Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Windsor

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $2,225 in Windsor, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Windsor
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Windsor Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Windsor

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,225

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,225 in Windsor.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Windsor $2,225

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $3,068 in Windsor.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Windsor $3,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $3,910 in Windsor.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Windsor $3,910

Living in Sao Paulo costs roughly 44% less than in Windsor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Paulo is 7% below, Windsor is 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$14.04 CA$20.01

-36.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$62.3 CA$88.8

-20.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$10.37 CA$14.78

-11.09%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$3.57 CA$5.09

-28.85%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$2.50 CA$3.56

-42.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$1.79 CA$2.56

-49.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$5.00 CA$7.13

-38.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$5.77 CA$8.22

-24.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.79 CA$2.56

-29.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.03 CA$2.90

-9.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$3.03 CA$4.31

-53.47%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$2.81 CA$4.01

1.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$9.83 CA$14.01

27.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$10.04 CA$14.30

-46.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$13.88 CA$19.79

-22.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$3.85 CA$5.49

-28.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.01 CA$1.45

79.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$2.95 CA$4.20

-47.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$3.57 CA$5.09

-44.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$1.98 CA$2.82

-25.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$2.13 CA$3.04

-41.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$2.22 CA$3.16

-42.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.25 CA$1.78

-23.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$12.39 CA$17.66

-75.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$11.60 CA$16.53

-12.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.91 CA$2.73

-9.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$3.23 CA$4.60

-18.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$2.59 CA$3.69

-59.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$85.1 CA$121

-43.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$2.31 CA$3.29

-21.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$0.97 CA$1.38

5.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$13.93 CA$19.85

-27.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.22 CA$1.74

4.10%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$27.3K CA$38.9K

-10.86%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$19.2K CA$27.3K

77.33%

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

$104 R$519

$181 CA$258

-42.54%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$37.70 CA$53.7

-57.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$55.1 CA$78.5

-58.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$44.44 CA$63.4

-18.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$28.33 CA$40.39

68.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$10.33 CA$14.73

-4.65%

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

$525 R$2,622

$496 CA$707

5.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$4,221 CA$6,017

292.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$43.41 CA$61.9

54.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$33.01 CA$47.06

88.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$80.4 CA$115

25.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$80.6 CA$115

12.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$1,166 CA$1,662

-43.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$1,159 CA$1,652

-63.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$1,789 CA$2,551

-14.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$1,507 CA$2,148

-33.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$2,992 CA$4,265

-8.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

$2,960 CA$4,219

-30.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$2,957 CA$4,215

-70.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

4.71

147.98%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Windsor: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Windsor

$1.2K 51.3% 174% $736

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Windsor

$311 13.8% 27.9% $68

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Windsor

$240 10.6% 47% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Windsor

$107 4.7% 26.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Windsor

$274 12.1% 91.8% $131

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Windsor

$103 4.5% 73.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Windsor

$65 2.9% 16.3% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $1,166 in Windsor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windsor pays 236% 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 $62.0 in Windsor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $311 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇨🇦 Windsor

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

217,188

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Windsor 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
Windsor

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 Windsor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 236% lower in Windsor. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $1,166 in Windsor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Paulo runs roughly 77% less than in Windsor. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo versus $496 in Windsor. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $2,225 in Windsor, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Windsor. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Paulo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Windsor, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Windsor. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.