San Francisco vs São Paulo Cost of Living

San Francisco (United States) · Overall index 95.1São Paulo (Brazil) · Overall index 35.9

Summary

  • Overall, São Paulo is 62% cheaper than San Francisco.
  • Rent in São Paulo is 72% cheaper than in San Francisco.
  • Transport in São Paulo is 66% cheaper than in San Francisco.
ItemSan FranciscoSão PauloDiff
Rent-72%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$3,208$966-70%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$2,609$665-75%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$7,487$2,186-71%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$4,864$1,366-72%
Groceries-56%
Milk (1L)$1.31$0.55-58%
White bread (500g)$4.2$1.73-59%
Rice (1kg)$5.82$2.36-59%
Eggs (12)$4.57$2.35-49%
Local cheese (1kg)$16.3$7.12-56%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$12.6$6.35-50%
Beef round (1kg)$22.3$8.01-64%
Apples (1kg)$5.88$2.5-57%
Bananas (1kg)$2.46$1.05-57%
Oranges (1kg)$4.54$1.99-56%
Tomatoes (1kg)$5.5$2.58-53%
Potatoes (1kg)$3.06$1.33-57%
Onions (1kg)$2.72$1.38-49%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.75$1.07-61%
Water (1.5L bottle)$2.41$1.12-54%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$15.4$6.84-56%
Transport-66%
Public transport, one-way ticket$3.1$0.91-71%
Public transport, monthly pass$139$42.2-70%
Taxi, base fare$4.48$1.64-63%
Taxi, per km$1.91$0.64-66%
Gasoline (1L)$0.99$0.37-63%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$27,640$10,655-61%
Dining out-63%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$21.5$8.37-61%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$115$48.8-58%
Fast food combo meal$11.6$4.92-58%
Cappuccino$5.52$2.15-61%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$3.04$1.15-62%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$8.59$2.74-68%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$8.71$3.05-65%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$2.32$0.75-68%
Telecom-52%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$68.5$33.7-51%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$71.8$33-54%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.37$0.18-51%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$15.8$7.35-53%
Utilities & household-57%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$176$88.5-50%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.23$0.11-52%
Tap water (1m³)$5.1$2.26-56%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.47$0.64-56%
Waste collection (monthly)$25.8$10.7-59%
Fitness club (monthly)$94.8$34-64%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$17.5$6.59-62%
Men's haircut$33.2$13.8-58%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$29.6$12.6-57%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$2,199$1,022-54%

3,204 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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