Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Ulyanovsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $886 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
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Ulyanovsk Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $886 in Ulyanovsk.

Sao Paulo $1,235
Ulyanovsk $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Sao Paulo versus $1,363 in Ulyanovsk.

Sao Paulo $2,073
Ulyanovsk $1,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,911 in Sao Paulo versus $1,840 in Ulyanovsk.

Sao Paulo $2,911
Ulyanovsk $1,840

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 39% more expensive than in Ulyanovsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 9% lower, Ulyanovsk 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R$44.68

$8.26 ₽690

6.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 R$250

$29.69 ₽2,478

66.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 R$44.63

$6.32 ₽528

39.24%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.27 ₽190

9.69%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$0.90 ₽75.3

57.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.35 ₽29.18

142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 R$15.11

$1.81 ₽151

64.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 R$22.02

$1.94 ₽162

123.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.02 ₽85.4

21.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 R$9.66

$0.58 ₽48.04

229.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.04 ₽86.5

37.50%

Eggs

$2.81 R$14.23

$1.40 ₽117

100.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 R$64.6

$14.19 ₽1,184

-10.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R$27.44

$7.26 ₽606

-25.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 R$54.0

$7.26 ₽606

46.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 R$13.95

$1.52 ₽127

80.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.19

$1.51 ₽126

19.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.27

$3.91 ₽326

-58.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.16

$4.60 ₽384

-56.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.46 ₽122

-4.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$0.82 ₽68.3

54.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R$6.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.56 ₽46.50

69.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$15.15

$3.04 ₽254

-1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 R$50.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.09 ₽90.9

69.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.43 ₽36.28

153.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 R$247

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$9.39

$3.53 ₽294

-47.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$4.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 R$52.2

$3.64 ₽304

182.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.83 ₽68.9

61.45%

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

$24.4K R$123.8K

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

$33.9K R$172.1K

$26.0K ₽2.2M

30.64%

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

$104 R$529

$139 ₽11.6K

-24.79%

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

$16.71 R$84.7

$4.73 ₽395

253.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 R$112

$13.72 ₽1,145

61.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 R$182

$36.45 ₽3,042

-1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.28 R$240

$24.86 ₽2,075

90.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 R$51.0

$8.30 ₽693

21.20%

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

$579 R$2,936

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K R$86.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 R$333

$30.11 ₽2,513

118.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 R$309

$35.99 ₽3,004

69.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R$509

$94.4 ₽7,875

6.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 R$467

$59.3 ₽4,951

55.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 R$3,341

$360 ₽30.0K

83.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 R$2,170

$241 ₽20.1K

77.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 R$7,678

$469 ₽39.1K

223.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 R$5,201

$423 ₽35.3K

142.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 R$14.1K

$2,609 ₽217.8K

6.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 R$10.2K

$1,463 ₽122.1K

37.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

$504 ₽42.1K

80.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

-49.22%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7%

Ulyanovsk

$241 27.2% 43.7% $187

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8%

Ulyanovsk

$200 * 22.6% 18.2% $44

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9%

Ulyanovsk

$130 14.7% 18.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6%

Ulyanovsk

$99 11.2% 31.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Ulyanovsk

$157 17.8% 9.8% $14

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9%

Ulyanovsk

$5.3 * 0.6% 91.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5%

Ulyanovsk

$53 6% 5.1% $2.9

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 $360 in Ulyanovsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 80% 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 $30.00 in Ulyanovsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $200 per month, with Ulyanovsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

12:46 12:46 PM

7 h ahead of Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

627,705

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Sao Paulo Ulyanovsk 12,430 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Ulyanovsk

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 Ulyanovsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulyanovsk is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 80% 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 $360 in Ulyanovsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ulyanovsk – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $886 in Ulyanovsk versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ulyanovsk but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Ulyanovsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ulyanovsk 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 Ulyanovsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.