Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $839 a month against $980 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bishkek outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
Learn more

Bishkek Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
Learn more

Sao Luis Living Index

Jump to prices

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$980

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bishkek 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 Bishkek and in Sao Luis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Bishkek versus $839 in Sao Luis.

Bishkek $980
Sao Luis $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Bishkek versus $1,331 in Sao Luis.

Bishkek $1,503
Sao Luis $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,026 in Bishkek versus $1,823 in Sao Luis.

Bishkek $2,026
Sao Luis $1,823

Living in Bishkek is roughly 17% more expensive than in Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 27% lower, Sao Luis 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.02 KGS 614

$6.34 R$32.14

10.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.73 KGS 2,513

$40.56 R$206

-29.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 KGS 501

$6.82 R$34.57

-15.98%

Cappuccino

$2.40 KGS 210

$2.25 R$11.39

6.67%

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

$0.75 KGS 66.0

$1.28 R$6.46

-41.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 KGS 35.19

$0.71 R$3.62

-43.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 KGS 123

$2.06 R$10.42

-31.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 KGS 165

$2.43 R$12.30

-22.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 90.1

$1.07 R$5.44

-3.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 KGS 33.63

$1.90 R$9.61

-80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 KGS 144

$1.11 R$5.61

47.75%

Eggs

$1.77 KGS 155

$2.17 R$11.00

-18.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 KGS 674

$10.20 R$51.7

-24.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 KGS 395

$4.40 R$22.33

2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 KGS 787

$7.69 R$38.98

17.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 KGS 119

$2.20 R$11.16

-38.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 KGS 165

$1.37 R$6.96

37.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.20 R$6.10

67.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 KGS 134

$1.70 R$8.63

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 KGS 50.8

$1.32 R$6.69

-56.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KGS 41.73

$1.36 R$6.89

-64.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 KGS 61.2

$0.82 R$4.16

-14.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 KGS 53.8

$0.78 R$3.97

-21.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 KGS 177

$2.38 R$12.07

-15.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 KGS 803

$8.13 R$41.23

12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 KGS 124

$1.35 R$6.83

5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 KGS 176

$2.27 R$11.51

-11.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 KGS 19.13

$0.85 R$4.31

-74.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.78 KGS 1,031

$39.64 R$201

-70.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 KGS 76.4

$0.98 R$4.95

-11.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.43

$0.86 R$4.35

-45.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 KGS 494

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 KGS 89.4

$1.28 R$6.47

-20.31%

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

$30.0K KGS 2.6M

$23.6K R$119.6K

27.00%

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

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

$30.7K R$155.4K

9.46%

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

$50.2 KGS 4,393

$97.6 R$495

-48.57%

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

$5.62 KGS 491

$18.01 R$91.3

-68.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.77 KGS 1,029

$21.24 R$108

-44.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 KGS 4,813

$20.48 R$104

168.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 KGS 1,301

$15.44 R$78.3

-3.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 KGS 497

$7.15 R$36.25

-20.56%

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

$222 KGS 19.4K

$184 R$934

20.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,839 KGS 685.7K

$2,897 R$14.7K

170.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 KGS 4,843

$64.6 R$327

-14.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 KGS 3,745

$55.8 R$283

-23.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 KGS 7,841

$75.8 R$384

18.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 KGS 8,030

$59.9 R$304

53.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 KGS 53.5K

$357 R$1,809

71.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.8K

$185 R$937

121.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 KGS 91.1K

$569 R$2,883

83.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 KGS 62.0K

$331 R$1,680

113.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,803 KGS 157.7K

$1,518 R$7,695

18.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 KGS 107.0K

$724 R$3,668

69.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 KGS 45.0K

$393 R$1,994

30.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 41.8%

Sao Luis

$185 22% 54.9% $225

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 18%

Sao Luis

$198 23.6% 12.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$126 12.8%

Sao Luis

$115 13.7% 8.4% $11

Eating Out

Bishkek

$118 12%

Sao Luis

$121 14.4% 3.1% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$68 6.9%

Sao Luis

$137 16.3% 103% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$66 6.8%

Sao Luis

$35 4.1% 47.6% $32

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Sao Luis

$48 5.8% 204% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $612 in Bishkek and $357 in Sao Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bishkek pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Bishkek vs $41.00 in Sao Luis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $198 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

05:53 5:53 AM

9 h behind Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Sao Luis 12,520 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
Sao Luis

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

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

Sao Luis is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Bishkek, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $612 in Bishkek versus $357 in Sao Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Bishkek versus $184 in Sao Luis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bishkek pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $839 in Sao Luis versus $980 in Bishkek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Luis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Luis is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bishkek, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bishkek and Sao Luis are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.