Cost of Living · CN vs BR
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇧🇷 São Paulo: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $949 in Brazil — 6.13% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Brazil
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -7.03%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -7.03%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -7.03%
Closest to China prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -2.05%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -2.07%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -2.16%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Brazil | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $604 (3,377 BRL) | -7.03% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $484 (2,702 BRL) | -7.03% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $1,105 (6,176 BRL) | -7.03% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $7.81 (44 BRL) | -5.56% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $32.53 (182 BRL) | -5.57% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $5.15 (29 BRL) | -4.98% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.60 (3 BRL) | -3.23% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $1.74 (10 BRL) | -4.4% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $1.85 (10 BRL) | -4.15% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $5.45 (30 BRL) | -4.05% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $2.18 (12 BRL) | -3.96% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $2.61 (15 BRL) | -4.4% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $6.54 (37 BRL) | -3.96% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.09 (6 BRL) | -4.39% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $2.60 (15 BRL) | -5.8% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $5.90 (33 BRL) | -2.16% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $2.17 (12 BRL) | -5.65% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.25 (7 BRL) | -4.58% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $30.42 (170 BRL) | -5.09% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.29 (7 BRL) | -5.15% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $1.74 (10 BRL) | -5.43% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $0.78 (4 BRL) | -6.02% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.70 (4 BRL) | -2.78% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $93.60 (523 BRL) | -5.07% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $32.76 (183 BRL) | -5.07% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $21.06 (118 BRL) | -5.09% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $21.69 (121 BRL) | -5.57% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $6.07 (34 BRL) | -5.6% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $13.01 (73 BRL) | -5.59% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $40.59 (227 BRL) | -2.07% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $66.43 (371 BRL) | -2.05% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $108 (606 BRL) | -5.56% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Brazil than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $949 in Brazil versus $1,011 in China — 6.13% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Brazil?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.60 in Brazil (≈ 14.53 BRL), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Brazil compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $604/month in Brazil versus $650/month in China (-7.03%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.