Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Ubatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubatuba: $855 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ubatuba
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Ubatuba Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Ubatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $855 in Ubatuba.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Ubatuba $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,360 in Ubatuba.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Ubatuba $1,360

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $1,865 in Ubatuba.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Ubatuba $1,865

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 44% more expensive than in Ubatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Ubatuba 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$7.59 R$38.48

16.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$29.05 R$147

69.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$5.09 R$25.78

72.89%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$1.46 R$7.40

70.55%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.29 R$6.52

10.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.93 R$4.72

-8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$2.43 R$12.32

22.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$3.92 R$19.85

10.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.06 R$5.38

16.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$1.85 R$9.37

3.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.39 R$7.04

2.88%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$2.51 R$12.73

11.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$2.97 R$15.06

328.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$4.06 R$20.58

33.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$8.22 R$41.69

29.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$1.63 R$8.24

68.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.23 R$6.24

47.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$1.18 R$5.97

38.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.40 R$7.11

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.17 R$5.95

19.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.19 R$6.02

6.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

$0.93 R$4.74

37.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.63 R$3.18

50.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$2.55 R$12.90

17.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

$8.08 R$40.96

23.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.58 R$8.03

17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

$2.62 R$13.27

-3.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.01 R$5.13

7.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.22 R$6.19

51.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.73 R$3.72

35.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$8.73 R$44.27

17.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.29 R$6.56

3.88%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

$24.1K R$122.1K

1.34%

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$32.8K R$166.1K

3.58%

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

$104 R$529

$66.0 R$334

58.31%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$9.01 R$45.69

85.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$19.76 R$100

12.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$11.94 R$60.5

200.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$7.81 R$39.58

28.81%

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

$579 R$2,936

$438 R$2,223

32.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

$11.1K R$56.4K

53.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$64.7 R$328

1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$56.4 R$286

8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$89.3 R$453

12.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$79.8 R$405

15.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$396 R$2,007

66.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$298 R$1,512

43.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$816 R$4,135

85.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$612 R$3,102

67.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$1,797 R$9,110

54.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$385 R$1,952

136.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.81

8.05%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ubatuba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Ubatuba

$298 34.9% 30.3% $130

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Ubatuba

$172 20.2% 29.5% $72

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Ubatuba

$122 14.3% 23.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Ubatuba

$131 15.3% 9.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Ubatuba

$95 11.1% 33.9% $49

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Ubatuba

$8.9 * 1.1% 85.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Ubatuba

$28 3.2% 50.7% $28

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 $659 in Sao Paulo and $396 in Ubatuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 136% 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 $29.00 in Ubatuba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $172 per month, with Ubatuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Ubatuba

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

Same time as Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

92,981

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Ubatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubatuba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 136% 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: $659 in Sao Paulo versus $396 in Ubatuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in Sao Paulo versus $438 in Ubatuba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubatuba – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $855 in Ubatuba versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ubatuba but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Ubatuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ubatuba 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 Ubatuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.