To live the lifestyle in the capital of São Paulo you have to pay a lot
There are those who say that gay people have a lot to spend and love to do so. After all, there are many who are professionally successful, do not have children, nor an extended family to support, and can afford to go to fashionable restaurants, trendy clubs, gyms and consuming their favorite brands. And those who like (and can) spend and live the so-called gay lifestyle intensely will find São Paulo a true mecca. In the capital of São Paulo, there are endless leisure and entertainment possibilities for the homosexual public willing to open their wallets. But do those who live in the city pay the fair price for the services and products offered? Or do gay people end up paying more for the "status" of living in the country's financial center?
If we put it at the tip of the pencil, things are going to be expensive. For example, the rent for a small apartment in the central region of São Paulo currently costs around R$800 to R$1500 reais, not counting the condominium. When it comes to clubs, you can easily spend R$ 150 in a night, taking into account that the cost of entry to the city's best-known clubs is unlikely to cost less than R$ 50 and on top of that you can also spend with taxi and drinks throughout the boil. The prices of drinks, in fact, are identified as the biggest villains by those who enjoy the nightlife in São Paulo. In one of the best-known and most frequented clubs in the city, for example, a drink can cost R$30. As there are four Saturdays in the month and if we keep in mind that many people don't miss out on even one Saturday, they go there, on minimum, R$600.
In addition, there are gym expenses (the most hyped ones in the city have monthly fees exceeding R$350), clothes and restaurants. Producer Bruno Hanna, 26 years old, talks about the subject with knowledge of the facts. He lives on Frei Caneca, considered the "gay street" in São Paulo, and has already paid R$2.000 in rent for an apartment he shared with three other people. "As we worked, it wasn't expensive. But we paid a lot more for the location than for the property itself", he acknowledges. Despite considering that living in that region brings several advantages for a gay person, such as a more tolerant atmosphere and offering specific products, the producer realizes that there is an overpricing in the prices of products and services compared to those practiced in different areas of the city." This may be due to the myth that gay people have money. "I, for example, think the Shopping Frei Caneca market is absurd. Always with some more expensive products compared to other similar establishments. The thing is to research", he advises.
Those who don't give up having a closet full of pieces from international brands can hardly save money by doing research. In São Paulo these products are really expensive and anyone who can buy them outside the country shouldn't think twice." I usually wear Calvin Klein, Hollister and Nike, and you can find them all here. But it's not worth it, they're not priced fair", says Bruno Hanna.
IT’S NOT JUST IN SÃO PAULO
In Rio de Janeiro, where the gay presence is also very strong in neighborhoods like Ipanema, things are not very different either. In fact, with regard to the cost of renting properties, the values can weigh even more on the budget than in São Paulo. Anyone who wants to rent a one-bedroom apartment in that region of the South Zone where the busy Farme de Amoedo street is located will hardly pay less than R$2.000.
Going out to the city's trendy clubs can also be more expensive than in the capital of São Paulo.
Entrances and drinks generally have prices similar to those in São Paulo, while taxi rides tend to be more expensive in Rio. "I think that because there are more tourists here than in São Paulo, taxis are generally more expensive. I, for example, I live in the south of the city and I always go to The Week. When I decide to leave the car at home, I rarely pay less than R$70 for the taxi ride back home. It's more than I pay to get into the club. ", reveals systems analyst Gustavo Vasconcelos. The Rio native also says that he periodically comes to São Paulo to visit friends in the city and says he doesn't think São Paulo prices are as high as they say.
"São Paulo's gay nightlife is expensive, it's true, but for those who come from Rio, these prices don't tend to be so scary. Something important to say about both Rio and São Paulo is that both cities have several leisure options outside of better known circuit of big clubs and big parties. In the suburbs of these two cities you can find much cheaper and just as fun clubs. You just need to calculate whether it is worth going to a very far location to pay less in entry and consumption or. stay in the central regions, which generally have easier access, but are more expensive", says Vasconcelos.
Even in the Northeast, where until recently prices were cheaper compared to large centers in the Southeast, gay life can also be quite expensive. According to Pernambuco designer André Fantini, a good party at the biggest club in Recife can cost R$120 (entrance + drinks + taxi). To rent a 50 square meter apartment in the traditional Espinheiro neighborhood, it costs around R$1.500, including a condominium. "The difference is small in relation to São Paulo, but at the end of the month this difference ends up meaning more savings."
Used to coming to São Paulo periodically, Fantini states that the biggest villain of nights in São Paulo compared to those in Recife is the price of drinks. "In São Paulo, if someone is a little out of control with alcohol, their pockets will feel very heavy at the end of the night. Here in Recife it is still possible to drink for more honest prices." Regarding spending on gym memberships and designer clothes, the native of Pernambuco says that the levels are very close to those in Rio and São Paulo. According to him, the problem is finding clothes from brands like Diesel and Abercrombie in the city, but when you do, the pieces are generally as expensive as in the Southeast.
AND OUTSIDE?
It's definitely not just in Brazil that being gay can be expensive. In New York, for example, living in the gay area of the city costs around US$2.000 (about R$3.600). "That's for a very small apartment", reveals dental technician Oscar Rivera, a resident of the city. "Here, going out at night, specifically to XL, which is the fashionable club, doesn't cost less than US$150 (R$275), sometimes it can cost much more than that." Oscar tells us that he is a fan of Diesel and whenever he stops by the store to buy several pieces and leaves between US$500 and US$700 there. In other words, from R$900 to R$1200. These are considerable amounts, but if we think that here in Brazil a single piece from the same brand can reach R$1.000, the New York price is not absurd.
In European cities, the cost of gay living shows that those who earn in euros really have many advantages. Living in Chueca, Madrid's gay neighborhood, can cost less than 900 euros, around R$2.000. A Saturday night at Kluster, the city's famous gay club, hardly exceeds 50 euros (R$ 120). "But here it's common for bars and nightclubs to offer drink promotions. There are lots of discounts and double drinks", says Spanish physicist José Luis Gonzalez.
But what can really make Brazilians jealous of Spaniards is the chance they have to buy, at fair prices, clothes that for us here can cost a fortune. "Here we can buy t-shirts from brands like DSquared, Armani and D&G for 50 euros. Basic jeans from brands like these usually cost around 100 euros (R$240)." In other words, if you think that the same pair of pants in Brazil can be sold for between R$600 and R$700, you already know: filling your suitcases with purchases during that trip abroad is definitely worth it. Next, you can compare the price between cities.
Living in the gay neighborhood – Gambling (club + taxi + drinks) – Diesel jeans
São Paulo: R$1500 – R$150 – R$1100
Rio de Janeiro: R$2000 – R$170 – R$1100
Recife: R$1500 – R$120 – R$1100
New York: R$3600 – R$275 – R$450
Madrid: R$2000- R$120 – R$240
Monthly spending in SP: R$2450 = apartment rental in the gay neighborhood + one night out per week + trendy gym
*Article originally published in A Capa magazine #55
