Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sao Carlos vs. Brazil Cost of Living Summary
Sao Carlos is 8.6% cheaper than Brazil overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.8% less in Sao Carlos
- Groceries
-
pay 9.6% more in Sao Carlos
- Transportation
-
pay 12.7% less in Sao Carlos
- Housing
-
pay 0.6% less in Sao Carlos
- Childcare
-
pay 30.8% less in Sao Carlos
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.7% less in Sao Carlos
- Clothing
-
pay 19.3% less in Sao Carlos
Expenses including childcare, clothing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and housing are lower in Sao Carlos.
Sao Carlos vs. Brazil Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sao Carlos instead of Brazil, you would:
pay 4.8% less for restaurants
|
Brazil
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.62
R$30.57
|
$4.66
R$25.34
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.58
R$35.80
|
$5.96
R$32.43
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.11
R$6.04
|
$1.16
R$6.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.68
R$3.69
|
$0.70
R$3.80
|
|
Brazil vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.6% more for groceries
|
Brazil
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.51
R$8.22
|
$1.54
R$8.36
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.32
R$23.48
|
$5.12
R$27.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.77
R$20.49
|
$3.98
R$21.62
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.10
R$11.45
|
$2.30
R$12.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.77
R$9.64
|
$1.87
R$10.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.94
R$5.09
|
$0.82
R$4.49
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
R$3.18
|
$0.51
R$2.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.54
R$2.92
|
$0.71
R$3.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.66
R$3.61
|
$0.73
R$3.98
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.52
R$2.84
|
$0.65
R$3.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.48
R$2.60
|
$0.59
R$3.22
|
|
Brazil vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of groceries
pay 12.7% less for transportation
|
Brazil
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
R$22.65
|
$3.98
R$21.65
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.46
R$230.95
|
$22.36
R$121.63
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,515.32
R$117,030.45
|
$21,615.18
R$117,573.58
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.72
R$47.44
|
$8.76
R$47.64
|
|
Brazil vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of transportation
pay 0.6% less for housing
|
Brazil
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$18.92
R$102.91
|
$20.65
R$112.30
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$308.76
R$1,679.47
|
$232.92
R$1,266.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$217.49
R$1,182.99
|
$198.76
R$1,081.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$51.93
R$282.46
|
$63.17
R$343.62
|
|
Brazil vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of housing
pay 30.8% less for childcare
|
Brazil
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$275.38
R$1,497.93
|
$270.19
R$1,469.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,953.98
R$37,825.49
|
$2,795.07
R$15,203.48
|
|
Brazil vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of childcare
pay 1.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Brazil
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.73
R$9.41
|
$1.49
R$8.11
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.76
R$9.59
|
$2.07
R$11.23
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.27
R$12.35
|
$2.24
R$12.16
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$24.44
R$132.93
|
$28.42
R$154.57
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.36
R$34.62
|
$4.66
R$25.34
|
|
Brazil vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.3% less for clothing
|
Brazil
|
Sao Carlos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.78
R$270.76
|
$35.40
R$192.58
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.18
R$245.73
|
$33.54
R$182.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$79.53
R$432.60
|
$81.19
R$441.62
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$61.80
R$336.14
|
$46.58
R$253.39
|
|
Brazil vs. Sao Carlos - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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