

$8.96 ₽748

8.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R$9.32

$1.02 ₽85.0

80.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R$12.80

$2.07 ₽173

21.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.41

$0.60 ₽50.1

78.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.16

$2.18 ₽182

-16.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.14

$0.32 ₽27.10

215.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

$5.20 ₽434

96.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$0.87 ₽73.0

48.28%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$51.3K ₽4.3M

-54.13%

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

$34.5K R$174.9K

$40.8K ₽3.4M

-15.50%

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

$104 R$527

$112 ₽9,351

-7.14%

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

$16.60 R$84.1

$6.26 ₽522

165.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.04 R$112

$8.30 ₽693

165.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.43 R$185

$40.01 ₽3,339

-8.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

$27.17 ₽2,268

74.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 R$49.12

$5.41 ₽451

79.11%

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

$573 R$2,906

$322 ₽26.9K

77.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K R$85.8K

$6,007 ₽501.4K

181.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$336

$81.3 ₽6,787

-18.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 R$310

$52.9 ₽4,419

15.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 R$501

$121 ₽10.1K

-18.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 R$463

$104 ₽8,687

-12.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,316

$409 ₽34.1K

59.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,120

$314 ₽26.2K

33.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 R$7,724

$1,002 ₽83.6K

52.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,028

$585 ₽48.8K

69.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

$1,995 ₽166.5K

33.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

$1,454 ₽121.4K

38.85%

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 Surgut: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2%

Surgut

$314 30.1% 24.8% $104

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9%

Surgut

$211 20.3% 13% $32

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1%

Surgut

$171 16.4% 6.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Surgut

$162 15.5% 13.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7%

Surgut

$127 12.1% 11.3% $16

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8%

Surgut

$6.2 * 0.6% 89.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Surgut

$51 4.9% 8.9% $5

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 $409 in Surgut. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $35.00 in Surgut for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $211 per month, with Surgut cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇷🇺 Surgut

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

02:18 2:18 AM

8 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

406,938

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Paulo Surgut 13,880 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Surgut

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 Surgut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surgut is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,833 in Sao Paulo and $1,564 in Surgut 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 $409 in Surgut. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $573 in Sao Paulo versus $322 in Surgut. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surgut – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,042 in Surgut versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Surgut but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Surgut the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Surgut 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 Surgut gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.