✦ Compare
Rome vs
São Paulo
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Rome, IT vs São Paulo, BR at a glance — São Paulo, BR is 41% cheaper than Rome, IT overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $650/mo versus $1,200/mo. Top income tax: 27.5% vs 43%.
To keep the same standard of living in São Paulo, BR, you'd need
$44,499 / year
São Paulo, BR is 41% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (São Paulo, BR vs Rome, IT)
- Housing-50%
- Food & groceries-45%
- Transport-33%
- Utilities-46%
- Healthcare-25%
- Goods & services-32%
◎ How Rome, IT and São Paulo, BR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Rome, IT | São Paulo, BR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 100 | 59 |
| Housing | 110 | 55 |
| Food | 100 | 55 |
| Transport | 75 | 50 |
| Utilities | 120 | 65 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 60 |
| Goods & services | 100 | 68 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,200/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $900/mo | $420/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,400/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,500 | $2,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $998 | $1,682 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $38 | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 43% | 27.5% |
| VAT / sales tax | 22% | 17% |
| Corporate tax | 24% | 34% |
| Capital gains | 26% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $1,900/mo | $600/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $53,864✓ | — |
| Minimum wage | — | $280/mo |
| GDP per capita | $43,309✓ | $10,296✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 1.5%✓ | 4.5%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 50 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC-3 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 68 | 54 |
| Safety index | 55 | 40 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 65 |
| Pollution index | 60 | 60 |
| Internet speed | 100 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 85 | 60 |
| Public transport | 75 | 68 |
| Family-friendly | 64 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 76 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +8 °C | +23 °C |
| July avg | +25 °C | +16 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 150 |
| Rainfall / year | 800 mm | 1,450 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Italy vs Brazil. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Rome vs São Paulo — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Rome
Living inside an open-air museum — unbeatable food and history, but slow bureaucracy and patchy transit.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 100 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 8°C · ☀ 25°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F/L · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Trastevere · Monti · Prati
Good to know before you move to São Paulo
Latin America's financial and cultural engine — the region's best job market, restaurants and nightlife, spread across an endless skyline. Big-city upside offset by traffic, sprawl and sharp inequality.
- Currency
- Brazilian real (R$ BRL)
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Time zone
- UTC-3
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 40/100
- Climate
- ❄ 23°C · ☀ 16°C · 150 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- N/C · 127V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Vila Madalena · Pinheiros · Jardins · Itaim Bibi
Plan your move to Rome
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to São Paulo
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Rome to São Paulo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Rome to São Paulo, your cost of living will be roughly 41% cheaper. São Paulo’s cost-of-living index is 59 versus 100 for Rome (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Rome cheaper than São Paulo?
São Paulo is about 41% cheaper than Rome overall — its cost-of-living index is 59 versus 100 for Rome.
Which is more expensive, Rome or São Paulo?
Rome is more expensive than São Paulo. Its cost-of-living index is 100 vs 59 (US = 100) — about 69% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Rome or São Paulo?
Rent is cheaper in São Paulo — about $650/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,200 in Rome.
How much do you need to earn in São Paulo to live like in Rome?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Rome is worth about $44,499 in São Paulo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Rome or São Paulo?
Brazil has the lower top income-tax rate — 27.5% versus 43% in Italy.
◷ More comparisons from Rome
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.