Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semey and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $712 a month against $1,235 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Semey
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Semey Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$712

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Semey 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 Semey and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $712 in Semey versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo.

Semey $712
Sao Paulo $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,147 in Semey versus $2,073 in Sao Paulo.

Semey $1,147
Sao Paulo $2,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,581 in Semey versus $2,911 in Sao Paulo.

Semey $1,581
Sao Paulo $2,911

Living in Semey costs roughly 42% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Semey 47% lower, Sao Paulo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.00 ₸2,261

$8.81 R$44.68

-43.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.88 ₸9,891

$49.37 R$250

-55.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 ₸2,477

$8.80 R$44.63

-37.73%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ₸764

$2.49 R$12.63

-32.13%

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

$0.79 ₸357

$1.42 R$7.19

-44.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₸216

$0.85 R$4.31

-43.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ₸384

$2.98 R$15.11

-71.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₸621

$4.34 R$22.02

-68.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 ₸449

$1.24 R$6.28

-20.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ₸165

$1.91 R$9.66

-80.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ₸839

$1.43 R$7.25

30.07%

Eggs

$1.51 ₸681

$2.81 R$14.23

-46.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.36 ₸2,424

$12.74 R$64.6

-57.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ₸1,691

$5.41 R$27.44

-30.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.28 ₸2,388

$10.64 R$54.0

-50.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ₸547

$2.75 R$13.95

-56.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ₸782

$1.81 R$9.19

-4.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 ₸821

$1.63 R$8.27

11.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 ₸756

$2.00 R$10.16

-16.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 ₸189

$1.40 R$7.10

-70.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₸255

$1.27 R$6.43

-55.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ₸595

$1.28 R$6.47

3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸445

$0.95 R$4.83

4.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₸1,134

$2.99 R$15.15

-16.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.13 ₸3,221

$9.96 R$50.5

-28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₸617

$1.85 R$9.37

-25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₸993

$2.54 R$12.90

-13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₸104

$1.09 R$5.50

-78.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.26 ₸7,802

$48.78 R$247

-64.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₸588

$1.85 R$9.39

-29.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ₸519

$0.99 R$4.99

16.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 ₸2,949

$10.29 R$52.2

-36.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 ₸305

$1.34 R$6.78

-49.25%

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

$25.4K ₸11.5M

$24.4K R$123.8K

3.85%

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

$25.9K ₸11.7M

$33.9K R$172.1K

-23.78%

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

$32.84 ₸14.8K

$104 R$529

-68.56%

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

$9.06 ₸4,095

$16.71 R$84.7

-45.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.03 ₸8,604

$22.18 R$112

-14.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.09 ₸19.0K

$35.82 R$182

17.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.97 ₸4,959

$47.28 R$240

-76.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 ₸2,058

$10.06 R$51.0

-54.77%

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

$135 ₸61.1K

$579 R$2,936

-76.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,484 ₸2.0M

$17.1K R$86.6K

-73.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.65 ₸13.0K

$65.7 R$333

-56.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.32 ₸11.4K

$61.0 R$309

-58.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ₸44.3K

$100 R$509

-2.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.0 ₸33.5K

$92.1 R$467

-19.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₸153.6K

$659 R$3,341

-48.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 ₸103.8K

$428 R$2,170

-46.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₸278.1K

$1,515 R$7,678

-59.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₸220.1K

$1,026 R$5,201

-52.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,094 ₸494.4K

$2,773 R$14.1K

-60.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$869 ₸392.9K

$2,007 R$10.2K

-56.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$909 R$4,609

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

11.68

64.81%

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

Last update for Semey: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Semey

$230 32.3%

Sao Paulo

$428 34.7% 86.4% $198

Groceries & Markets

Semey

$155 21.7%

Sao Paulo

$244 19.8% 57.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Semey

$102 14.3%

Sao Paulo

$144 11.6% 41.2% $42

Eating Out

Semey

$89 12.5%

Sao Paulo

$159 12.9% 79.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semey

$61 8.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 135% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Semey

$51 7.2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.5% 9.2% $4.7

Getting Around

Semey

$25 3.5%

Sao Paulo

$60 4.9% 138% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $340 in Semey and $659 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Semey vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $155 vs $244 per month, with Semey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Semey

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

04:18 4:18 AM

9 h behind Semey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,456

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

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).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Semey Sao Paulo 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Semey
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

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

Semey is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 73% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,068 in Semey and $1,852 in Sao Paulo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $340 in Semey 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 Semey runs roughly 183% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $135 in Semey versus $579 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $712 in Semey versus $1,235 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Semey but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Semey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Semey 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 Semey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.