Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,235 a month against $2,466 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Scarborough and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,466 in Scarborough versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Scarborough $2,466
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,385 in Scarborough versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Scarborough $3,385
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,304 in Scarborough versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Scarborough $4,304
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Scarborough is roughly 100% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Scarborough is 83% above, Sao Paulo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.49 CA$23.31

$8.81 R$44.68

87.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 CA$97.2

$49.37 R$250

39.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$14.93

$8.80 R$44.63

20.00%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.47

$2.49 R$12.63

55.42%

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

$2.07 CA$2.92

$1.42 R$7.19

45.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$0.85 R$4.31

61.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$2.98 R$15.11

109.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$4.34 R$22.02

63.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.56

$1.24 R$6.28

102.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$1.91 R$9.66

40.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$1.43 R$7.25

48.95%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$2.81 R$14.23

22.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 CA$12.63

$12.74 R$64.6

-29.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 CA$15.56

$5.41 R$27.44

103.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 CA$17.77

$10.64 R$54.0

18.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$2.75 R$13.95

17.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.81 R$9.19

-33.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.79

$1.63 R$8.27

107.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$2.00 R$10.16

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.40 R$7.10

17.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.27 R$6.43

24.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$1.28 R$6.47

78.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$0.95 R$4.83

25.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.74 CA$19.43

$2.99 R$15.15

359.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 CA$18.03

$9.96 R$50.5

28.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$1.85 R$9.37

14.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.55

$2.54 R$12.90

-1.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.32

$1.09 R$5.50

115.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 CA$146

$48.78 R$247

111.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$1.85 R$9.39

59.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$0.99 R$4.99

27.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.14

$10.29 R$52.2

107.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.34 R$6.78

-9.70%

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

$27.5K CA$38.8K

$24.4K R$123.8K

12.46%

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

$19.9K CA$28.1K

$33.9K R$172.1K

-41.47%

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

$141 CA$199

$104 R$529

34.57%

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

$34.98 CA$49.45

$16.71 R$84.7

109.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$67.7

$22.18 R$112

116.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 CA$50.1

$35.82 R$182

-1.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.38 CA$50.0

$47.28 R$240

-25.17%

Cinema Ticket

$12.45 CA$17.60

$10.06 R$51.0

23.76%

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

$808 CA$1,142

$579 R$2,936

39.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K CA$14.7K

$17.1K R$86.6K

-39.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$72.9

$65.7 R$333

-21.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 CA$55.1

$61.0 R$309

-36.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 CA$119

$100 R$509

-15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$92.1 R$467

12.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 CA$2,396

$659 R$3,341

157.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 CA$1,898

$428 R$2,170

213.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 CA$3,011

$1,515 R$7,678

40.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 CA$2,454

$1,026 R$5,201

69.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,564 CA$10.7K

$2,773 R$14.1K

172.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,121 CA$8,653

$2,007 R$10.2K

204.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,908 CA$4,111

$909 R$4,609

219.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

11.68

-61.04%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 68.1% $914

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$323 13.1%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 24.4% $79

Eating Out

Scarborough

$269 10.9%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 40.7% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$223 9.1%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 35.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$125 5.1%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 14.8% $18

Getting Around

Scarborough

$122 5%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 50.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$60 2.5%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 7.3% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Scarborough and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays 220% 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: $69.0 in Scarborough vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $244 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

1 h ahead of Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scarborough Sao Paulo 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
Sao Paulo

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

Scarborough vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 220% higher in Scarborough, 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: $1,695 in Scarborough versus $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Paulo runs roughly 112% less than in Scarborough. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $808 in Scarborough versus $579 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,235 in Sao Paulo versus $2,466 in Scarborough, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Scarborough. 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 Scarborough, 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 100% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.