Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Teresina

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $704 a month against $1,137 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Teresina
Learn more

Teresina Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,137

/mo nomad

Teresina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Sao Paulo versus $704 in Teresina.

Sao Paulo $1,137
Teresina $704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,898 in Sao Paulo versus $1,155 in Teresina.

Sao Paulo $1,898
Teresina $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,660 in Sao Paulo versus $1,605 in Teresina.

Sao Paulo $2,660
Teresina $1,605

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 61% more expensive than in Teresina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 16% lower, Teresina 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 R$44.40

$5.39 R$29.60

50.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.75 R$257

$18.64 R$102

150.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 R$44.97

$5.85 R$32.10

40.00%

Cappuccino

$2.34 R$12.86

$1.96 R$10.75

19.39%

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

$1.35 R$7.40

$0.98 R$5.39

37.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.44

$0.71 R$3.89

14.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.83 R$15.52

$1.41 R$7.73

100.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 R$22.39

$2.92 R$16.00

39.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$6.06

$1.33 R$7.30

-17.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 R$9.51

$2.14 R$11.76

-19.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.08

$1.39 R$7.62

5.76%

Eggs

$2.55 R$13.97

$3.94 R$21.61

-35.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.49 R$63.1

$6.98 R$38.31

64.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R$26.44

$3.87 R$21.26

24.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 R$55.0

$6.18 R$33.91

62.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 R$13.21

$1.74 R$9.55

38.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.79

$0.85 R$4.64

88.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.54

$0.88 R$4.84

55.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.73

$1.20 R$6.59

47.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.19

$1.06 R$5.80

23.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.30

$0.88 R$4.86

30.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$6.35

$0.50 R$2.77

132.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.79

$1.41 R$7.74

-38.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 R$14.83

$3.08 R$16.91

-12.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.28 R$51.0

$8.53 R$46.82

8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 R$8.91

$1.29 R$7.08

25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$13.14

$2.68 R$14.73

-10.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.87 R$4.80

10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.95 R$241

$40.91 R$225

7.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.91

$1.50 R$8.23

-16.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.91

$0.78 R$4.26

14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.10 R$55.5

$6.73 R$36.95

50.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.45

$1.14 R$6.24

3.51%

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

$21.4K R$117.7K

$21.4K R$117.4K

0.23%

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

$32.3K R$177.3K

$30.2K R$166.0K

6.83%

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

$93.0 R$510

$73.5 R$403

26.60%

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

$15.28 R$83.9

$9.78 R$53.7

56.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.65 R$108

$16.34 R$89.7

20.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 R$171

$19.75 R$108

57.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$260

$12.07 R$66.2

291.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.36 R$51.4

$7.56 R$41.49

23.81%

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

$564 R$3,093

$538 R$2,952

4.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K R$137.6K

$6,591 R$36.2K

280.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 R$325

$39.57 R$217

49.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 R$308

$27.34 R$150

104.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 R$528

$71.3 R$391

35.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 R$477

$46.07 R$253

88.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 R$3,303

$152 R$833

296.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R$2,200

$142 R$782

181.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 R$7,371

$386 R$2,121

247.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 R$5,079

$395 R$2,167

134.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,514 R$13.8K

$1,248 R$6,847

101.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,866 R$10.2K

$701 R$3,847

166.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$863 R$4,736

$366 R$2,011

135.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

4.55%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Teresina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$401 35.3%

Teresina

$142 20.2% 64.5% $258

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$222 19.5%

Teresina

$191 27.1% 13.9% $31

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$148 13.1%

Teresina

$104 14.7% 30% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$134 11.8%

Teresina

$83 11.8% 38.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$128 11.3%

Teresina

$100 14.1% 22.2% $28

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$54 4.7%

Teresina

$50 7.1% 7% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.4%

Teresina

$35 5% 30.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $602 in Sao Paulo and $152 in Teresina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Sao Paulo vs $19 in Teresina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $191 per month, with Teresina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Teresina

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

866,300

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Teresina 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
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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 Teresina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Teresina is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sao Paulo is about 2.4 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: $602 in Sao Paulo versus $152 in Teresina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Teresina runs roughly 7% less than in Sao Paulo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $564 in Sao Paulo versus $538 in Teresina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Teresina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.