Financing an apartment in São Paulo: simulate and compare with renting
33.3% of households in São Paulo are apartments, and 21.4% of those are still being paid off (2022 Census). Simulate the payment with Brazil’s central bank rates and compare it with renting.
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São Paulo at a glance
In the 2022 Census, São Paulo had 11,451,999 inhabitants and 4,309,163 occupied permanent private households, 1,434,414 of them apartments.
Mortgage simulator
Enter the property and choose the bank. The rate is pre-filled with the average across banks, and you can replace it with the one in your offer.
Results appear as soon as the rates are loaded.
The simulation holds the month's TR (or IPCA) constant and excludes insurance and fees (unless you fill in the optional field). It is not a credit offer or financial advice: the total effective cost (CET) is the figure the bank gives you.
Buy or rent: which builds more wealth?
Buyers pay a down payment, installments and property costs, and end up with an asset that may or may not appreciate. Renters invest the down payment and the monthly difference. Compare the net worth of each over the years.
The result appears as soon as the rates are loaded.
The model ignores the cost of selling the property, capital gains tax and rate changes over the years. The appreciation and yield defaults are assumptions, not forecasts: change them and see how the result responds.
São Paulo in official data
Apartments in the city and in Brazil, 2022 Census. The Rank column is the position among the 133 cities we track (1st = highest share).
| Indicator | São Paulo | Brazil | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that are apartments | 33.3% | 14.7% | 15th |
| Rented apartments | 28.8% | 36.8% | 113th |
| Apartments still being paid off | 21.4% | 20.5% | 72nd |
Source: IBGE (Brazil’s statistics agency), 2022 Census, SIDRA 9935 and 4714. No listing prices: enter the property value you have in mind in the simulator. Open the table.
The numbers behind it
| Households | All types | Apartments |
|---|---|---|
| Occupied | 4,309,163 | 1,434,414 |
| Rented | 1,222,655 (28.4%) | 412,445 (28.8%) |
| Still being paid off | 416,632 (9.7%) | 306,571 (21.4%) |
| Residents | 11,401,805 | — |
Income and vacant households in São Paulo
| Indicator | São Paulo | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Median income per person, per month | R$ 1,340 | R$ 1,000 |
| Average income per person, per month | R$ 2,713 | R$ 1,638 |
| Vacant households | 11.8% | 12.6% |
| Occasional-use households | 1.7% | 7.4% |
Median income per person in São Paulo is the 31st highest among the 159 cities we track: R$ 1,340 per month, 34% above Brazil’s median (values from 2022); it does not measure what a family can afford to finance. Vacant households make up 11.8% in São Paulo (Brazil: 12.6%), and occasional-use homes 1.7% (Brazil: 7.4%).
São Paulo compared with cities in São Paulo
| City | Apts. | Rented | Paying off | Diff. (p.p.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 33.3% | 28.8% | 21.4% | — |
| Guarulhos | 23.0% | 24.0% | 35.2% | −10.3 |
| Campinas | 30.5% | 35.3% | 21.9% | −2.8 |
| São Bernardo do Campo | 32.3% | 22.3% | 27.4% | −1.0 |
| Santo André | 33.6% | 24.6% | 25.9% | +0.3 |
| Osasco | 26.0% | 23.8% | 34.0% | −7.3 |
Apts. = % of households that are apartments; Rented and Paying = % of apartments; — = small sample; Diff. = percentage points of apartments relative to São Paulo.
São Paulo is 18.6 percentage points above the national average in the share of households that are apartments, 8.0 percentage points below for rented apartments and 0.9 percentage points above for apartments still being paid off. Counting all household types, 27.1% of residents live in rented property and 10.1% in property still being paid off.
See also
Frequently asked questions about apartments in São Paulo
How many households are apartments in São Paulo?
1,434,414 of 4,309,163 (33.3%), versus 14.7% in Brazil: 15th place among the 133 cities we track.
How many apartments in São Paulo are rented?
412,445 (28.8%), versus 36.8% nationwide: 113th place.
How many apartments in São Paulo are still being paid off?
306,571 (21.4%), versus 20.5% in Brazil: 72nd place. It is a reference for how common installment buying is, not a forecast of credit approval.