Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springs and Guarulhos

For one person, living costs are similar in Springs and in Guarulhos: $989 and $964 a month, rent and utilities included.

Springs
🇿🇦 South Africa
$989
/mo nomad
Guarulhos
🇧🇷 Brazil
$964
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Springs and in Guarulhos

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

A single person spends $989 per month in Springs vs $964 in Guarulhos, rent included.

  • Springs $989
  • Guarulhos $964

A couple spends around $1,605 per month in Springs vs $1,764 in Guarulhos, rent included.

  • Springs $1,605
  • Guarulhos $1,764

A family of three spends $2,222 per month in Springs vs $2,565 in Guarulhos, rent included.

  • Springs $2,222
  • Guarulhos $2,565

Springs costs about 3% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Springs and Guarulhos are more affordable than the global median – Springs 27% lower, Guarulhos 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.96 R 148
$8.69 R$44.06
3.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.11 R 611
$40.01 R$203
-7.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.13 R 84.5
$9.00 R$45.61
-43.00%
Cappuccino
$2.32 R 38.18
$2.46 R$12.50
-5.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.58
$1.35 R$6.82
-34.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 R 11.42
$0.86 R$4.37
-19.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.85 R 30.52
$2.44 R$12.39
-24.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 R 34.09
$3.88 R$19.65
-46.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 R 20.02
$1.05 R$5.32
16.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 R 17.65
$1.88 R$9.52
-43.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.79 R 29.57
$1.33 R$6.76
34.59%
Eggs
$2.57 R 42.29
$2.46 R$12.47
4.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.52 R 140
$12.61 R$63.9
-32.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.89 R 80.6
$4.79 R$24.27
2.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.37 R 121
$10.70 R$54.3
-31.12%
Apples (1kg)
$1.32 R 21.72
$2.38 R$12.07
-44.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 R 18.33
$1.72 R$8.71
-35.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.74 R 28.70
$1.53 R$7.74
13.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.21 R 19.90
$1.53 R$7.76
-20.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 R 18.49
$1.26 R$6.40
-11.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R 20.38
$1.18 R$6.00
5.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 R 19.59
$0.98 R$4.97
21.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 R 13.05
$0.85 R$4.32
-7.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.19 R 52.6
$2.49 R$12.65
28.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.91 R 64.4
$9.88 R$50.1
-60.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.78
$1.50 R$7.62
-24.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 R 28.79
$2.49 R$12.64
-29.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.24 R$6.30
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$105 R$532
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.31 R 5.18
$1.17 R$5.94
-73.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.80 R 13.23
$0.72 R$3.64
11.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.52 R 239
$8.49 R$43.03
71.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 R 24.16
$1.28 R$6.50
14.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.9K R 591.3K
$23.6K R$119.5K
52.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.7K R 556.0K
$34.2K R$173.5K
-1.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 R 2,489
$91.6 R$465
64.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.57 R 619
$14.98 R$75.9
150.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.55 R 586
$22.33 R$113
59.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.64 R 653
$28.22 R$143
40.47%
Cinema Ticket
$7.45 R 123
$10.05 R$50.9
-25.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$92.7 R 1,527
$429 R$2,173
-78.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,821 R 30.0K
$11.0K R$56.0K
-83.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.2 R 877
$65.1 R$330
-18.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.07 R 545
$57.1 R$289
-42.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.7 R 1,544
$92.2 R$467
1.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.6 R 1,410
$79.5 R$403
7.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$289 R 4,767
$349 R$1,770
-17.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 R 4,539
$158 R$801
74.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$732 R 12.1K
$995 R$5,042
-26.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$706 R 11.6K
$768 R$3,895
-8.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,499 R 24.7K
$1,944 R$9,855
-22.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$694 R 11.4K
$1,480 R$7,502
-53.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Springs
Guarulhos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,171 R 19.3K
$378 R$1,914
210.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.75
11.25
-4.44%

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

Last update for Springs: October 20, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Springs
$276
Guarulhos
$158 42.7% $118
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Springs
$224
Guarulhos
$129 42.5% $95
Groceries & Markets
Springs
$176
Guarulhos
$227 29% $51
Eating Out
Springs
$135
Guarulhos
$155 15.1% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Springs
$120
Guarulhos
$132 10.6% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Springs
$55
Guarulhos
$48 11.4% $6.2
Getting Around
Springs
$4.3 *
Guarulhos
$115 2549% $110

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $289 in Springs versus $349 in Guarulhos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 210% higher in Springs, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Springs versus $40.00 in Guarulhos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $227 – making Springs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Springs
🇧🇷 Guarulhos
🕒 Local time
16:23 4:23 PM
11:23 11:23 AM
5 h behind Springs
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,996
1,291,771
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Springs Guarulhos 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Springs
  • Guarulhos

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
Springs vs Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Springs or Guarulhos?
Springs costs about 3% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Springs and in Guarulhos?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,483 per month in Springs and $1,446 in Guarulhos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Springs or Guarulhos?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Springs and in Guarulhos?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Springs and $40.00 in Guarulhos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Springs or in Guarulhos?
Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Springs – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Springs or in Guarulhos?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Springs at $989. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Springs it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Guarulhos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Springs or to Guarulhos?
If budget matters most, go with Guarulhos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Springs makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Springs vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?