Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staten Island, NY and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,222 a month against $2,998 in Staten Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Staten Island, NY
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Staten Island, NY Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Staten Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,998

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,998 in Staten Island, NY versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo.

Staten Island, NY $2,998
Sao Paulo $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,498 in Staten Island, NY versus $2,044 in Sao Paulo.

Staten Island, NY $4,498
Sao Paulo $2,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,998 in Staten Island, NY versus $2,867 in Sao Paulo.

Staten Island, NY $5,998
Sao Paulo $2,867

Living in Staten Island, NY is roughly 145% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Staten Island, NY is 121% above, Sao Paulo is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.72 $23.72

$8.71 R$44.15

172.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 $88.8

$48.61 R$246

82.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 $13.47

$9.03 R$45.77

49.17%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$2.55 R$12.94

156.47%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.35 R$6.83

97.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$0.91 R$4.63

80.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.07 R$15.55

155.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$4.38 R$22.21

86.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.19 R$6.05

4.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.80 R$9.14

173.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$1.48 R$7.51

356.76%

Eggs

$5.84 $5.84

$2.82 R$14.31

107.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$12.61 R$63.9

38.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$5.40 R$27.36

159.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.21 $19.21

$10.76 R$54.6

78.53%

Apples (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.82 R$14.28

140.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.82 R$9.25

91.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$1.60 R$8.14

280.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$2.03 R$10.28

235.47%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.46 R$7.40

180.14%

Onion (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.25 R$6.35

244.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.25 R$6.32

122.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.98 R$4.98

190.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.80 $17.80

$3.00 R$15.18

493.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$9.71 R$49.22

51.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.84 R$9.32

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.52 R$12.80

45.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.07 R$5.41

178.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.26 R$240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.81 R$9.16

66.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.01 R$5.14

118.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.69 $42.69

$10.24 R$51.9

316.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.29 R$6.52

-10.85%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$23.5K R$119.3K

38.36%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-23.84%

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

$213 $213

$104 R$527

105.02%

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

$75.0 $75.0

$16.60 R$84.1

351.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$22.04 R$112

191.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$36.43 R$185

215.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.29 R$240

Cinema Ticket

$20.36 $20.36

$9.69 R$49.12

110.11%

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

$2,001 $2,001

$573 R$2,906

249.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$16.9K R$85.8K

-3.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 $71.9

$66.3 R$336

8.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.12 $37.12

$61.1 R$310

-39.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$98.8 R$501

3.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$91.4 R$463

15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 $1,851

$654 R$3,316

182.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 $1,423

$418 R$2,120

240.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,379 $3,379

$1,524 R$7,724

121.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 $2,470

$992 R$5,028

149.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 R$13.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 R$10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,817 $6,817

$900 R$4,563

657.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.68

-41.78%

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

Last update for Staten Island, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staten Island, NY

$1.4K 47.5%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 70.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Staten Island, NY

$517 17.3%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 53% $274

Eating Out

Staten Island, NY

$381 12.7%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 57.9% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staten Island, NY

$352 11.8%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 59.5% $210

Sport & Entertainment

Staten Island, NY

$156 5.2%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 64.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Staten Island, NY

$143 4.8%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Staten Island, NY

$26 * 0.9%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 125% $32

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 $1,851 in Staten Island, NY and $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Staten Island, NY pays 657% 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: $89.0 in Staten Island, NY vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $517 vs $243 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Staten Island, NY

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

1 h ahead of Staten Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,747

11,451,999

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Staten Island, NY Sao Paulo 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Staten Island, NY
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

Staten Island, NY vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 145% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 657% higher in Staten Island, NY, 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: $1,851 in Staten Island, NY versus $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,001 in Staten Island, NY versus $573 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Paulo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $89.0 in Staten Island, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,222 in Sao Paulo versus $2,998 in Staten Island, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Staten Island, NY. 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 Staten Island, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Staten Island, NY and Sao Paulo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Staten Island, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.