Which place is cheaper, Sao Paulo or Melbourne?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Melbourne or Sao Paulo?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Melbourne or Sao Paulo? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Melbourne or Sao Paulo?
Melbourne
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, after Sydney. It is also the capital city of the state of Victoria, in southeastern Australia. Melbourne is arguably the best city to experience culture and the arts in Australia. There is a friendly rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney over livability and popularity and Melbourne is definitely the city to visit for its parks, shopping, restaurants, galleries and theaters. Like Sydney, it is situated on the water, at the head of Port Phillip Bay. It's a beautiful city, and although it lacks the major sights that you'll find in Sydney such as the Sydney Opera House or the Harbour Bridge, you will never find yourself lacking for entertainment. It is also a wonderful base for exploring many of the nearby highlights, including Grampians National Park, The Great Ocean Road, and Phillip Island where you can view the penguin parade.
Sao Paulo
With a population of around 11 million, and 20 million in the metropolitan area, Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil. It's also one of the wealthiest cities in the southern hemisphere, although you don't have to look far to see the income disparities and inequalities that exist. The city is diverse and culturally rich, with excellent food, music, and entertainment.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Water Sports Tour Packages in Australia, The Best Food and Culinary Tours in Australia, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Brazil, and The Best Adventure Tours to Brazil.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMelbourne $179Sao Paulo $53
The average daily cost (per person) in Melbourne is $179, while the average daily cost in Sao Paulo is $53. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Melbourne and Sao Paulo in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMelbourne $120Sao Paulo $30
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMelbourne $240Sao Paulo $60
Compare Hotels in Melbourne and Sao Paulo
Looking for a hotel in Melbourne or Sao Paulo? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Melbourne Hotel Prices and Sao Paulo Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Melbourne $20Sao Paulo $5.96
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Melbourne
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Melbourne:
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Airport Bus$11
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Tram Ride$2.51
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Melbourne
Also for Melbourne, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- From Lake Mountain Ski Resort Tour with Transfers: $958
- Yarra Valley: Hot Air Balloon with Breakfast & CBD Transfers: $377
- Melbourne Airport (MEL): Private Transfer to Melbourne: $321
- MEL Airport: Minibus Private Transfer to Southbank: $215
- MEL Airport: Minibus Private Transfer to Melbourne CBD: $208
- Mornington Peninsula - Melbourne Airport Transfers: $201
- Melbourne Private Transfer to Melbourne Airport MEL in Luxury Car: $188
- Ballarat - Melbourne Airport Transfers: $178
- Melbourne Hotel to Airport Private Departure Transfer 12 seater mini bus: $167
- Avalon Airport Transfers: $167
- Melbourne Airport MEL Private Transfer to Melbourne in Luxury Van: $163
- Departure Transfer from Melbourne to Melbourne Airport MEL in Van: $163
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Sao Paulo
Also for Sao Paulo, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- airport transfer: $113
- Viracopos Airport VCP to Poços de Caldas Thermal Arrival Transfer: $80
- Viracopos Airport (VCP) to São Pedro Thermal Arrival Transfer: $38
- Viracopos Airport (VCP) to Águas de Lindoia-RoundTrip Transfer: $77
- Viracopos Airport (VCP) to Águas de Lindoia-Arrival Transfer: $38
- Try find your better than us! Airport transfer service in São Paulo HTL-APT(GRU): $61
- Transfer from São Paulo to Port of Santos: $139
- Transfer GRU airport Guarulhos <> Sao Paulo / Hotel / CGH airport: $64
- Transfer CGH Airport Congonhas <> Sao Paulo city / Hotel: $36
- Sao Paulo to Campinas Viracopos Airport (VCP) - Private Transfer: $38
- Sao Paulo hotels to Campinas Airport (VCP) - Departure Transfer: $38
- Sao Paulo Airport to Beach Resorts - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $176
Is it cheaper to fly into Melbourne or Sao Paulo?
