According to the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey published by The Economist Intelligence Unit in March 2019, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are among the most affordable cities in the world. The study compared the cost of living in 133 big cities from all regions of the world, including areas affected by conflicts, and placed São Paulo at 107th and Rio at 108th in the list, where the lower the ranking position the more affordable the city.
In recent years, inflation in Brazil has been consistently moderate (2.95% in 2017 and 3.75% in 2018), even with the policy interest rate at a record low (6.5%). Slight exchange rate fluctuations have also helped to render Brazilian products cheaper compared to the rest of the world.
