Salary Equivalence

Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo, Brazil — cost-of-living and salary purchasing-power profile with a price-level index of 40.0 (New York City = 100).

Key figures

Price level index40.0
Rent index26.0
Population12,325,000

About Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo has a composite price-level index of 40.0 (New York City = 100) and a rent index of 26.0, making it a relatively affordable city. It is home to roughly 12.3 million people and uses the BRL. The calculators below convert any salary to and from Sao Paulo so you can judge a move in real purchasing-power terms rather than raw currency.

The comparisons below show how Sao Paulo stacks up against the alternatives people most often weigh against it, with the specific numbers laid out side by side.

Frequently asked questions

How expensive is Sao Paulo?

Sao Paulo has a composite price-level index of 40.0 (NYC = 100) and a rent index of 26.0.

What currency is used in Sao Paulo?

Sao Paulo uses the BRL.

DE
Dr. Elena Vasquez
Lead Economist, Cost-of-Living Research

Elena holds a PhD in Economics and has spent 12 years modelling purchasing-power parity and regional price indices.

PhD Economics, LSEFormer OECD statistics fellow
✓ Reviewed by Priya Nair, Data Quality Reviewer.
Last updated 2026-06-01

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