Prices for flights to both Sao Paulo and Melbourne change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayMelbourne $31Sao Paulo $15
Typical Food Prices in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Coffee$2.64
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Pizza$4.62
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Queen Victoria Market: 'Flavours of Australia' Food Tour: $52
- Eynesbury Homestead Dinner and Ghost Tour: $54
- Sunset Kayak Tour with Dinner: $79
- Melbourne Private Multicultural Markets Food Tour: $87
- Chinese Dumpling Cooking Class with a Drink: $98
- Secret Food Tour: $109
- Chinese Cooking Class Master: $120
- Spirit of Melbourne Dinner Cruise: $124
- Choose Your Asian Cuisine Cooking Masterclass: $130
- Street Food of Asia Cooking Class: $132
- Great Ocean Road Sunset Tour with Dinner and Wildlife Park: $144
- Phillip Island Penguins, Wine Tasting and Dinner from Melbourne: $147
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Sao Paulo
For Sao Paulo, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Private Traditional Brazilian or Paulistano Cooking Class with a Chef: $130
- Authentic Brazilian Cooking Experience in SP: Feijoada & Moqueca: $189
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Melbourne $28Sao Paulo $4.08
Tours and Activities in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 1 Day Penguin Island Tour from Melbourne Penguins express: $80
- 1 day Lake mountain snow tour : $114
- 1 day Puffing Billy Steam Train and Wildlife Tour from Melbourne: $126
- 1.5Hr Yarra River Crown Flames and City Lights Cruise: $317
- 2 Day Great Ocean Road Small Group Tour: $810
- 2-Hour Farm Experience in Gateway Yarra Valley: $67
- 2024 Mt Buller, Melbourne Snow and Sightseeing Day Tour: $93
- 3 Hour Rainforest Walking Tour in Badger Creek: $40
- 3-Day Great Ocean Road and Grampians Small-Group Tour: $1,504
- 3.5 Hours Group tour Melbourne trouble-makers tour: $44
- 3/4 Day Sports Lovers Bus Tour of Melbourne with Tour Options: $181
- 4 Hours Sightseeing Small Group Tour in Melbourne City: $40
Tours and Activities in Sao Paulo
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Sao Paulo.
- 2 Hours Private São Paulo Museum of Modern Art Tour: $240
- 3 Beaches Hiking Santo Amaro Island - Paradise Route Tour from São Paulo: $125
- 3H CITY TOUR (pick up / delivery within Sao Paulo city limits): $151
- 4-Hour Private Tour in Sao Paulo: $300
- 4-hour Sum-up Private Tour Of São Paulo Including Its Major Attractions : $134
- 4WD One Day Tour visiting Water Fall and the Big Stone from Sao Paulo: $260
- 5 Hour City Tour in São Paulo: $91
- 5-hour Pelé Private Tour: The King of Football : $162
- 5-hour Private Street Art Tour Of São Paulo – The Coolest Urban Art Scenes: $174
- 5-hour Private Tour Of São Paulo With Its Main Sights – Optional Airport Pickup: $162
- 5-hour private tour in São Paulo (departures from hotels and airport): $155
- 5h City Tour (pick up & delivery within SaoPaulo city): $249
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMelbourne $17Sao Paulo $3.55
Typical Alcohol Prices in Melbourne
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Melbourne from other travelers:
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Bottle of Wine$5.12
Sample the Local Flavors in Melbourne
Also in Melbourne, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Melbourne Pub Crawl: $17
- Weekly Bar Crawl: 5 Free shots, Club Entry: $19
- Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Walking Tour: $26
- Melbourne Halloween Bar Crawl: $33
- Laid back,Small-Group Yarra Valley Wine Tour :Wine,Gin,Cider+more: $87
- Yarra Valley Day Trip with Local Wine Tastings from Melbourne: $104
- Yarra Valley Wine Tour inc lunch with a glass of wine, tastings and chocolate: $117
- Yarra Valley Gourmet Food & Wine Tasting Tour: $129
- Southern Gippsland boutique Wine Tour with Tapas from Melbourne : $140
- Yarra Valley Premium Tour Lunch and Sparkling Wine Tasting at Domaine Chandon: $181
- Champion Racehorse Tour with Beer and Wine Tasting: $194
- Pour Decisions | Wine Tour in Yarra Valley (Private Tour): $260
Sample the Local Flavors in Sao Paulo
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Sao Paulo:
- São Paulo Nightlife: Pub Crawl in the City that Never Sleeps!: $49
- Half Day Private Wine Tour from São Roque: $54
- Wine Tour in São Roque by car - tour with local guides: $98
- 4 Hours Pub Crawl in Vila Madalena: $150
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Melbourne and Sao Paulo, we can see that Melbourne is more expensive. And not only is Sao Paulo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Melbourne is in Pacific and Sao Paulo is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Sao Paulo would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Sao Paulo and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Melbourne would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Melbourne than you might in Sao Paulo.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Melbourne Expensive? and Is Sao Paulo Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Melbourne or Sao Paulo?
Sao Paulo has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of Melbourne. When comparing the sizes of Melbourne and Sao Paulo, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
When is the best time to visit Melbourne or Sao Paulo?
