Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $782 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $782 in Sao Luis.

Brasilia $916
Sao Luis $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,233 in Sao Luis.

Brasilia $1,514
Sao Luis $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,685 in Sao Luis.

Brasilia $2,112
Sao Luis $1,685

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Sao Luis 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.87

$5.96 R$32.40

41.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$200

$36.79 R$200

-0.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$43.40

$6.45 R$35.08

23.72%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.73

$2.10 R$11.42

20.48%

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

$1.42 R$7.72

$1.18 R$6.44

20.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.45

$0.63 R$3.40

58.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.96

$1.89 R$10.28

16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.42

$2.26 R$12.29

66.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.54

$1.02 R$5.57

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.62

$1.77 R$9.62

10.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.74

$1.02 R$5.57

21.57%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.36

$2.00 R$10.86

13.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$60.8

$9.53 R$51.8

17.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$21.01

$4.02 R$21.84

-3.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$46.64

$7.27 R$39.53

18.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.53

$2.00 R$10.86

15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.50

$1.28 R$6.94

7.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.83

$1.12 R$6.10

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.27

$1.63 R$8.85

-6.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.04

$1.28 R$6.96

-13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.30

$1.21 R$6.60

-19.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.11

$0.79 R$4.29

-3.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.08

$0.68 R$3.71

36.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.85

$2.21 R$12.00

6.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.69

$7.57 R$41.16

1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.74

$1.19 R$6.45

4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.81

$2.16 R$11.75

9.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.96

$0.75 R$4.06

-2.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$162

$35.77 R$195

-16.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.52

$0.94 R$5.11

7.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.66

$0.81 R$4.38

6.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$31.38

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.78

$1.18 R$6.39

5.93%

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

$22.0K R$119.4K

$21.9K R$119.1K

0.21%

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

$31.9K R$173.2K

$28.7K R$156.0K

11.02%

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

$92.1 R$501

$89.6 R$487

2.87%

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

$11.85 R$64.4

$16.58 R$90.1

-28.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$114

$19.72 R$107

6.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$166

$18.63 R$101

63.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$143

$14.41 R$78.3

82.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$40.59

$6.34 R$34.48

17.67%

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

$764 R$4,156

$174 R$944

340.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$85.5K

$2,700 R$14.7K

482.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$286

$59.2 R$322

-11.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$229

$51.5 R$280

-18.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$432

$71.6 R$389

10.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$454

$55.5 R$302

50.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,811

$331 R$1,801

56.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,313

$177 R$961

36.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,287

$527 R$2,864

119.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,151

$307 R$1,668

88.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$13.0K

$1,441 R$7,836

66.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$9,123

$681 R$3,705

146.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,264

$366 R$1,988

114.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Sao Luis

$177 22.6% 26.8% $65

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Sao Luis

$184 23.5% 8.3% $17

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Sao Luis

$113 14.5% 24.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Sao Luis

$126 16.1% 0.8% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Sao Luis

$107 13.7% 7.7% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Sao Luis

$31 4% 31% $14

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Sao Luis

$44 5.6% 15.1% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $331 in Sao Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $37 in Sao Luis. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $184, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Sao Luis 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $782 in Sao Luis, so Sao Luis is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brasilia is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $331 in Sao Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Brasilia versus $174 in Sao Luis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Brasilia runs roughly 17% less than in Sao Luis. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Sao Luis gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Sao Luis wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.