Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney, NS and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,137 a month against $1,620 in Sydney, NS, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,620

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,620 in Sydney, NS versus $1,137 in Sao Paulo.

Sydney, NS $1,620
Sao Paulo $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,580 in Sydney, NS versus $1,898 in Sao Paulo.

Sydney, NS $2,580
Sao Paulo $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,539 in Sydney, NS versus $2,660 in Sao Paulo.

Sydney, NS $3,539
Sao Paulo $2,660

Living in Sydney, NS is roughly 43% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney, NS is 20% above, Sao Paulo is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 CA$16.29

$8.09 R$44.53

43.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 CA$89.0

$46.75 R$257

35.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 CA$10.25

$8.19 R$45.10

-10.99%

Cappuccino

$2.80 CA$3.93

$2.34 R$12.90

19.66%

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

$2.23 CA$3.14

$1.35 R$7.42

65.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 CA$2.93

$0.81 R$4.45

158.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.83 R$15.56

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 R$22.46

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.53

$1.10 R$6.08

128.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 CA$3.62

$1.73 R$9.54

48.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$1.47 R$8.11

68.71%

Eggs

$3.29 CA$4.63

$2.55 R$14.01

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 CA$9.29

$11.49 R$63.3

-42.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 CA$11.88

$4.82 R$26.52

75.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 CA$18.31

$10.03 R$55.2

29.81%

Apples (1kg)

$7.36 CA$10.35

$2.41 R$13.25

205.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 CA$1.57

$1.60 R$8.81

-30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.56

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.77 R$9.76

-20.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 CA$1.39

$1.31 R$7.21

-24.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.00

$1.15 R$6.32

85.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.28 CA$8.83

$1.16 R$6.37

441.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.99 CA$25.31

$2.70 R$14.87

566.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.28 R$51.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 R$8.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 CA$5.87

$2.39 R$13.18

74.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 CA$1.53

$0.96 R$5.27

13.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 CA$68.6

$43.95 R$242

10.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 CA$6.00

$1.26 R$6.93

238.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.10 R$55.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.18 R$6.47

-1.69%

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

$26.4K CA$37.1K

$21.4K R$118.0K

23.12%

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

$19.0K CA$26.7K

$32.3K R$177.8K

-41.21%

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

$88.8 CA$125

$93.0 R$512

-4.48%

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

$36.35 CA$51.1

$15.28 R$84.1

137.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 CA$103

$19.65 R$108

272.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.08 CA$69.0

$31.16 R$171

57.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.51 CA$4.93

$47.29 R$260

-92.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.02 CA$9.87

$9.36 R$51.5

-25.00%

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

$721 CA$1,014

$564 R$3,102

27.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K R$138.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 CA$98.6

$59.2 R$326

18.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 CA$92.9

$56.0 R$308

17.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 CA$140

$96.3 R$530

3.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$153

$86.9 R$479

25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 CA$1,284

$602 R$3,313

51.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 CA$1,005

$401 R$2,206

78.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 CA$2,515

$1,343 R$7,392

33.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 CA$1,994

$925 R$5,093

53.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,514 R$13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,866 R$10.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,553 CA$3,590

$863 R$4,750

195.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.8

11.5

-49.57%

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

Last update for Sydney, NS: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney, NS

$715 44.1%

Sao Paulo

$401 35.3% 43.9% $314

Groceries & Markets

Sydney, NS

$266 * 16.4%

Sao Paulo

$222 19.5% 16.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney, NS

$198 12.3%

Sao Paulo

$128 11.3% 35.5% $71

Eating Out

Sydney, NS

$165 * 10.2%

Sao Paulo

$148 13.1% 10.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney, NS

$155 9.6%

Sao Paulo

$134 11.8% 13.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney, NS

$63 3.9%

Sao Paulo

$50 4.4% 21% $13

Getting Around

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5%

Sao Paulo

$54 4.7% 6.8% $3.9

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 $913 in Sydney, NS and $602 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney, NS pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Sydney, NS vs $47 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $222 per month, with Sao Paulo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h ahead of Sydney, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,960

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney, NS Sao Paulo 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney, NS
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

Sydney, NS vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Paulo is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sydney, NS is about 3 times higher, 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: $913 in Sydney, NS versus $602 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 10% less than in Sydney, NS. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $721 in Sydney, NS versus $564 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,137 in Sao Paulo versus $1,620 in Sydney, NS, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Paulo but tight or insufficient in Sydney, NS. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Paulo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Sao Paulo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Sydney, NS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.