Both destinations experience a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. And since both cities are in the southern hemisphere, summer is in January and winter is in July.
Should I visit Melbourne or Sao Paulo in the Summer?
The summer attracts plenty of travelers to both Melbourne and Sao Paulo. Many travelers come to Melbourne for the beaches, the city activities, and the family-friendly experiences.
In the summer, Melbourne is cooler than Sao Paulo. Typically, the summer temperatures in Melbourne in January average around 20°C (68°F), and Sao Paulo averages at about 25°C (77°F).
Sao Paulo receives a lot of rain in the summer. In January, Melbourne usually receives less rain than Sao Paulo. Melbourne gets 45 mm (1.8 in) of rain, while Sao Paulo receives 170 mm (6.7 in) of rain each month for the summer.
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Summer Average Temperatures JanuaryMelbourne 20°C (68°F)Sao Paulo 25°C (77°F)
Should I visit Melbourne or Sao Paulo in the Autumn?
The autumn brings many poeple to Melbourne as well as Sao Paulo. Many visitors come to Melbourne in the autumn for the city's sights and attractions and the shopping scene.
In April, Melbourne is generally cooler than Sao Paulo. Daily temperatures in Melbourne average around 15°C (60°F), and Sao Paulo fluctuates around 22°C (72°F).
Melbourne usually gets around the same amount of rain in April as Sao Paulo. Melbourne gets 50 mm (2 in) of rain, while Sao Paulo receives 50 mm (2 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Autumn Average Temperatures AprilMelbourne 15°C (60°F)Sao Paulo 22°C (72°F)
Should I visit Melbourne or Sao Paulo in the Winter?
Both Sao Paulo and Melbourne are popular destinations to visit in the winter with plenty of activities. Most visitors come to Melbourne for the museums, the shopping scene, and the cuisine during these months.
Melbourne is much colder than Sao Paulo in the winter. The daily temperature in Melbourne averages around 9°C (49°F) in July, and Sao Paulo fluctuates around 19°C (66°F).
In July, Melbourne usually receives more rain than Sao Paulo. Melbourne gets 43 mm (1.7 in) of rain, while Sao Paulo receives 20 mm (0.8 in) of rain each month for the winter.
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Winter Average Temperatures JulyMelbourne 9°C (49°F)Sao Paulo 19°C (66°F)
Should I visit Melbourne or Sao Paulo in the Spring?
Both Sao Paulo and Melbourne during the spring are popular places to visit. The spring months attract visitors to Melbourne because of the beaches and the activities around the city.
In the spring, Melbourne is cooler than Sao Paulo. Typically, the spring temperatures in Melbourne in October average around 14°C (57°F), and Sao Paulo averages at about 21°C (70°F).
Melbourne usually gets less rain in October than Sao Paulo. Melbourne gets 62 mm (2.4 in) of rain, while Sao Paulo receives 90 mm (3.5 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Spring Average Temperatures OctoberMelbourne 14°C (57°F)Sao Paulo 21°C (70°F)
Typical Weather for Sao Paulo and Melbourne
| Melbourne | Sao Paulo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 20°C (68°F) | 45 mm (1.8 in) | 25°C (77°F) | 170 mm (6.7 in) |
| Feb | 20°C (68°F) | 43 mm (1.7 in) | 25°C (77°F) | 170 mm (6.7 in) |
| Mar | 19°C (65°F) | 35 mm (1.4 in) | 24°C (75°F) | 120 mm (4.7 in) |
| Apr | 15°C (60°F) | 50 mm (2 in) | 22°C (72°F) | 50 mm (2 in) |
| May | 13°C (55°F) | 55 mm (2.2 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 30 mm (1.2 in) |
| Jun | 10°C (50°F) | 37 mm (1.5 in) | 19°C (66°F) | 20 mm (0.8 in) |
| Jul | 9°C (49°F) | 43 mm (1.7 in) | 19°C (66°F) | 20 mm (0.8 in) |
| Aug | 10°C (51°F) | 51 mm (2 in) | 19°C (66°F) | 10 mm (0.4 in) |
| Sep | 12°C (53°F) | 48 mm (1.9 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 60 mm (2.4 in) |
| Oct | 14°C (57°F) | 62 mm (2.4 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 90 mm (3.5 in) |
| Nov | 16°C (61°F) | 49 mm (1.9 in) | 23°C (73°F) | 110 mm (4.3 in) |
| Dec | 18°C (65°F) | 47 mm (1.9 in) | 24°C (75°F) | 150 mm (5.9 in) |
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.