Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belem and Sao Luis

For one person, living costs are similar in Belem and in Sao Luis: $868 and $832 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$868

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belem and in Sao Luis

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Belem and in Sao Luis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $868 in Belem versus $832 in Sao Luis.

Belem $868
Sao Luis $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,315 in Belem versus $1,317 in Sao Luis.

Belem $1,315
Sao Luis $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,763 in Belem versus $1,802 in Sao Luis.

Belem $1,763
Sao Luis $1,802

Living in Belem is roughly 4% more expensive than in Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Belem 36% lower, Sao Luis 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 R$23.64

$6.64 R$33.64

-29.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.47 R$98.7

$40.14 R$203

-51.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 R$35.72

$6.89 R$34.93

2.32%

Cappuccino

$1.78 R$9.04

$2.13 R$10.80

-16.43%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.67

$1.22 R$6.20

-24.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 R$2.25

$0.71 R$3.60

-38.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 R$8.04

$1.95 R$9.87

-18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R$11.73

$2.43 R$12.31

-4.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.27

$1.05 R$5.33

18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 R$11.77

$1.98 R$10.06

17.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.44

$1.14 R$5.80

11.40%

Eggs

$1.95 R$9.87

$2.21 R$11.21

-11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 R$42.57

$9.82 R$49.77

-14.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 R$21.13

$4.31 R$21.87

-3.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 R$35.51

$7.89 R$39.99

-11.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 R$11.14

$2.17 R$11.02

1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.31

$1.38 R$7.02

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.08

$1.20 R$6.08

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.69 R$8.58

-9.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.89

$1.39 R$7.03

-30.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 R$2.89

$1.27 R$6.45

-55.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.20

$0.88 R$4.46

38.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R$6.51

$0.77 R$3.88

66.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 R$13.00

$2.36 R$11.97

8.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.67 R$49.00

$8.07 R$40.90

19.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.27 R$6.44

7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 R$24.11

$2.25 R$11.42

111.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 R$4.26

$0.85 R$4.30

-1.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.66 R$161

$37.93 R$192

-16.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 R$5.42

$0.95 R$4.83

12.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 R$5.79

$0.92 R$4.66

23.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.35 R$42.31

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.15

$1.24 R$6.29

-2.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.2K R$112.4K

$23.8K R$120.7K

-6.90%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.8K R$151.1K

$30.7K R$155.9K

-3.03%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$88.9 R$450

$95.3 R$483

-6.72%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.49 R$53.2

$17.60 R$89.2

-40.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.62 R$145

$21.13 R$107

35.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.73 R$100.0

$20.40 R$103

-3.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.19 R$183

$15.06 R$76.4

140.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 R$36.92

$6.76 R$34.25

7.69%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$107 R$541

$184 R$935

-42.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,276 R$16.6K

$2,903 R$14.7K

12.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.20 R$148

$64.5 R$327

-54.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.81 R$207

$54.2 R$275

-24.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.2 R$371

$76.1 R$386

-3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.9 R$319

$59.2 R$300

6.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 R$2,475

$360 R$1,824

35.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 R$1,349

$184 R$930

45.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 R$3,958

$577 R$2,923

35.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 R$2,408

$322 R$1,635

47.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,928 R$9,773

$1,529 R$7,749

26.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,312 R$6,652

$717 R$3,633

83.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$380 R$1,929

$394 R$1,998

-3.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Belem: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Belem

$266 30.7%

Sao Luis

$184 22.1% 31.1% $83

Groceries & Markets

Belem

$207 23.9%

Sao Luis

$197 23.7% 4.8% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belem

$128 14.7%

Sao Luis

$134 16.1% 4.7% $6

Eating Out

Belem

$98 11.3%

Sao Luis

$122 14.6% 24.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Belem

$93 10.7%

Sao Luis

$114 13.8% 23.3% $22

Getting Around

Belem

$42 4.8%

Sao Luis

$47 5.6% 12.1% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Belem

$34 4%

Sao Luis

$34 4.1% 1.1% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $488 in Belem and $360 in Sao Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Luis pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Belem vs $40.00 in Sao Luis. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $197, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belem

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

Same time as Belem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,303,403

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Belem Sao Luis 480 km

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Belem
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Belem vs Sao Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Luis is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Sao Luis. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $488 in Belem versus $360 in Sao Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Luis runs roughly 20% less than in Belem. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $107 in Belem versus $184 in Sao Luis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $832 in Sao Luis versus $868 in Belem, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Belem. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Luis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Sao Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Belem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.