Cost of Living · JP vs BR
🇯🇵 Tokyo vs 🇧🇷 São Paulo: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,435 in Japan vs $949 in Brazil — 33.86% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Brazil
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -37.81%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -37.81%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -37.81%
Closest to Japan prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -12.5%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -12.68%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -12.69%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Japan | Brazil | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $972 | $604 (3,377 BRL) | -37.81% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $778 | $484 (2,702 BRL) | -37.81% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,777 | $1,105 (6,176 BRL) | -37.81% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.34 | $7.81 (44 BRL) | -31.13% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $47.25 | $32.53 (182 BRL) | -31.15% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.23 | $5.15 (29 BRL) | -28.77% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.79 | $0.60 (3 BRL) | -24.05% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.29 | $1.74 (10 BRL) | -24.02% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.43 | $1.85 (10 BRL) | -23.87% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.15 | $5.45 (30 BRL) | -23.78% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.86 | $2.18 (12 BRL) | -23.78% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.43 | $2.61 (15 BRL) | -23.91% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.57 | $6.54 (37 BRL) | -23.69% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.43 | $1.09 (6 BRL) | -23.78% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.78 | $2.60 (15 BRL) | -31.22% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.76 | $5.90 (33 BRL) | -12.72% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.15 | $2.17 (12 BRL) | -31.11% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.64 | $1.25 (7 BRL) | -23.78% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $42.71 | $30.42 (170 BRL) | -28.78% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.81 | $1.29 (7 BRL) | -28.73% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.52 | $1.74 (10 BRL) | -30.95% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.13 | $0.78 (4 BRL) | -30.97% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.80 | $0.70 (4 BRL) | -12.5% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $131 | $93.60 (523 BRL) | -28.77% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $45.99 | $32.76 (183 BRL) | -28.77% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $29.57 | $21.06 (118 BRL) | -28.78% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $31.50 | $21.69 (121 BRL) | -31.14% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.82 | $6.07 (34 BRL) | -31.18% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.90 | $13.01 (73 BRL) | -31.16% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.49 | $40.59 (227 BRL) | -12.69% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $76.08 | $66.43 (371 BRL) | -12.68% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $157 | $108 (606 BRL) | -31.14% |
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 Japan?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $949 in Brazil versus $1,435 in Japan — 33.86% 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 $3.78 in Japan.
- How much is rent in Brazil compared to Japan?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $604/month in Brazil versus $972/month in Japan (-37.81%). 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.